Havas Group has acquired Battery, a highly-acclaimed, culture-driven creative agency based in Los Angeles with a specialized focus on gaming, television, movies and streaming TV services. Battery will become part of the Annex and be renamed Battery Annex. The acquisition gives the Annex a larger presence in the Los Angeles creative community and enhances its capabilities around gaming and streaming entertainment. Battery Annex brings an unparalleled understanding of Hollywood marketing to both Havas and Vivendi, providing more opportunity to create and deliver cutting-edge content and meaningful brand experiences as consultants of culture.
The acquisition of Battery is framed into the new strategical plan announced today for the Group by Yannick Bolloré, Chairman & CEO Havas Group and Chairman Vivendi, during the press meeting held today at the Havas Café.
Further developping The Annex
The main objectives of this plan is migrating to a new positioning as well as maintaining Havas current spot as the most integrated group in the industry:
The power of Vivendi, that gives Havas an unmatched access to meaningful content and will continue to be a driving force of the Group is key in this new strategy. To support this ambition, Yannick Bolloré announced the further development of the Annex, Havas-Vivendi’s shared fast-growing network, designed to help brands tap into digital and millennial culture. This expansion is made through the acquisition of Battery and the launch of Annex Bastille, where cultural influencers from Havas and from the broader Vivendi environment will bring their expertise to brands.
Three other key competitive advantages to develop the new strategy
Other key competitive advantages Havas already has for the new strategical plan are:
a) A new common business methodology designed to make brands meaningful, that is being implemented across Havas’ Creative, Media, and Health businesses.
b) The Group’s talent strategy will focus on continuing to evolve talent programmes and initiatives that enable Havas to be the most meaningful place to work.
c) Havas’ integrated Village model that will continue to provide clients with seamless and agile business solutions.
As part of this new strategic plan, Yannick Bolloré also underlined the need for Havas to set the example by being a meaningful group itself, and announced a series of new commitments, starting with gender equality, workplace harassment training and environmental responsibility.
Bolloré, commented: “Our Together strategy transformed our Group and enabled us to create more than 60 Villages all over the world, making us the most integrated group in our industry. Togetherness will remain at the heart of everything we do but it is now the right time for us to set ourselves a new ambition: make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and people. The primary focus of everyone at Havas is to create meaningful brands because meaningful brands are better for business and for the world we live in”.
New strategical direction and common mission rooted in data
Image over the headline.- Yannick Bolloré, Chairman & CEO Havas Group and Chairman Vivendi, during the press meeting held today at the Havas Café. © Havas Group.
