Mediaplus Group and WEFRA LIFE Group Take Over Market-Leading French Media Agency CMS

Mediaplus and WEFRA LIFE acquire a majority stake in the market-leading French healthcare media agency CMS (Conseil Média Santé) creating a new market leader in France and Germany. 

Munich/ Neu-Isenburg/ Paris, April 25, 2024  — The pharmaceutical and healthcare sector is booming – despite the economic situation. In the long term, healthcare marketing is one of the most attractive growth markets. That’s why the Mediaplus Group and WEFRA LIFE are investing in expanding their existing infrastructure in this important market segment by acquiring a majority stake in the French healthcare media agency CMS. With clients such as Novartis, Abbott and Amgen, CMS has been the market leader for healthcare media in France for over 35 years. The Paris-based company focuses in particular on the prescription medicine (RX) segment. Through the acquisition, Mediaplus and WEFRA LIFE not only become owners of CMS, but also market leaders in Germany and France for healthcare media.

Matthias Brüll, CEO Mediaplus Group, explains: “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.”

With the acquisition, Mediaplus unites consulting, communication and media services for RX, OTX, Medtech and OTC under one roof. And not just organizationally, but also physically: The 48 CMS employees work side by side with their Mediaplus colleagues in the House of Communication in Rue de Villiers in Paris.

The CMS portfolio ideally complements the existing Mediaplus and WEFRA LIFE offering. With 150 pharmaceutical clients, mainly from the RX and OTC segments, WEFRA LIFE, based in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt, is the leading owner-managed healthcare agency in Germany. In addition to its international positioning and strategic expertise, the Mediaplus Group, Europe's largest independent media agency, contributes extensive data and technology expertise as well as a broad range of clients from OTC and other market segments. Mediaplus and WEFRA LIFE have worked successfully together since 2013.

Matthias Haack, CEO WEFRA LIFE Group: "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. It is therefore only logical that from May this year we will be opening another office in London with Mediaplus to provide a holistic global healthcare media offering. In addition, the Mediaplus Group's more than 40 global locations are available to us for international media budgets.”

Julien Lipkowicz, CEO CMS Conseil Média Santé: “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.”