• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 25, 2021

Health Insurance Giant Cigna has consolidated most of its marketing services account — including creative, media, marketing communications, data and analytics among other services — with the Interpublic Group.

Cigna spent $180 million on measured media last year, according to agency research firm COMvergence.

Under the remit Cigna will work with a bespoke cross-holding-company-team comprised of talent and resources from McCann Worldgroup, R/GA, Initiative, Acxiom, Kinesso and other agencies in the IPG portfolio.

Cigna’s new agency of record at IPG, dubbed “Team Unleash,” will be in place on July 1, 2021.

According to Cigna, the newly created agency model is designed to maintain the flexibility to access a wide range of agency services “understanding that needs often change throughout the year with the ability to meet the fluctuating needs of our business.”

The added flexibility, the company said, will enable it to “evolve capabilities across creative, B2B, digital, data & analytics, and media planning and buying.”

“IPG understands our business, growth strategy and will help bring to life the unique value of our Cigna and Evernorth brands as they individually compete in their respective markets,” stated Kristen Lauria, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer, Cigna. The new setup, she added, will “create a unique model that will not only foster innovation but demonstrate Cigna’s leadership” in the health insurance sector.   

Evernorth is a Cigna brand that IPG helped the client launch last year, leading to the expanded partnership.