• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 8, 2022

Looking to tap into the $1 trillion health and wellness market, ad agency McKinney, part of South Korea holding group Cheil Worldwide, has launched a new healthcare practice, McKinney Health.

The agency has tapped Michael McNamara, former President of Havas Life New York, to lead the practice. He will serve as Managing Director of McKinney Health.

In forming the new practice, the agency cited increased interest and recent innovations in preventive care, wearables, tele-health and nutrition and an opportunity to help brands connect with consumers with an interest in those burgeoning sectors.

The agency said the newly unveiled unit would serve new health, wellness and life science clients while also supporting existing clients across categories including Food & Beverage, CPG, Tech and Retail. And it will be fully integrated into the main agency.

McNamara led Havas Life New York for seven years before leaving earlier this year. 

“We wanted to create a modern offering, combining our culture and social-first creative approach with deep expertise in the health and wellness category,” stated McKinney CEO Joe Maglio.  

McKinney Health teams will be imbedded across all McKinney offices in Durham, NC,  New York, Dallas and Los Angeles. McNamara will be based in the New York office. As part of the Cheil Worldwide network, McKinney Health will also have access to health and wellness expertise throughout the network as client needs dictate.

The agency said that health and wellness advertising veteran Darcy McCarthy has been hired as group client director to help build the practice, with additional hires to follow. She is also a Havas Health veteran and most recently served as an account lead at Juice Pharma Worldwide.