Mediaplus Group & Wefra Life acquire stake in CMS
The trio now set their sights on unified global expansion
In a strategic move that significantly expands their global reach, Mediaplus Group and Wefra Life have acquired a majority stake in CMS, a premier French healthcare media agency known for its leadership in the market. The market-leaders in HCP media within Germany and France combine with Mediaplus Group, and set their sights on global expansion.
A Trio of Leaders Uniting
The merger combines the strengths of German market leader Wefra Life and French leader CMS with the expansive global network of Mediaplus.
Matthias Brüll, CEO of Mediaplus Group, emphasized the strategic value of this acquisition: “The healthcare sector is one of the most exciting in the world and promises massive growth rates – particularly as a result of developments in digital health. The companies’ need for advice is just as great. With the acquisition of CMS, we are investing massively in our international healthcare expertise together with Wefra Life and at the same time strengthening our Mediaplus offering in the Paris House of Communication.”
Matthias Haack, CEO of Wefra Life Group, shared his excitement about the merger’s potential to boost their market position: “We are delighted to be bringing the outstanding healthcare expertise of CMS in-house, which will greatly enhance our international market position. In Germany, together with Mediaplus, we are already one of the leading independent healthcare agencies. Now, with a joint acquisition, we are moving even closer together, becoming the market leader in France in one fell swoop.”
Julien Lipkowicz, CEO of CMS, expressed optimism about the partnership’s future: “We are very much looking forward to opening a new chapter in international healthcare media – together with the Mediaplus Group and its many global opportunities and, of course, with our long-standing partner Wefra Life.”
With this partnership, the services include RX, OTX, Medtech, and OTC under one unified operational roof and enhance their respective individual capability to offer tailored healthcare communication strategies across multiple channels.
The Road Ahead
These agency groups have worked closely together over several years, with the previous collaboration under the brand name HEAL International. With all parties now much stronger in their respective markets, this formal integration will certainly offer clients a new perspective when looking for their media agency partner.
In an industry increasingly dominated by large holding companies’ media agencies, the strategic consolidation of Mediaplus, Wefra Life, and CMS’s local and independent expertise could provide an interesting new option for clients shopping for their next media agency partner.
Solli’s Perspective
The success of this exciting new formation hinges on several key factors:
- Operational Integration: How effectively and swiftly will the three entities merge their operations to deliver a seamless service that maintains respected local expertise?
- Technical Alignment: How will the alliance align their respective offerings within the local endemic programmatic space?
- Impact on Programmatic Market: Positioned with strong in-house programmatic capabilities, this partnership is primed to influence the growing international programmatic market and may even foster collaborations with US entities.
- Competing with Giants: Does the MediaPlus network possess adequate local pharma and health knowledge to rival the scale of the Top 5 holding companies?
At Solli, we are keenly watching how this partnership unfolds and how both clients and the market respond to this new configuration.
