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Tag: Havas

  • Havas hits the accelerator as AI strategy bears fruit

    Havas hits the accelerator as AI strategy bears fruit

    PARIS: Havas is charging into the final quarter of 2025 with a spring in its step. The advertising group posted organic net revenue growth of 3.8 per cent in the third quarter, smashing expectations and vindicating its strategic pivot towards artificial intelligence and data-driven marketing. The surge in top-line performance prompted management to sharpen full-year guidance decisively upwards, signalling confidence that the worst of the economic headwinds facing the sector have passed.

    The results reveal a business in motion. North America blazed a trail with organic growth of 7.4 per cent, driven chiefly by Havas Health’s double-digit expansion and its ability to wring higher budgets out of existing clients—a rare feat in an industry where money typically flows only to new business wins. The Asia-Pacific region bounced back smartly from a tepid second quarter with 8.2 per cent growth, whilst the United Kingdom performed solidly. France, dragged down by a tough comparison with last year’s Olympic Games boost, and Latin America, battered by unfavourable currency moves, were the laggards.

    Havas now expects full-year net revenue organic growth of between 2.5 and 3.0 per cent, up from previous guidance of above 2.0 per cent. More significantly, the group reckons on an adjusted EBIT margin improvement of around 50 basis points to approximately 12.9 per cent—a meaningful lift that suggests operational leverage is kicking in. The nine-month figures show organic growth of 2.8 per cent, buoyed by cross-selling wins amongst the top 30 clients.

    The financial picture is straightforward: Havas is extracting better returns from its existing client base whilst simultaneously expanding its footprint. Operating margin expansion of this magnitude rarely happens by accident. The group has plainly succeeded in persuading clients to spend more on higher-margin services and shifted work into more profitable lines—precisely what a well-functioning agency should accomplish.

    Two strategic moves underscore management’s ambition. The majority acquisition of Tidart, a Spanish digital performance specialist, plugs gaps in Havas’ capabilities across e-commerce and performance marketing. More consequential is the formation of Horizon Global, a joint venture with Horizon Media Holdings worth a combined $20 billion in global billings. Styled as an “AI-native solution,” the venture signals that Havas’ Converged.AI strategy—the group’s bet on helping clients harness artificial intelligence across their marketing ecosystems—is moving from rhetoric into revenue-generating reality.

    Chief executive vYannick Bolloré  spoke of “impressive commercial momentum” and “notable new business wins.” Translation: the market is buying what Havas is selling.

    None of this occurs in a vacuum. Foreign exchange movements clipped 3.9 per cent from reported revenue growth, with the dollar’s recent weakness particularly stinging. Geopolitical tensions, trade pressures and political uncertainties lurk in the background. The group remains cautious about the year ahead, even as it tightens guidance.

    The broader picture for Havas: a global advertising industry grinding through modest growth and relentless margin pressure is being challenged—and beaten—by a group that has successfully positioned itself as a challenger taking share through genuine commercial innovation. Whether that momentum persists through 2026 is the question investors are asking now. For the moment, the trajectory looks encouraging.

  • Laura Maness steps down as global chief of Grey after three-year stint

    Laura Maness steps down as global chief of Grey after three-year stint

    NEW YORK: Laura Maness is stepping down as global chief executive of Grey, the 105-year-old advertising agency, after more than three years at the helm. In a LinkedIn post published on Thursday, Maness—the first woman to lead the storied shop—said she would be “passing the baton” to close colleagues whilst embarking on what she described as a “bold new chapter.” She offered no details about her next move.

    The departure marks the end of a brief but eventful tenure for Maness, who became only the sixth global chief in Grey’s history when she took the reins in September 2022. During her time leading the WPP-owned agency, Grey operated as a standalone brand within the Ogilvy network, a structure designed to preserve its independence whilst leveraging the broader group’s resources.

    Maness joined Grey from Havas, where she spent nearly a decade, most recently as chief executive of the group’s north American flagship. At Havas she drove what the industry regarded as a remarkable turnaround, earning the agency accolades including Digiday’s most innovative culture and Ad Age’s best places to work. She also steered Havas to become the first major network agency in America to achieve B Corp certification.

