Promotions were previously handled either in-house or by a small agency or freelancer.
"The agency has a number of existing clients that have interests in the healthcare segment and we are looking to expand our ethical healthcare marketing arm," said Mark Ingrouille, president and CEO, McCann Worldgroup.
He said the agency was looking at creating a special arm, focusing on bringing forth the health benefits of the various brands McCann services and using these features to create a distinct product benefit and, thus, USP.
"We intend to hire the best professionals from the healthcare field, including pharmacists and doctors, for our team," said Ingrouille.
The agency is already working towards this goal with its existing consumer brands, such as those from the Nestlé portfolio.
"In this way, we get involved right from the product development stage and look at things in a different way," explained Ingrouille.
"For example, Nesquik is now being promoted as a healthy alternative to fruit juice for kids, rather than just a highly-flavoured milkshake."
McCann takes on Glaxo Thailand's prescription task
GlaxoSmithKline has appointed McCann Worldgroup to handle its prescription drugs account. McCann beat Grey Worldwide and OMD in the pitch, which took place about two months ago.