From Napoleon III to Hyland: Havas plots empire expansion where culture and ideas trump tech
French-owned Havas Media last week acquired Australian independent agency Hyland. But both sides insist it’s not your average deal whereby a holding company swallows an indy. Havas is owned by Vivendi, which owns music labels, film studios, TV networks and gaming and ticketing companies, making it a very different proposition to bigger global marketing services rivals like WPP, Omnicom, IPG, Dentsu and Publicis. More culture, not just tech is the idea – with further acquisitions looking likely. Meanwhile, both sides see brands returning to spend in a bid to make up growth lost to lockdowns.
Read Paul McIntyre’s Deep Dive article (5 min. read):