    Before Havas, Maness spent six years at Designkitchen, an independent Chicago shop that was acquired by WPP in 2008 following growth she helped orchestrate. Her career spans stints at FCB Global, Propane and Wunderman, with early roles at Black Dog Interactive and Giant Step during the dot-com era.

    Beyond her executive roles, Maness serves on several boards, including Tory Burch Foundation, Alembic Technologies, B Lab and the 4A’s, where she is vice chair. She co-chairs 50/50 Women on Boards and is a founding member of Chief, the invitation-only network for women leaders.

    Grey, founded in 1917, markets itself on creating “famously effective” ideas for brands. The agency has been named to Newsweek’s top 100 global most loved workplaces and America’s greatest workplaces for women, with women representing 50 per cent of its executive leadership.

    Maness’s cryptic sign-off—”As for what’s next? More to come”—has left industry observers guessing about her future plans.

  • Havas India teams up with Banijay Asia to bring entertainment firepower to advertising

    Havas India teams up with Banijay Asia to bring entertainment firepower to advertising

    MUMBAI: Advertising is eating entertainment—or is it the other way round? Havas India has struck a strategic partnership with Banijay Asia, the regional arm of Europe’s largest studio, to fuse the art of selling with the craft of showmaking. The alliance marks a bet that brands can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines of culture; they must wade into the thick of it.

    Banijay Entertainment, the Paris-headquartered titan behind global juggernauts like Survivor, Big Brother and Temptation Island, has built its Asian operation into a content factory. In India alone, Banijay Asia has churned out The Kapil Sharma Show, Bigg Boss, Nach Baliye, The Night Manager and The Voice—hits that have shaped prime-time viewing and water-cooler chatter.

    Under the new arrangement, Havas India will plug into Banijay Asia’s storytelling muscle to create what it calls “entertainment-led brand storytelling”. Translation: adverts that don’t feel like adverts. The partnership stretches beyond India to cover Havas clients across South-East Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan.

    “Advertising today is no longer confined to conventional mediums; it thrives at the intersection of entertainment, content and culture,” said Havas India, South-East Asia and North Asia group chief executive Rana Barua. The goal, he added, is to help brands “drive cultural and business impact” by thinking bigger and bolder.

    Banijay Asia founder & group chief executive Deepak Dhar argued that India and the wider Asia-Pacific region are “ready for a more immersive, content-first approach to brand building”. With Havas’s network reach and Banijay’s format expertise, the two aim to make brands “part of everyday conversations”.

    The tie-up reflects a broader trend: the blurring of boundaries between advertising and entertainment. Banijay Entertainment has already launched a specialist division, Banijay Branded Entertainment, to capitalise on brands’ hunger for original content. This partnership takes that ambition eastward, where audiences are younger, mobile-savvy and increasingly allergic to traditional ad formats.

    Havas India, which operates 24 agencies and divisions across media, creative and health verticals, has been on a tear. The network has won multiple clients and industry gongs over the past three years, including being named a Great Place to Work three times running. With over 2,500 staff across Mumbai, Gurugram, Bengaluru and four other cities, it is positioning itself as one of India’s nimblest advertising shops.

    Banijay Asia, meanwhile, continues to expand its slate. The studio has Indian adaptations of Monk, House and Suits in the pipeline, alongside non-scripted fare like Rise and Fall and Temptation Island. Its parent company, Banijay Entertainment, operates over 130 production companies across 21 territories and delivered more than 17,000 hours of content in 2024. Revenues hit €3.35bn last year, with EBITDA of €528m.

    Whether brands can truly become entertainment—or merely crash the party—remains to be seen. But with this partnership, Havas and Banijay are betting that the future of advertising looks less like a 30-second spot and more like a binge-worthy series.

  • Horizon and Havas forge $20bn media giant to shake up agency world

    Horizon and Havas forge $20bn media giant to shake up agency world

    NEW YORK: Two heavyweights of the advertising world are joining forces to take on the industry’s entrenched giants. Horizon Media Holdings and Havas have launched Horizon Global, a joint venture that instantly vaults into the top tier of global media investors with $20bn in combined billings spanning more than 100 countries.

