Havas announces moves in CRM, events, performance marketing

This morning at Cannes Lions, Yannick Bolloré, chairman and CEO of Havas Group and chairman of Vivendi, announced an expansion of the group's Annex model, a global expansion of its Edge Performance Network, the creation of an international experiential network called Havas Events and the launch of global CRM network called Havas Helia.

Bolloré said the announcements marks the start of phase two of the company's 'Together' strategy.

"Today we believe that after pioneering the world in this type of organisation, we all know that the competition is trying to catch up with the same type of approach," he said. "We need to keep three to four years ahead."

"I think it's time we leverage local excellence to create a global power," he added.

Bolloré also included the company's €100 million investment in the AMO strategic advisory network, announced last week, as part of this next phase.

Edge Performance Network

The company said Edge is a vertically integrated offering with experience and expertise in all aspects of performance marketing. The network is expanding in North America and Europe, with eight offices located in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Boston, London, Leeds, Amsterdam, and a newly launched All Response Media (ARM) office in Paris.

"We had a best-in-class agency in the US called Havas Edge, and a best-in-class agency in the UK called ARM, and today we're announceing that we are launching a global performance-marketing network," Bolloré said. "It will be the first network in the world to be global."

Havas Events

Havas is bringing together events agencies in Paris, Milan, Shanghai and New York to create the Havas Events international network. "More and more clients are getting global, and they need to have a global approach and a global network in the event industry," Bolloré said. "So we start with these four hubs, but we want to launch clearly the leading network in events in the world."

Havas Helia

Havas Helia will provide CRM strategy and implementation, consulting on loyalty programmes and marketing technology, as well as creative with an analytic bent, the company said.

"We have very different agencies over the world, best-in-class, and we have decided to join forces, so now all our CRM agencies will partner together to create the best-in-class agency—of course sitting in the Village. And we have chosen the name Havas Helia to become the leading or best-in-class CRM network in the world."

The Annex

The group's cultural and entertainment offer will expand with an office in Atlanta, expand into Los Angeles and create a new Annex / Vivendi Village in New York, according to the company.

"The Annex needs to be the cultural brand of relevancy for Havas to address this world of how brands can drive a content strategy differently than advertising," Bolloré said. "We will launch a new space in New York and we are trying to scale this apporach together with Vivendi, and this is really the interesection point that we can lock on or leverage all of Vivendi's assets."