Says O&M managing director Ranjan Kapur on Ogilvy Healthcare: ``It is a soft launch, in a very nascent stage. We have picked on clients like Apollo Hospitals and Max India which are planning a chain of hospitals, among others. The move to float a separate division on healthcare is aimed at exploiting the vast potential of growth in this sector for ad agencies. The business, which is currently valued at around Rs 50 crore in India,is expected to grow exponentially in the next 6-8 months.''

The plan is in the formative stage. ``We are in the process of hiring specialists in this area who can work on processes like advertising, public relations, consultancy, workshops, direct marketing, etc, on healthcare. In the pastalso, we have done work on healthcare like the US Aid for oral contraceptives, the work on Hepatitis-B vaccines and also for SmithKline Beecham,'' said Kapur.

O&M has been conducting research on healthcare for the last year to understand the market and its potential for growth before floating Ogilvy Healthcare. Kapur at a presentation in Mumbai said that the agency had undertaken an extensive study on unbranded services like education and medicine.