    The New York-based network arrives as a pointed alternative to what the partners call an increasingly “constrained” market dominated by a handful of holding companies. Horizon Global will hunt for American-centric global clients, whilst Horizon Media and Havas Media Network continue to operate independently on their existing books of business.

    At the venture’s core sits BluConverged, a mash-up of Horizon’s Blu platform and Havas’s Converged.AI that promises clients an “AI-native experience” delivering faster insights and genuine transparency—a perennial gripe in an industry notorious for opacity.

    “Built exclusively for the needs of the modern global marketer, Horizon Global is rewriting the agency network playbook,” said Horizon Media Holdings. chief executive and founder Bill Koenigsberg. “As the first agency network built in the AI era, we’re leading with future-forward ways of working.”

    Havas chief executive and chairman Yannick Bolloré  called the partnership “a significant moment” in a shifting industry landscape. “I’ve known Bill for years, and I’m incredibly proud Horizon has turned to Havas as its global partner.”

     Horizon Media Holdings president Bob Lord takes the helm as interim chief executive of Horizon Global whilst keeping his current role. Renata Spackova, based in Paris, becomes global chief operating officer, overseeing the rollout across more than 100 markets.

    The pair will report to a board including Koenigsberg, Bolloré, Peter Mears (global chief executive of Havas Media Network) and other senior leaders from both shops.

  • Satyaki Pal joins DamGoodFish as senior manager for growth and marketing

    Satyaki Pal joins DamGoodFish as senior manager for growth and marketing

    MUMBAI: DamGoodFish has hired Satyaki Pal as senior manager, growth and marketing. Pal, who brings nearly a decade in digital and media roles, joins the seafood brand after stints at some of India’s biggest agencies.

    He was previously director, digital at Interactive Avenues (2022–24), where he led key accounts in Gurugram. Before that, he served as account director for client servicing (South) at Logicserve Digital in Bangalore, overseeing performance marketing mandates. His earlier roles include media planning leadership at Phd, Havas, iProspect and AdGlobal360, alongside business development at Linq Digital and Click Thru Network.

    Pal’s appointment signals DamGoodFish’s intent to sharpen its brand presence and accelerate growth in a competitive category.

  • Ogilvy India rolls out consulting arm, Neeraj Bassi returns to lead the charge

    Ogilvy India rolls out consulting arm, Neeraj Bassi returns to lead the charge

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has officially launched Ogilvy Consulting in the country, with seasoned brand whisperer Neeraj Bassi stepping in as head of the India practice. Based out of the Gurugram office, Bassi will also double up as head of strategic planning for Ogilvy India (North).

    Globally, Ogilvy Consulting is all about cracking the holy trinity of modern business challenges — growth & innovation, business design, and digital transformation. It ropes in Ogilvy’s best across brand strategy, customer engagement, commerce, PR, partnerships and influence, bundling them into one potent, integrated offer.

    For Bassi, this isn’t just a gig — it’s a return to base. Having last served as president – strategic planning at Ogilvy Gurugram till 2015, the advertising veteran brings 28 years of strategy-packed experience to the table. His most recent avatar was as chief growth officer at Cheil X, following stints at Publicis, Havas, JWT Dubai, and McCann Erickson, where his journey began in 1997.

    Ogilvy India chief strategy officer Prem Narayan  said, ” I have always admired Neeraj. He is one of the finest strategic minds in the country.   His rich experience across consulting, advertising and driving growth make him one of the rare few who excel at intersecting consumer x culture x brand x business x modern media landscape to deliver business impact and transformation.   There couldn’t have been anyone better to lead and launch the Ogilvy Consulting practice and drive excellence of the strategic planning function for Ogilvy India (North), Neeraj will make us sharper, stronger and sweeter.”

    Bassi, with his trademark cool, added: “I am really excited to lead the Ogilvy Consulting practice in India. Globally we are getting a good traction in this space and I am looking forward to offering independent, unbiased advice for full funnel management of marquee brands – right from fuelling desire to demand conversion at point of sale. Ogilvy Consulting would address the issue of distributed brand narrative that is happening because of domain experts working in their silos. Championing the cause of one brand, one narrative, Ogilvy Consulting will help clients integrate the domains at a strategic level. It’s a homecoming for me and coming home is always special.”

