HAVAS reverts to client-centric full-service mode

HAVAS group has just consolidated its creative and media divisions under the aegis of one consolidated regional unit, HAVAS APAC Group with Mike Amour (pix) as CEO. He will oversee the operations of all the 79 offices in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region. In the Asia Pacific region:
▶ Vishnu Mohan, will now become CEO, Havas Group India and Southeast Asia, responsible for all media and creative group agencies across those markets.
▶ Levent Guenes, currently CEO of the Creative Group, will now become Chief Growth Officer, Havas Group APAC, being primarily tasked to focus on driving new ventures, acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
This follows a similar global restructuring, with Dominique Delport appointed as global managing director and chief client officer for the Havas Group. He is tasked to supervise the entire gamut of global client relationships, marketing initiatives and new business acquisitions.
Towards end of 2016, their four largest markets were similarly consolidated under the centralised management of Group Chairmen: Chris Hirst for UK, Alfonso Rodés for Spain and Yannick Bolloré for France plus North America; with Jorge Percovich appointed as CEO Havas LATAM Group.
Apparently for the past four years Havas had been pursuing a “Together Strategy”.
▶ Opening of 47 Havas villages have transformed the way this agency works and services clients.
▶ Now “this vision is being extended” with Havas aiming to “reinvent the industry by creating new standards, new offers and new services that blend the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability”.
This clearly signals a return to the client-centric “comprehensive service offering” which was once provided by JWT, McCann, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and other ad-agencies... when many of us were recruited into this industry.
When asked relevant questions related to this issue Amour shared these inputs:
theSun: With this initiative will Havas also be re-organising its personnel into client-centric Account-Groups and teams besides having specialists who will function across accounts, such as Creative Director, Planning and Research Director, Media Director etc?
Amour: It is a fact that as the world moves faster and grows more complex, we see more clients consolidating their marketing budgets into a single communications group, transcending our industry’s traditional definition of creative and media. The ‘villages’ drive a clear, progressive view on the future of our industry, which is that Creativity is the product of radical collaboration.
Havas’ ‘village strategy’ optimises our structure and offerings to create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins.
theSun: Obviously Havas Global is driving this re-organisation after considerable thought. Do you perceive that this client-centric approach will generate effective scope to provide more efficient service plus communication solutions? Do you anticipate that Havas will generate competitive advantage through this approach?
Amour: We implemented a unique business model based on collaboration and integration four years ago and believe that it has been a game changer for us.
▶ This model is based on Together Strategy whereby all our agencies are co-located under one roof and work closely to provide seamless and agile experience to our clients across disciplines.
▶ With the current re-organisation, we have entered a new phase of our Together Strategy.
▶ Clients remain at the centre of this exercise.
▶ Havas’ clients will gain from our simple structure and our nimbleness achieved through a high level of integration.
▶ We have already seen the success of this strategy across different markets and strongly believe that, as pioneers, it postulates a competitive advantage for Havas.
Prashun Dutt Chief Marketing Officer of theSun, is a former Regional Media Director. After 14 years with advertising agencies JWT, McCann Erickson, O&M and Bozell, he has since leveraged this strong foundation in the global media industry with Times Publishing, Forbes, CNBC, MTV and The Economist. Feedback/Comment: pdutt@thesundaily.com