
Havas Group has unveiled Havas Play, a new global network that will earn consumers’ attention and create enduring business impact through meaningful experiences at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology, and fandom.
The belief that consumer passions are at play leads to more meaningful engagement. The global network will allow brands to engage in consumer passion points. The Havas Play network will unify agency brands and expertise within the organisation and retire the Havas Sports and Entertainment brands in markets where they are currently present.
In India, three entities, Havas Sports and Entertainment and Havas Content, both of which are part of Havas Media Group India, and Cake India, which is part of Havas Creative India, will combine and rebrand as Havas Play.R Venkatasubramanian, president and national head of investments, Havas Media Group India, has been given the additional responsibility to lead Havas Play in India. Havas Play will be part of the Havas Media Group India network, which is led by Mohit Joshi as its chief executive officer.Under the new structure, the senior vice president, Prachi Narayan, the vice president, and the managing partner will report to Venkat.
The launch simplifies existing services the network offers to clients under various marques today. Havas Play leverages, upskills, and expands upon existing talent to provide strategy, ideation, creative, production, project management, and distribution across a range of core services: partnerships, influencer marketing, experiential and live events, sponsorships, social media activation and amplification, and branded entertainment, the company said in a press statement.After appointing Havas as global agency of record across media and creative at the end of 2022, Harman International now appoints Havas Play as global gaming agency of record. Agency experience can be found in sports, gaming, music and entertainment for many brands.
The real opportunity of Play for brands is maximized by only one company. The launch of this global network is something we are best positioned to do through our Villages in bringing together the range of skills, tools and services needed to succeed in activation brands in meaningful ways, and our completely unique position within Vivendi as a global leader in entertainment. The chairman and chief executive officer of the company said that clients of the company would have unparalleled access to create meaningful experiences in collaboration with the cultural influencer that command their consumers' attention and passion.
Havas Play, already established in Havas’ HQ market, France, will continue to differentiate in three ways: optimising activation through a deep understanding of what makes brands ‘Meaningful’ based on over 12 years of research; a unique commitment to ethics, sustainability and inclusivity through the Institute for Advertising Ethics; and a bespoke approach to measuring brand experience powered by Havas’ global data platform, Converged.Havas Play will allow brands around the world to play like never before, creating moments that break through to consumers in booming concert halls, cheering sports crowds, and the bustle of Paris Fashion Week. A shining example of how our organization works cohesively as an integrated network is the connection between Vivendi and Havas Play.
Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India, said, "We are constantly strive to assist clients in navigating the ever changing and dynamic advertising and marketing industry by breaking down silos and creating more integrated solutions." The launch of Havas Play is a big step towards that. There is a distinct advantage that shapes core components of the planning process, such as custom data and insight from across Vivendi on fan behaviour, global music, film, gaming, and publisher intellectual property access. Over the years, we have seen a huge opportunity in sports, culture, and entertainment in India.

He was the chief strategy officer at 82.50 Communications.
The brand equity was published on March 22,23 at 08:40 AM.