PUTEAUX, FRANCE--(Marketwire - Apr 10, 2012) - Havas Media, one of the world's leading media groups, announced a further expansion of its Havas Sports & Entertainment operations with the acquisition of ignition, an award winning, independent experiential marketing agency with offices in the USA, London and Moscow.

The acquisition forms part of Havas Sports & Entertainment's strategy to up-weight its global brand engagement offer, particularly in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2014 FIFA World Cup ™ Brazil.

The ignition brand will join the Havas Sports & Entertainment and Cake Group agencies in delivering experiential campaigns in markets complementary to the network's existing local footprint, which now spans 34 offices in 20 markets. With ignition's headquarters and strongholds in Atlanta and New York, the move will significantly increase Havas Sports & Entertainment's capabilities in the US.

ignition's delivery of large-scale, event-led brand engagement campaigns and leadership in sustainable experiential marketing will also complement Havas Sports & Entertainment's current branded content, social media, sponsorship consulting, PR, brand experience and research offers.

Along with synergies in location and expertise, ignition also adds an attractive, long-retained client base with brands such as American Express, BP, Delta Air Lines, ESPN, Kia, United Nations Foundation, Victoria's Secret and The Coca-Cola Company (with whom it holds a prestigious 'global partner' status).

ignition will continue to be managed by Mike Hersom, current ignition president, alongside Cindy-Ann "CA" Hersom, CMO, and Dill and Susan Driscoll, the original founders. Hersom will report into Havas Sports & Entertainment's global president and CEO Lucien Boyer.

"We are proud to welcome ignition to the Havas Sports & Entertainment network. Together we will achieve great things thanks to ignition's expertise and outstanding reputation for delivering sustainable consumer experiential events around the world," began Boyer. "ignition will add tangible value to the Havas Sports & Entertainment and Cake Group agencies in our network, helping to reinforce our strong global offering at a very interesting time for brands in sports and entertainment. ignition's 15 year history of activating the Olympic Torch Relay, including for London 2012, and 14 years activating the Trophy Tour in relation to the FIFA World Cup™ for The Coca-Cola Company will also build on our involvement with these key clients and sports organizations." Hersom adds: "Today the ignition brand goes truly global. With Havas Sports & Entertainment's infrastructure, insight and reach, coupled with our 15 year track record of leading complex international consumer campaigns, we are now poised to take our magic to scale for sustainable growth."

This move is part of Havas' acquisition strategy to both develop and expand core areas of expertise and to target entrepreneurial, innovative forward-looking agencies that use creativity and technology to develop better relationships between consumers, brands and their wider communities.

About Havas Sports & Entertainment

Havas Sports & Entertainment is the global brand engagement network of Havas. Part of Havas Media, our 34 offices in 20 markets, which include the Havas Sports & Entertainment, Cake Group and ignition agencies, deliver strategically sound creative solutions based on insight, experience and a deep understanding of what binds people together into communities: shared passions. Our ambition is to create meaningful relationships between brands and people through their passions using creativity, media and technology. Whether it is sponsorship, content creation, partnerships, celebrity endorsement, social networks, live brand experiences, bespoke or off the shelf, we recommend pioneering engagement solutions to ensure an ongoing conversation with brands' current and future fans. Havas Sports & Entertainment's international clients include: adidas, Atos, BBVA, British Airways, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, EDF, IKEA, Hyundai, Kia, Lloyds Banking Group, LVMH, Mars, Nintendo, Orange, Procter & Gamble, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Reckitt Benckiser, Santander, Sony, and Yahoo! and sports organizations such as the Argentinean Tennis Association, the English Premier League, FIFA, the French Golf Federation, the Italian Rugby Federation and Roland Garros Further information can be found at [ www.havas-se.com ]

Havas Sports & Entertainment is the official organizer of the Global Sports Forum Barcelona, alongside the City of Barcelona.

About ignition

ignition is the industry leader in Sustainable Brand Experiences. This agile agency strives to make a positive difference for the people it works with, the brands it represents and for the world we all live in. Driven by its passion and guided by its expertise, ignition has initiated global standards and tools for executing Sustainable Brand Experiences. Its proprietary ignition Sustainability Execution Scorecard™ (iSES) is the industry's only tool for planning, activating and measuring the environmental and social impact of a Sustainable Brand Experience. Learn more about ignition's people, its trailblazing activations and iSES at [ www.ignition-inc.com ]

About Havas Media

Havas Media, the global media network of Havas, is one of the world's fastest growing media groups having grown from 10 markets in 1999 to 122 markets in 2012. Further information can be found at [ www.havasmedia.com ]

About Havas

Havas (Euronext Paris: HAV.PA) is a global advertising and communications services group. Headquartered in Paris, Havas operates through its two Business Units, Havas Worldwide and Havas Media, in order to optimize synergies and further reinforce Havas's position as the most integrated of all of the major holding companies. Havas Worldwide incorporates the Euro RSCG Worldwide global network (233 offices in 75 countries including the brands : Euro RSCG, Euro RSCG Life, Euro RSCG 4D and Euro RSCG WW PR, ) as well as the Arnold micro-network (16 agencies, in 15 countries across 5 continents) and agencies with strong local identities. Havas Media (present in over 100 countries) incorporates the MPG, Arena Media, Havas Sports & Entertainment and Havas Digital brands. A multicultural and decentralized Group, Havas is present in more than 75 countries through its networks of agencies and contractual affiliations. The Group offers a broad range of communications services, including traditional advertising, direct marketing, media planning and buying, corporate communications, sales promotion, design, human resources, sports marketing, multimedia interactive communications and public relations. Havas employs approximately 15,000 people. Further information about Havas is available on the company's website: [ www.havas.com ]

Press release:

[ http://hugin.info/143438/R/1601024/505445.pdf ]

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Source: HAVAS via Thomson Reuters ONE

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