Havas Takes ‘Play’ Brand Global

Today, Havas unveils Havas Play, a new global network that will earn consumers’ attention and create enduring business impact through meaningful experiences at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology, and fandom.

Havas Play is founded on the belief that activating where consumer passions are at play drives more meaningful engagement and increased purchase. This global network will empower all brands to activate in consumer passion points– from the arts and tech to healthcare and consumer goods. As a dedicated network within Havas, Havas Play will unify existing agency brands and expertise within the organization, scaling across all of Havas' major markets and retiring the Havas Sports, and Havas Sports & Entertainment brands in markets where they currently exist. 

The launch simplifies existing services the network offers to clients under various marques today. Havas Play leverages, upskills, and expands upon existing talent to provide strategy, ideation, creative, production, project management, and distribution across a range of core services: partnerships, influencer marketing, experiential & live events, sponsorships, social media activation & amplification, and branded entertainment.

HARMAN INTERNATIONAL – having appointed Havas as global agency of record across media and creative at the end of 2022 – now also becomes Havas Play’s first global client, with an expanded remit that appoints Havas Play as global gaming agency of record. Havas Play builds on agency experience across local markets in sports, gaming, music and entertainment for Puma, Jameson, Axa, L’Enfant Bleu, and more.

“Only Havas can maximize the real opportunity of Play for brands. The launch of this global network to activate consumer passions is something we are truly best positioned to do through our Villages in bringing together the range of skills, tools and services needed to succeed in activating brands in meaningful ways, and our completely unique position within Vivendi as a global leader in entertainment. Clients of Havas Play will have unparalleled access to create meaningful experiences in collaboration with the cultural influencers that command their consumers’ attention and passion,” Yannick Bolloré, chairman and CEO of Havas, comments.

Havas Play, already established in Havas’ HQ market, France, will continue to differentiate in three ways: optimizing activation through a deep understanding of what makes brands ‘Meaningful’ based on over 12 years of research; a unique commitment to ethics, sustainability and inclusivity through the Institute for Advertising Ethics; and a bespoke approach to measuring brand experience powered by Havas’ global data platform, Converged.

“Havas Play will enable brands around the world to Play like never before, creating moments that break through to consumers in booming concert halls, cheering sports crowds, the bustle of Paris Fashion Week, and the virtual Sandbox. The connection between Havas Play and Vivendi is a true symbiotic relationship, and a shining example of how our organization works cohesively as an integrated network to generate greater value,” Yannick added.

With the resources of Vivendi, Havas Play has a unique advantage that shapes core components of the planning process – custom data and insight from across Vivendi on fan behaviour, global music, film, gaming and publisher IP access, and collaboration with top talent from the culture and media sphere.