Weber Shandwick's Cambridge,
Mass., office beat four finalists for a $4M contract to provide PR and advertising
support as Massachusetts tries to make its landmark universal healthcare legislation
work.
An RFP released last November to 25 agencies sought help in reaching
and educating uninsured individuals and small businesses affected by the state's
2006 reform law, which requires all Bay Staters to sign up for an insurance plan
by July 1 or face tax penalties.
WS was the only firm not to ask for
a commission on media buys. The Interpublic unit, which has about 90 people in
Cambridge, is set to bring in $760K in fees billing at $190 hour for an
estimated 4,000 hours, the firm agreed to a 5 percent cut and $2M for media
buys.
The year-long contract is with the Commonwealth Health Insurance
Connector Authority, an independent entity created by the state to act as a "bridge"
between health plans and individuals and small businesses.
Tara Murphy,
VP for WS in Cambridge, heads the account.
Massachusetts last year became
the first state to pass near-universal health coverage. The law has drawn national
media coverage and is expected to be a top campaign point for former Gov. Mitt
Romney, a Republican who is running for president and signed the bill into law
after it emerged from the state's Democratic legislature.
WS' contract
runs through Dec. 31. The CHICA's board approved the pact at its late January
meeting citing the firm's experience in healthcare, community and government relations,
and its ability to handle both advertising and PR, among other factors. |