HAVAS : HAVAS GROUP SIGNS STRATEGIC JOINT VENTURE WITH GIMC, CHINA'S LEADING INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

5 april 2017

                             P  R  E  S  S      R  E  L  E  A  S  E

                                                                                   Paris, 5 April, 2017

HAVAS GROUP SIGNS STRATEGIC
JOINT VENTURE WITH GIMC, CHINA'S LEADING INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

The Havas Group announced today that it is strengthening its operations in China by signing a joint-venture with Guangdong Advertising Group Co., China's leading advertising company and largest local marketing & communications group. It has expertise in all communications disciplines and is the fastest growing integrated group in the Chinese communications industry. The Havas Group will own 51% of the resulting Havas GIMC Advertising Co., Ltd. which will operate as an integrated media and creative agency headquartered in Shanghai.

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Guangzhou, GIMC has over 110 member companies and the largest footprint in Greater China with 4500 employees in the main 11 cities (Tier 1 and Tier 2 ). Its service network covers the whole country and provides communication services to over 300 clients including Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, Midea Group and Haitian Seasoning. 85% GIMC's clients are brands that they have been serving for more than 5 years.

This joint-venture, will allow, on one hand, Havas' clients to tap into the best existing full service offering in China and, in particular, all the current media clients in this market, to take advantage of the GIMC's massive buying clout and scale that bring incremental value. On the other hand, it will allow GIMC's clients to have access to the world-class creativity and know how that Havas' global network can offer.
This move will also be strategic for Chinese companies seeking to extend their presence in overseas markets and strengthen their competitiveness internationally.

Yannick Bolloré , CEO of the Havas Group said:  " This move represents a major step in the Havas Group's expansion in China. The Chinese market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is now 2 ^nd in terms of ad spending which offers outstanding opportunities for brands. We are very excited to join forces with GIMC; combining our strengths with their capabilities and talent pool, which is the largest in China, will guarantee Havas GIMC Advertising's clients the best service both in the Chinese market and globally."

Since its creation, GIMC enjoys a good creative reputation and has continuously been rewarded for its work. The company was ranked 1st for 9 years in a row by IAI China's Advertising Works Yearbook which also named it as the most creative advertising agency in China in 2012. GIMC has won more than 1000 awards in many prestigious festivals including the London International Advertising  Awards, The Mobius Awards, China's Advertising Great Wall Awards, the Times Asia-Pacific Advertising Awards, etc.

Chen Tianlong , Chairman of GIMC commented : "I'm very excited about this partnership. China is not only a scale market, but also a speed market. The joint-venture will leverage creativity, expertise and tools from Havas, and the buying clout and the widest service footprint from GIMC. With this, we can best deliver the scale and the speed needed for our client businesses. More importantly, this joint-venture will be, on the back of Havas global network, the first China based agency with a network dedicated to supporting the international expansion of Chinese companies and bring more Chinese brands globally. " 

Click here for a photo of the GIMC's Chairman Chen Tianlong and Havas Group CEO Yannick Bolloré.

About Havas Group
Havas is one of the world's largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 20,000 people in over 100 countries. Havas Group is committed to being the world's best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. Based on a client-centric model across media and creative, the Havas Group is the most integrated company in its sector. We operate with three business units (creative, media and healthcare & wellness) within our Havas Villages all over the world where teams share the same premises ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients.
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Further information about Havas Group is available on the company's website: www.havasgroup.com

About GIMC
Guangdong Advertising Group Co., LTD was founded in 1979 and is the first advertising company of China and currently is also the largest local marketing communications group in China. The company has more than 110 member companies and 4500 employees. It is headquartered in Guangzhou with a strong presence in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and its service network covers the whole country. It has more than 300 well-known clients. In 2010, it was public listed on "Small and Medium Enterprise Board" in the Shenzhen stock exchange (stock code: 002400) and is called as "The First Shares of Chinese Advertising". The company has won over thousand Awards at home and abroad, including London International Advertising Awards, Mobius Awards, the World Printing & Design PIA Awards. In 2008, the company became the first "National Cultural Industry Base".  In 2016, it ranked "China Top 500".

Contact :

Lorella Gessa
Chief Communications Officer, Havas Group
+33 (0)1 58 47 90 36
lorella.gessa@havas.com
@Lorella_Gessa

Aurélie Jolion
Director of Investor Relations, Havas Group
+33 (0)1 58 47 92 42
aurelie.jolion@havas.com


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