NEW YORK — Ruder Finn has acquired RLA Collective, a marketing firm that specializes in over-the-counter health and wellness — a move aimed at bolstering the agency’s marketing, digital and analytics capabilities.

“It takes the digital marketing perspective and helps us to integrate even more into everything we do,” said Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden.

RLA Collective specializes in end-to-end product marketing including research, content development and brand engagement strategies such as social marketing, micro-influencers, geo-targeted retail campaigns and AI digital advertising. Cold-Eeze, Curad and PediaCare are among the firm’s clients.

RLA founder and CEO Robin Russo and president and partner Alyson O’Mahoney will serve as co-managing directors, part of an 11-person team that will be joining Ruder Finn through the merger.

Bloomgarden said the acquisition is in keeping with Ruder Finn’s “journey without an end” to be an agency more heavily reliant on data and analytics — and use those capabilities to help companies grow and adapt to new business models.

"Our acquisition of RLA with is really important in that and in our continuing to innovate and (be on the) cutting edge,” she said. “It brings capabilities and it expands and extends the kind of insights we will be able to bring to clients as the digital world begins to have a stronger impact on healthcare, all elements of healthcare."