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Independent PR giant Ruder Finn is acquiring Pleasantville, NY-based health and wellness marketing services firm RLA Collective.
Terms of the acquisition have not been publicly disclosed.
RLA focuses on end-to-end product marketing, which includes social media marketing, influencers, geo-targeted retailer campaigns and AI digital advertising for over-the-counter, nutritional supplement and medical device brands. Clients include Cold-Eeze, Curad, PediaCare, Sea-Band and Viactiv to Oxy Acne, ROHTO, Vagisil, Balmex and Cepacol, among others.
The agency, which was formerly titled Robin Leedy & Associates, was founded in 1986.
In light of the acquisition, the agency will now employ the name “RLA Collective, a Ruder Finn Company.” RLA’s Pleasantville offices will remain and the agency will acquire an additional space in Ruder Finn’s New York City office.
RLA partners Robin Russo (founder and CEO) and Alyson O’Mahoney (president) will also remain onboard as Ruder Finn co-managing directors. Russo and O’Mahoney bring along an additional staff of nearly two dozen.
The global communications agency said the acquisition would enhance its presence in the health and health tech spaces as well as bolster its digital and analytics capabilities.
“To stay competitive, agencies need to focus on the convergence of marketing, PR and digital, while using data to drive business decisions for clients,” Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden told O’Dwyer’s. “The acquisition of RLA Collective not only underscores our leadership position in the rapidly growing and evolving healthcare space but also complements our analytics and technology offerings that will benefit our broader client base.”
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