CMI Media Group Steps Up to the Plate with New Sports Marketing Center of Excellence for Healthcare Brands

PHILADELPHIA, PA – July 15, 2024 – Strategic media healthcare agency CMI Media Group, a WPP company (NYSE: WPP), today announces a new healthcare-focused Sports Marketing Center of Excellence. CMI Media Group’s Sports Marketing COE offers clients an innovative approach for reaching healthcare audiences in a space where they are likely to engage with brand messaging.  

Sports presents a significant opportunity for healthcare marketers given the high volume of consumers who interact with it across multiple channels. CMI Media Group’s 2024/25 Media Vitals(TM) research shows that among patients and caregivers, 2 in 3 regularly engage with sports content, including TV, podcasts, magazines, or radio. Younger generations are even more likely to be diving into sports: 78% of Millennials and 73% of Gen Z regularly engage with sporting content.  Also, a high percentage of healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a strong affinity for sports with 72% stating they regularly follow at least one sport or league, presenting various opportunities to leverage this channel when HCPs are in their “white coats off” moments. 

In recent history, CMI has negotiated and partnered with major sports outlets including the NHL, NASCAR and The Pickleball Slam. This has led to pharma-first partnerships that have helped CMI’s clients to better engage with sports fans about their health. 

Health brands will benefit by authentically positioning their messages via sports-related opportunities, including live events, sponsorships, and advertising. As sports draw more fans now than ever before, brands who implement marketing strategies aligned to sports can build trust and fandom with key audiences.  

The center of excellence will be led by Melanie Lysaght, Director, Innovation and Kelly Morrison, Group SVP, Engagement Strategy and will be overseen by Mark Pappas, EVP, Innovation, and Julie Hurvitz Aliaga, EVP, Innovation, Content and Partnerships. The COE leads have drawn on sports as inspiration for their careers in healthcare marketing, including teamwork, relentless drive, and disciplined practice. Lysaght has over a decade of experience in healthcare advertising, where her roles have spanned content creation to strategic planning to innovation. Morrison’s 20 years of healthcare marketing experience on the agency and client side includes managing the professional and collegiate sports sponsorships for healthcare clients. 

“Research shows that sports aren’t the only thing on the average sports fan’s mind – they are thinking about their health, and they don’t put down their health concerns when they put on their fan jerseys. Engaging with them at sporting events has been extremely successful for our clients, so we are launching this COE to continue to deliver custom engagements that are a big win for healthcare marketers,” said Mark Pappas, EVP, Innovation. 

CMI Media Group has brought many firsts to healthcare marketing as the premier healthcare-focused media buying and planning resource to the world’s game changers in pharma and life sciences. With a deep focus on data, media and technology, the agency has developed proprietary audience tools and expertise that ensure 100% media reach, precision, performance and personalization to healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers – 1-to-1, at scale. To learn more about sports marketing opportunities, contact  sportscoe@cmimediagroup.com. 

About CMI Media Group 

CMI Media Group, a WPP company (NYSE: WPP, http://www.wpp.com), is a full-service media agency focused solely on health, wellness, and pharmaceutical marketing. CMI Media Group’s core offerings include Audience Strategy, Planning, Development, and Insights; Data and Analytics; Buying and Investment; and Direct Response and Customer Experience. As the leading media resource for the world’s top healthcare companies, CMI Media Group brings together leading technology, data, and talent to deliver seamless capabilities for clients.  CMI Media Group has been recognized as a leader in DE&I, talent retention and employee development as well as one of the industry’s best places to work. To apply for a position within our teams visit https://www.cmimediagroup.com/careers