Havas and Moonfolks form media alliance in Indonesia

Havas and Indonesian independent shop Moonfolks (formerly M&C Saatchi Indonesia) have announced a strategic alliance to form a new media arm in Southeast Asia. This partnership, effective January 6 this year, formalised under Havas Moonfolks, brings together Havas’ global media expertise with Moonfolks’ strengths in digital, creative and integrated marketing.

The deal is a formal partnership, not an acquisition. Moonfolks remains an independent creative agency, while media operations will now function as a second independent entity under Havas Moonfolks. The combined team of 144 professionals—104 from Moonfolks and 40 from Havas Media Indonesia—are now co-located in Moonfolks’ Jakarta office, ensuring an integrated collaboration.

Anish Daryani, founder of Moonfolks, takes the reins as president director of the combined entity. He will be supported by Stefanus Christofer (Steven) as general manager, and Havas Media’s newly appointed SEA president Pankaj Nayak for regional oversight. Christofer brings robust industry experience, having spent more than eight-and-a-half years at iProspect Indonesia, where he most recently served as brand lead.

"This partnership was a natural choice," said Daryani in an exclusive conversation with Campaign. "We built Moonfolks to be an integrated agency from the start, but media was a missing piece. Instead of building a media team from scratch, which is a far more complex task than building a creative agency, partnering with Havas Media allowed us to immediately complete our offering of end-to-end solutions."

The move aligns with Havas’ global Converged strategy, which integrates talent, platforms, and expertise to provide tailored, data-driven marketing solutions to clients.

Logo for the new media entity

Why this partnership, and why now?

Indonesia is a key growth market for Havas Group in Southeast Asia, but its media operations in the country were facing challenges. Faced with the choice of building organically or entering through an acquisition or alliance, Havas opted for the latter, a decision shaped by informal conversations between Havas' Rana Barua and Moonfolks' Anish Daryani.

In a pre-announcement interview with Campaign Asia-Pacific, Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, Southeast Asia & North Asia, said: "Anish and I had several informal and insightful conversations—some quite literally in the elevator of our shared office building in Jakarta," Barua explained. "Eventually, I visited his office and jokingly said, ‘Your office looks better than mine and I don’t like that!’ It led to deeper discussions, and we realised we had complementary strengths that would add tremendous value to a partnership."

For Havas, the key attraction was Moonfolks' established creative, commerce, and digital capabilities. Equally compelling was Moonfolks' recent track record. In its first year as an independent agency, Moonfolks achieved 100% client retention, added 13 new accounts, and boasted an employee turnover rate of less than 12.5%. The agency also earned accolades as one of the Best Places to Work in APAC and secured six Agency of the Year titles at Campaign's own awards.

"The chemistry was right, and while we had never worked together before, we knew each other’s professional reputation. This mutual respect formed the foundation of our partnership," Barua added.

"This is not just a symbolic collaboration—we’ve made an operational commitment," he said. "The Havas Media team of 40+ people has physically moved into Moonfolks’ office, creating a fully integrated workspace."

"By physically integrating teams under one roof, we are ensuring that creative, media, and strategy are working closely, eliminating inefficiencies that often arise when these functions are siloed," said Daryani.

The alliance will introduce Havas’ proprietary tools and platforms into the Indonesian market, including Havas Market (eCommerce solutions), Havas Play (Content & Activation), and CSA (Data & Tech) to develop engaging content experiences within a single agency framework.

Client reaction

"It’s been a gamechanger in client discussions," said Daryani. "Many of them were already working with us separately, and now they have a more seamless experience, with creative and media working in alignment."

Moonfolks manages a diverse client portfolio, including TikTok, PermataBank, Asian Paints, Suzuki Motors, AIA Insurance, Unilever, XL Axiata, Bata, Mastercard, Grab, LG, Sampoerna-Philip Morris, Pertamina, Kimia Farma, among others.

“Grab, Agoda and Amar Bank were already working with Havas and Moonfolks separately [for media and creative]—and now they find it seamless to partner with us under one integrated team," adds Daryani. 

"The traditional agency model has created unnecessary complexity by keeping creative and media in separate agencies. I’ve seen firsthand how disconnected brand, strategy, creative, media, data and commerce can be—even when working on the same client or within the same holding company. By bringing together one unified solution, we are challenging the traditional model and providing a more effective and holistic way to solve business challenges."

The alliance is expected to deliver a stronger return on ad spend by ensuring that media investments are aligned with creative strategy from the outset.

Looking ahead

With the ink barely dry on the alliance, the newly formed entity is setting its sights high. Over the next year, the focus will be on “solidifying the partnership and building a reputation for delivering truly integrated solutions”, according to Rana Barua. "We’re not rushing into big external commitments," he said. "The goal is to ensure that the partnership works smoothly, both internally and with clients."

While the industry is watching to see how this integrated model plays out, there's a sense that Havas Moonfolks could be setting a new standard in the Indonesian market. "The coming months will be crucial in demonstrating the impact of this partnership," Daryani said. "We are committed to proving that an integrated approach to media and creative can drive real business outcomes for the client."

Daryani doesn't shy away from setting ambitious targets. "I want Havas Moonfolks to be among the top three media agencies in Indonesia within the next three years," he declared. Barua, while perhaps a bit more measured in his pronouncements, clearly shares the same bullish outlook. "From my perspective, Indonesia is a key growth market," he affirmed. "It’s not just about surviving—it’s about scaling up significantly."

The challenge now is to translate that ambition into tangible results.