What Host/Havas does

Havas Host Australia is a creative, technology and innovation advertising agency headquartered at 121-127 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney, with additional offices in Melbourne and Brisbane. It operates as the host agency within the Havas Village Australia and New Zealand network, a portfolio of 14+ specialized sub-brands (including Havas Red, Havas Media Network, Havas Blvd, OGB, organic., Co-maker, Havas Play, Havas Helia, Havas Market, H/Advisors, Havas People, Bastion Brands, Frontier and Pronto) that together deliver advertising, brand strategy, brand design, innovation strategy, content creation, social media, digital commerce, technology development, emerging tech/AI/voice, PR, and experiential services to enterprise clients.

The agency's core technology is an integrated communications platform combining creative, media, data and digital capabilities, anchored by two proprietary research assets: the Meaningful Brands framework (spanning 375,000 people, 31 markets, 22 industries and 1,800 brands annually) and the annual Aussie Futures consumer research study. Havas Host is wholly owned by HAVAS, S.A., the Paris-listed global communications group founded in 1835 that employs approximately 23,000 people across more than 100 countries.

The business model is professional services revenue generated through client retainers, project fees and campaign-based pricing under the Havas Village model. Havas Host is led by CEO Gayle While and sits within a wider ANZ leadership team headed by Group CEO James Wright and COO Richard Clarke, with specialized CXO functions including a Chief AI Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, CTO and Group CFO. The agency's named client base spans government (Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force), tourism (Tourism Fiji, Destination NSW, Fiji Airways), FMCG and consumer goods (Reckitt, Mortein, Tassal, Danone, Gillette, Hendrick's Gin, L'OR, Fanta), automotive and rentals (Budget, Avis, Apex, Geely), retail (IKEA, The Body Shop), energy (Neoen) and real estate (Stockland).

Name

Host/Havas

Legal name

HAVAS, S.A.

Website

https://hosthavas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1835

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Havas Host Australia is a Sydney-based creative, technology and innovation advertising agency within the global Havas Village ANZ network, serving enterprise and government clients with integrated brand strategy, media, digital, content, PR and emerging tech services across more than 14 specialized sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Festival & Live Entertainment Brand Partnerships (MPAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Creative advertising services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Digital marketing agency
• Integrated communications
• Media planning buying

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Services Revenue: Full-service creative agency providing integrated campaigns across advertising, digital, media, and content. Revenue generated through client retainers, project fees, and campaign-based pricing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Host/Havas (Havas Host Australia) is a creative, technology and innovation advertising agency that delivers integrated brand strategy, brand design, customer research, digital marketing, content creation, media planning and buying, experiential activations, and digital commerce services. Operating under the Havas Village model, it partners with enterprise brands, government agencies, and consumer companies across Australia and New Zealand to develop campaigns that drive brand growth and meaningful consumer engagement.

Product overview

Host/Havas is a global creative communications group operating a network of 14+ specialized agency sub-brands under the Havas Village model in Australia and New Zealand. Rather than a unified software platform, the offering is a portfolio of distinct agencies (Havas Host, Havas Red, Havas Media Network, Havas Blvd, OGB, organic., Co-maker, Havas Play, Havas Helia, Havas Market, H/Advisors, Havas People, Bastion Brands, Frontier, Pronto) providing integrated services including advertising, brand strategy, media, digital marketing, content creation, social media, experience design, tech and development, emerging tech/AI/voice, digital commerce, and customer research. The agencies work seamlessly together, combining creative, media, health and specialist expertise across earned, social, influencer, experiential and more in a collaborative ecosystem built around client needs. The company also publishes proprietary research including the annual Meaningful Brands study and the 2025 Aussie Futures report.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Meaningful Brands: Havas proprietary market research initiative spanning 375,000 people worldwide, 31 markets, 22 industries and 1,800 brands each year
• Havas Lofts
• Havas NextGen
• Femmes Forward
• Aussie Futures
• Growth, Powered by Desire

Products and services

• Havas Host

Quantifiable outcome

• 147% category position growth in Australian retail for King C Gillette
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CasefilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created the Crime Interrupted podcast series with Casefile - Australia's number 1 podcaster. The 6-part true crime podcast became Australia's second most popular podcast by episode 2.
• Destination NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create 'The Long Road' content series showcasing regional NSW tourism through music and travel.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Special Group: Independent creative agency group with ANZ presence known for data-driven creative effectiveness. Comparable to Host/Havas as an ANZ-focused creative peer competing for similar enterprise mandates.

Direct peers

• M&C Saatchi Australia: Global creative and advertising holding group with significant ANZ operations offering integrated brand strategy, creative, and media services. Directly comparable to Host/Havas as a competing holding-company-owned creative network serving similar enterprise clients in Australia.
• McCann Australia: Global creative network with ANZ operations providing integrated advertising, brand strategy, and digital services. Directly comparable creative-network peer competing for similar enterprise briefs in Australia.
• Thinkerbell: Independent Australian creative agency combining measured media, PR, and creative under one roof. Comparable to Havas Village model but as an independent, competing for similar enterprise and consumer brand mandates.
• Accenture Song (The Monkeys, Droga5): Accenture's creative and technology agency brand with strong ANZ creative presence (The Monkeys). Closely comparable to Host/Havas as a creative-technology hybrid agency serving enterprise clients with integrated digital transformation capabilities.
• BMF Advertising: Leading independent Australian creative agency known for award-winning brand campaigns. Direct peer competing for the same ANZ enterprise client briefs with similar creative-led positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Omnicom (TBWA, DDB, BBDO Australia): Global advertising holding company with multiple creative networks in Australia. Competes directly with Havas Village for integrated campaigns, brand strategy, and media services across ANZ enterprise clients.
• Publicis Groupe Australia (Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi): Major global advertising holding company with major ANZ creative networks. Directly competes with Havas Village for enterprise brand strategy and integrated campaigns across Australia and New Zealand.
• Dentsu Australia (Dentsu Creative, dentsu media): Global advertising holding group with ANZ operations spanning creative, media, and CXM. Comparable to Havas Village's integrated model, serving similar enterprise clients with adjacent services portfolio.
• WPP (Ogilvy Australia): World's largest advertising holding company with extensive ANZ presence (Ogilvy, GroupM, VMLY&R). Competes with Havas Village for the same enterprise clients like Reckitt, IKEA, and Uber Eats, offering an even broader portfolio of services globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hosthavas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Host/Havas