Havas Group unveils plans to achieve its new mission to make ‘meaningful difference’

Havas Group has committed to a new common mission to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and people. The group recently revealed a series of new commitments at Cannes, starting with gender equality, workplace harassment training and environmental responsibility, to work towards it.The strategic direction was founded on its proprietary study which analyses the shift in consumers’ expectations across the world, according to a press release. The positioning seeks to address brands’ fast-growing demand for meaningful purpose and content.To support the ambition, the firm will tap on the media conglomerate it is part of, Vivendi. Yannick Bolloré (pictured), chairman and CEO of Havas Group as well as chairman of Vivendi, also announced the further development of the Annex, Havas-Vivendi’s shared network designed to help brands tap into digital and Millennial culture. The expansion is made through the acquisition of US advertising firm Battery and the launch of Annex Bastille, where cultural influencers from Havas and from the broader Vivendi environment will bring their expertise to brands.Bolloré said the firm’s “Together” strategy has transformed the group and enabled it to create more than 60 villages globally, making it the most integrated group in the 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,” he added.Recognising the need to set the example by being a meaningful group itself, Bolloré outlined a roadmap that involves implementing a new common business methodology to make brands meaningful across Havas’ creative, media, and health businesses.Additionally, Havas’ integrated village model will continue to provide clients with seamless and agile business solutions. On the people front, the group’s talent strategy will focus on evolving talent programmes and initiatives that enable Havas to be the most meaningful place to work.