JBL brand and HARMAN International’s house of brands appoints Havas Group as agency of record

• HARMAN and Havas announce a global partnership for a globally integrated agency model
• The global scope includes mainly creative, media and production
• The competitive pitch, running since July and hosted by Roland Berger, involved all major holding companies to find a partner that can serve HARMAN brands globally 
• HARMAN’s consumer brands include JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG and Mark Levinson, among others 

HARMAN International has today announced Havas Group as its global Agency of Record across all its brands and territories. The cross-market, cross-discipline scope covers integrated marketing solutions across HARMAN’s businesses and brands, including the iconic consumer lifestyle brand JBL, the home audio systems brand Harman Kardon, and HARMAN’s B2B products, services and technology solutions for automakers and enterprise customers globally.

Havas Group will deliver a global and fully integrated solution that brings together brand strategy, creative, content, media and production as well as selective support in social media and influencer marketing. The highly competitive pitch ran from July 2022 and involved competition from every major holding company. 

The Havas global account team will work across regional hubs for the Americas, Europe, and Asia as well as through dedicated teams in key markets. 

Havas Group will apply its proven integrated Village approach to HARMAN, delivering a globally aligned strategy across markets and disciplines, leading to better creative and local market adoption while still retaining local market relevance and agility. The Havas Group’s ability to deliver end-to-end production services, a data-led experience and a media solution that unlocks meaningful content and efficiencies of scale, as well as holistic planning and performance across channels, were key considerations in their selection. Havas´ mandate especially includes bringing the JBL brand to the next level of consumer activation.

Havas Group’s new technologies, tools, and platforms as well as its data-centric strategic approach, allow for reduced complexity, making it possible to consolidate HARMAN’s roster of agencies.

HARMAN International’s Vice President of Brand Strategy and Consumer Insights, John Livanos said; “HARMAN’s marketing team is strengthening our operational model and building upon the foundational principles of insights, automation, integration, measurement, and accountability that will unlock exponential business growth. Havas will be a central partner in this growth journey. We’re excited to build the solutions we need together and know that Havas are as invested in our success as we are.”

Havas Group Chairman and CEO, Yannick Bollore added; “We’re thrilled to start this new and exciting partnership with HARMAN. At Havas, we combine agility and global reach, making us a brilliant option for a growth business like HARMAN with huge ambition. It’s our collaborative spirit brought to life and a great opportunity for us to deliver meaningful growth together.”

About Harman
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. HARMAN is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

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