Despite being a marketing and communications agency, Cossette has also established itself as a player in the startup space: the company has established incubators in Montreal and Toronto, and was key to branding Toronto’s StartUpHERE initiative.
The company’s latest development to support innovation is the launch of Cossette Health. The initiative will deliver on three pillars of service to the healthcare industry: an integrated communications practice within Cossette; an accelerator for innovation with client partners; and a startup incubator, building upon the offering of Cossette Lab. Cossette Lab currently has Canadian locations in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
“The healthcare industry is ready for the digital expertise and innovative services our team offers,” said Melanie Dunn, president and CEO of Cossette Canada. “It requires a truly unique service like Cossette Health to build persuasive communication helping healthcare organizations stay ahead of the curve and connect with their complex audiences in meaningful ways.”
Cossette Health will be led by managing director Dr. John Reeves, who has more than 20 years of experience in health-related digital marketing solutions and startups focused on patient activation. Reeves has held senior digital leadership roles with Elsevier and McCann in New York, where he led the digital healthcare strategy for 75 agencies around the world. Joe Dee will act as head of product and technology; in the past, Dee has held senior roles at Organic, Critical Mass, DDB/Tribal Worldwide, MaRS Discovery District, and Klick Health. Dee was instrumental in establishing Cossette Lab in Toronto.
“We feel the healthcare landscape is finally ready for the highly strategic and creative work that Cossette brings,” said Dee. “Our commitment is to take the same fearless approach to this vertical and apply our award-winning creative teams, innovative strategists, experience with startups and entrepreneurs, and building it all on the backs of modern technology.”