Havas Group has bought So What Global for its Havas Health & You business. So What Global will become Havas SO.
So What co-founders and managing partners Scott Clark and Oliver Parsons are staying with the business.
Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré says: “Bringing SO What Global into Havas Health & You is a strong strategic move to expand our healthcare and wellness capabilities. Their entrepreneurial mindset within the Havas Village will work to stimulate even more business growth and drive. I wish the teams a warm welcome to the Havas Family.”
At the same time a number of senior staff are set to leave Havas Media, now ensconced in Havas’ new Kings Cross HQ as the group culls overlapping roles.
Havas says: “The move to King’s Cross has transformed our business as evidenced in our new business performance. These changes are consistent with our Together strategy as we continue to streamline and move towards a single P&L business.”
Havas, now owned by Vincent Bolloré’s Vivendi, is trying to do more with less, just as most of its peers and clients are. Agency media executives in particular seem to be in the firing line as media agency margins come under pressure. The much bigger WPP is merging Maxus into MEC and has rolled Ogilvy’s 1000-strong Neo@Ogilvy into Mindshare.