    With this move, Ogilvy India joins the global consulting party — and with Bassi at the helm, expect the narrative to get sharper, the strategies slicker, and the silos shaken.

  • Havas gets a CX glow-up with Enverta Digital acquisition

    Havas gets a CX glow-up with Enverta Digital acquisition

    MUMBAI: Havas is flexing its customer experience (CX) muscle in North America with the acquisition of Toronto-based Enverta Digital, a boutique CRM and digital transformation outfit known for its tech-savvy mojo and smooth client integration model.

    With operations across Canada and Poland, Enverta brings a potent mix of Salesforce, Adobe, Microsoft, and Braze expertise to the table—making it the perfect fit for Havas’ converged strategy, which blends creativity and tech to craft personalised, data-led brand journeys.

    ““I’m delighted to welcome Jacob and the entire Enverta Digital team into the Havas family. This addition represents a meaningful step forward in our ongoing mission to  redefine and elevate customer experience. By placing CX at the core of our Converged strategy, this move underscores our unwavering commitment to innovation and strengthens our ability to lead in the CX space with transformative, tech-enabled solutions that are fully integrated across our service offerings,” shared Havas CEO & chairman Yannick Bolloré.

    The move sees Enverta absorbed into Havas CX Canada, adding serious firepower to the agency’s North America operations—particularly its growing US client base. Enverta’s offshore setup in Poland will also give Havas added scale and cost efficiencies, with its recurring revenue model sweetening the deal.

    Havas CX Canada president Alex Chepovetsky summed it up neatly: “With Enverta’s CRM game and our creative chops, we’re now better placed than ever to deliver end-to-end brand experiences that move the needle.”

    “Our focus on CRM and digital enablement aligns seamlessly with Havas’ commitment to delivering holistic, customer-centric solutions. This partnership will allow us to combine Havas’ global resources and creative expertise with our strengths to deliver a full service digital offering, centered on driving highly-personalised consumer experiences across all touchpoints and channels,” shared Enverta Digital founder & CEO Jacob Ciesielski.

    It’s a win-win deal wrapped in customer-first thinking—just the way modern marketing likes it.

  • Havas’ Prose on Pixels lands Joris Knetsch to lead APAC charge

    Havas’ Prose on Pixels lands Joris Knetsch to lead APAC charge

    MUMBAI: Havas’ AI-fuelled content-at-scale agency Prose on Pixels is ready to switch on the afterburners in Asia Pacific, appointing Joris Knetsch as executive vice-president for the region, effective May 2025.

    Based in Singapore, Joris brings over a decade of experience in creative production and digital scaling—including an eight-year stint building Media Monks’ footprint in APAC. His hiring signals a sharp push by Havas to deepen its converged strategy, which unites media, creativity and content under one turbocharged roof.

    “With close to a decade of experience in the APAC region, Joris brings invaluable market knowledge and established relationships that will help us accelerate our growth.  His deep expertise in technology-driven production makes him the ideal person to lead Prose on Pixels in Asia Pacific,” said Prose on Pixels global CEO Steve Netzley. 

    The agency—relaunched globally in June 2023—is stitching together Havas’ production capabilities into a single AI-powered powerhouse, already making waves with tech-led hiring and global expansion. Joris will now spearhead the Asian playbook alongside regional leaders including Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO, BLKJ Havas and Pankaj Nayak, CEO, Havas Media Network Singapore.

    “Bringing Joris on board helps our business in two ways”, said Havas India group CEO Havas India, south east & north Asia Rana Barua. “First, to officially launch and scale Prose on Pixels in Asia with the right leadership in place. Second, it reinforces our Converged strategy across the region – anchored in media, creative and production – by fostering collaboration and empowering our teams to elevate the value we deliver to our clients.”

    “I’m thrilled to be joining Prose on Pixels at such an exciting time,” said Joris Knetsch.  “It was immediately clear that the global Prose on Pixels team sees things the same way I do—great content production isn’t just a support act, it’s central to bringing bold creativity and smart media to life in today’s marketing landscape. While many claim to be integrated, with Prose on Pixels launching in Asia, Havas is actually doing it: activating its converged strategy and bringing creative, media, and production together to truly work as one across the region. Asia Pacific is an incredibly dynamic region, and I look forward to helping brands transform how they create and distribute content with speed, efficiency, and impact.”

