In a move to cash in on the growing demand for social marketing in the healthcare field, pharmaceutical marketing agency LBJ Advertising has merged with social marketing agency Freeman Rodgers Battaglia (frb).

The new agency will be called lbj.frb and will be headed up by Terry Johnson, former president and ceo of lbj, while Steve Freeman, frb president, becomes chairman of the new agency.

The merger ­ which, according to a release, was arranged by MDC Communications ­ also gives Montreal-based Publicite LBJ a stronger presence in the Quebec market.