Havas is a digital native company: Yannick Bollore

About 40 per cent of the group's business growth globally is coming from pure play digital today

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Jul 26, 2016 9:40 AM  | 5 min read
Havas is a digital native company: Yannick Bollore

“I think the average age of employees at Havas is 27, it is a digital native company,” says Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Havas Group, in a matter of fact manner exuberating  quiet confidence, while we quiz him on the group’s digital focus and growth plans.

“Everybody is digital. Out of 20,000 people today, 10,000 of the people were not here two years ago. All these 10,000 people that have joined us are all 100 per cent digital, they all understand digital. We don’t have a digital specialist; everybody is a digital specialist. We have to first understand that we have technology specialists but we do not have digital specialists. I have 20,000 people in Havas, if anyone tells me that he doesn’t know digital and he doesn’t do digital for clients then he will not stay at Havas. Everybody is digital because digital is a part of real life, it’s not something different,” elaborates Bolloré.

About 40 per cent of the group’s business growth globally is coming from pure play digital today.

Bolloré at 36 is the youngest global CEO among the holding agencies in the media domain and views this as an obvious advantage.                           

“I believe that the youth is making a difference. One of our objectives is to predict the future and make sure that the clients and the brands get the best piece of advice and the best piece of content; I think it is a big advantage to be a young CEO in this world because one can understand the new trends of the world,” he adds.

We can’t help but ask him: When you are hiring, are you looking for younger talent?

“It is not about the age, it’s about the attitude. When I ask someone- are you on Snapchat, and he says no but his kids are, I would never hire him. But if a guy is 80 years old and he is on Snapchat we will hire him.” Says Bolloré

 Interestingly the group has hired three CEOs- 19 years old, 21 years old and 22 years old for its agency in Chicago, the trio are running a team of 200 people, a first for any agency globally.

Edited Excerpts from a freewheeling chat with  Yannick Bolloré (at Cannes) on growth plans for India, hiring the right talent, his confidence on India and more………..

 How much does India contribute to APAC now? How would you like to increase the contribution?

It’s a growing figure. I really believe that India will become the biggest market of advertising in the next 20 years. I am saying 20 years because I want to make sure we understand that we are working for the long term, I am not really interested in the short term. We have the opportunity to belong to a family group, and there is a reasonable pressure on the next battalion.

What is your vision for 2020?

Since I took over, we have been growing very fast and we are no.1 in the world. For us it is important to continue to do so because it demonstrates that our strategy is right. So, for me the results are very good.

Could you share your business targets?

For this year, our goal is to grow faster than others. Our goal is to grow by more than 3 per cent.

What are your specific plans for the Indian market?

See, I am not in a hurry. My goal is to find the right people to make sure we can hire superstars and I am sure the business will evolve. I mean it’s not something that we have to do in the coming months, I am very happy with the team, we have a strong talented team with strong creative directors, they are doing a good job. I am very happy with the work that they are doing. I think we have to support the teams, so we continue to push the teams and make sure that they have every resource, every tool to do a better job for their clients. I believe that India has the opportunity to develop a lot in the coming years, we are super confident.

What are the type of acquisitions you are looking at for India ?

We are looking at acquisitions to accomplish two things; the first one is to get good talent. So, if we find a company where we like the people, we will acquire the company. And the second aspect of acquisitions would be to have new specialities, new skills so for instance in the sector; maybe we are looking at acquisition right now to see if we can have specialists helping us in the mobile  sector which is new and needs some new skills too.

What is the next big challenge for you?

We are working well and going in the right direction, we need to keep this momentum going. 

What gives Havas the edge globally today over other networks?

People, people and people.  We have the best people and it’s like cricket, you need to have the best players. It’s not only the best players, it’s the team because in cricket you can have the best players, but if they don’t work best as a team, they are not working.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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