Havas Creative
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising, marketing, corporate communications |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Bernard Roux, Jacques Séguéla |
| Headquarters | New York , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (316 offices in 75 countries) |
Key people | Yannick Bolloré (Global CEO of Havas), Andrew Benett (Global CEO of Havas Worldwide), Mercedes Erra (Managing Director and Executive President) |
| Products | Advertising, marketing, corporate communications services |
| Parent | Havas |
Havas Creative, previously known as Havas Worldwide and Euro RSCG, is a prominent French advertising agency and ranks among the largest integrated marketing communications organizations worldwide, maintaining a presence in 316 offices across 75 countries. Its portfolio includes services in advertising, marketing, and corporate communications.
In 2010, Advertising Age recognized the company (then operating as Euro RSCG) for holding the highest number of global assignments for the fifth year running, establishing it as the leading network by global accounts. Based in New York, Havas Creative represents the principal branch of Havas (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.PA), which stands as the fifth-largest communications group globally, following Omnicom, WPP, Interpublic, and Publicis.
Corporate history
The agency’s origins trace back to 1970 when Bernard Roux and Jacques Séguéla established Roux Séguéla. Alain Cayzac joined two years later, prompting a name change to Roux Séguéla Cayzac.
In 1975, Havas Conseil reorganized under the Eurocom holding structure. The subsequent year saw Roux Séguéla Cayzac merge with Jean-Michel Goudard’s entity, resulting in RSCG—an acronym derived from the founders’ surnames: Roux, Séguéla, Cayzac, and Goudard.
Eurocom S.A. acquired RSCG in 1991, leading to the formation of Euro RSCG. By 1997, Euro RSCG Worldwide relocated its headquarters from Paris to New York and appointed Bob Schmetterer, an American executive, as chairman and CEO.
In 2001, the firm took a minority stake in The Maitland Consultancy, a UK-based financial public relations company.
Following its acquisition by Havas, the agency underwent rebranding in 2012 to become Havas Worldwide.
In March 2022, Havas broadened its footprint within China by acquiring Front Networks, a creative agency that specializes in social media and digital marketing campaigns.
Leadership
Yannick Bolloré assumed the role of Global CEO of Havas in 2014 while continuing as Chairman of Havas Group; concurrently, Andrew Benett was appointed Global CEO of Havas Worldwide.
David Jones led as CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide starting in 2005 before becoming Global CEO of Havas in 2011. From 2006 until 2015, Kate Robertson served as Global President and UK Group Chairman of Havas Worldwide; she also co-founded One Young World alongside Jones in 2009.
Mercedes Erra, who holds the positions of Managing Director and Executive President at Havas Worldwide, is credited with orchestrating the highly successful Evian "Roller Babies" campaign, which achieved over 75 million views and secured a Guinness World Record.
Key clients
Havas Worldwide manages accounts for 78 out of the top 100 largest global advertisers. Its clientele includes Camel Cigarettes, Natural American Spirit, Grizzly Snuff, Vuse, Air France, Citigroup, Danone Group, IBM, Lacoste, LVMH, Merck, Mondelēz International, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt Benckiser, Sanofi, The Humane Society of the United States, and Unilever.
Divisions
The organization functions through four main divisions:
- Havas Worldwide (covering Strategy, Creative work, Production Automation & Implementation)
- Havas Worldwide Digital (focused on Digital services, Direct marketing, Data & Analytics, CRM, Promotions, Channel Management, Motivation & Education)
- Havas PR (specializing in Public Relations, Corporate Communications including internal communications and corporate identity)
- Arnold Worldwide, an advertising agency based in the United States
Controversies
In July 2019, Havas encountered significant criticism over an advertisement produced for a media client in Singapore, which featured actor Dennis Chew in "brownface," depicting Indian and Malay personas. This provoked widespread online disapproval, prompting Havas Worldwide to release a formal apology.