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By Arun Sudhaman
NEW YORK: Pfizer has selected Edelman to handle a major effort to build the pharmaceutical giant’s anti-infectives portfolio in emerging markets.
It
is understood that Pfizer selected Edelman to handle the new account
following a final round shootout against Chamberlain Healthcare PR and Resolute Communications. The
decision comes after the Holmes Report first revealed the pitch earlier this year.
At
the time, the Pfizer brief called for the creation of a compelling
narrative the company’s anti-infective drugs, which target such
conditions as AIDS, pneumonia and other bacterial, viral and fungal
infections.
Focusing on such markets as China, India, Turkey and Mexico, the RFP asked agencies to develop an “emotional” messaging platform that would tell the story of Pfizer’s anti-infective efforts, from its beginnings with penicillin, to the present day.
According to sources involved in the review, that brief was modified by the time it became live, focusing more on message development in emerging markets. This is likely to revise downward initial estimates of the account’s size, which placed it in the seven-figure range.
Representatives from Edelman declined to comment, but it is known that the agency already handles existing Pfizer work. Neither Pfizer’s UK press office nor its worldwide procurement department in New York responded to request for comment.
