Havas preps for future with hefty tech investment, integrated communications
The holding company Havas has announced a significant investment of 400 million euros (over $429 million) over the next four years to enhance data tech and artificial intelligence (AI) development. This move aims to meet the expanding demands of clients for integrated communications solutions.
Additionally, Havas has revealed the development of a new global operating system, modeled after its current Converged media tool. This tool uses AI to enable transparent cross-platform audience planning, with the new OS planned to roll out in the coming months across all Havas networks.
This hefty investment will be supported by a Global Task Force. Havas is also exploring the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) in the future.
Other major companies, such as WPP and Publicis Groupe, have also invested heavily in AI, with allocations upwards of $300 million annually. Havas’s goal is to offer a more integrated end-to-end client experience, fulfilling the growing necessity for the creation, production, and distribution of personalized and meaningful content on a large scale.
According to Yannick Bolloré, chairman and CEO of Havas, the aim is to build a model that is future-proof, data, and tech-agnostic to swiftly and cost-effectively meet clients’ needs. The new Converged model will promote greater global collaboration by using data technology and AI to combine talent, capabilities, and expertise.
The strategy, which also includes appointing a global chief client officer, aligns with Havas’s recent strong revenue growth and its ongoing plan to be spun off from its current parent company, Vivendi. Vivendi acquired Havas in 2017.
Havas’s investment in technology builds on its Together Strategy and Village approach introduced in 2014. The Converged model aims to further integrate the efforts of all 23,000 Havas employees across departments to deliver sustainable and comprehensive solutions.
Source: Havas preps for future with hefty tech investment, integrated communications.