    With its creative-meets-code model, Havas is betting big on Asia—and Joris Knetsch is now in the pilot’s seat.

  • Havas plugs into YouGov power to stitch audience insight gaps

    Havas plugs into YouGov power to stitch audience insight gaps

    MUMBAI: Havas has doubled down on data by expanding its tie-up with research heavyweight YouGov, now covering 30 markets across its media, creative, and health networks. This souped-up partnership adds a potent dose of health insights from YouGov’s chronic and seasonal condition panels—feeding straight into Havas’ AI-driven converged operating system.

    The move fuses first-party data with YouGov’s rich psychographic and attitudinal layers to create razor-sharp audience profiles at scale. The result? A 50 per cent bump in performance through faster activations and higher lead conversions.

    “By accelerating adoption of YouGov’s data and insights, we’ve been able to build larger, smarter models, creating increasingly sophisticated audiences that can be leveraged across the entire agency network in our Converged operating system. For our clients, we’ve boosted performance while safeguarding customer privacy, and for our people we’ve unlocked new efficiencies that empower them to focus on more strategic tasks,” shared Havas global chief data & technology officer Dan Hagen. 

    The collaboration has been four years in the making. “We’re incredibly proud of YouGov’s work with Dan and his team at Havas since our partnership started four years ago,” said YouGov co-founder & CEO Stephan Shakespeare. “The enhancement of the relationship is testament to how much they value the quality and connectivity of our data, our pioneering products and our deep expertise. We look forward to further expanding YouGov’s partnership with Havas in the years to come as we continue to develop innovative approaches to show consumers’ reality across the world.”

    With the Havas-YouGov power couple growing stronger, it’s clear: insight is no longer just nice to have—it’s the rocket fuel.

  • Abby Awards 2025: Round 1 shortlist unveiled, Leo Burnett and Enormous Brands lead the creative charge

    Abby Awards 2025: Round 1 shortlist unveiled, Leo Burnett and Enormous Brands lead the creative charge

    MUMBAI: The AdClub has revealed the Round 1 shortlist for the Abby Awards 2025, powered by One Show, with industry heavyweights Leo Burnett, Enormous Brands, FCB, VML, McCann, Famous Innovations, and Havas leading the charge in the creative categories.

    A star-studded lineup of creative powerhouses and brands has made the cut, including Good Morning Films, Tribes Communications, Atom Network, Cheil, Schbang, Mudra Max, Y&H, Grey Group, Hogarth Studios, Vanilla Films, Mindshare, BBH, and Tilt Brand Solutions.

     The client roster shines just as bright, with AIS, Jaguar, P&G Whisper, Manifest, The Times of India, Axis Bank, Coca-Cola, Finolex, Reliance General Insurance, Durex, Flipkart, Lays, and Dream11 all vying for glory.

    Digital dynamos like Schbang, BC Web Wise, Digitas, and Interactive Avenues have carved out their space, while design virtuosos Open Design, Hyphen Brands, and Tree Design have made their mark. 

    Video craft maestros—Good Morning Films, Vanilla Films, Bang Bang, Kitchen Video, and Superfly Films—add a cinematic edge to the shortlist.

    The broadcast and publishing giants aren’t left behind, with Bennett Coleman, ABP, Jagran Prakashan, Viacom, Star India, The Hindu Group, and Zee Entertainment staking their claim for the trophy. 

    Start-up agencies like Y&H, tgthr, Brave, and Believe Trinity have also entered the spotlight, proving that fresh talent can compete with the best.

    Awards governing council chairman Ajay Kakar expressed his delight: “The shortlist for the Abby Awards 2025—across both creative and media categories—is now out. It’s heartening to see the breadth and diversity of agencies, clients, brands, publishers, and broadcasters who have made it through the first round of rigorous jury evaluation. This wide representation is a reflection of the vibrancy and depth of talent in our industry. With the second and third rounds of judging ahead, we now look forward to seeing the best rise to the top. All roads lead to the awards nights between 21 and 23 May.”

    The round 2 and round 3 judging are already underway, with the final winners set to be crowned at the much-anticipated Goafest 2025.