Havas has just gone against the flow of current industry thinking, where global advertising groups are shovelling cash at artificial intelligence (AI), to make a bet on human creativity.
Agencies are in a type of arms race to add AI to their product suites, bring down overheads and stay ahead of competitors.
However, industry analysts see brands using AI will soon be able to create an average campaign, and spit out different versions for various markets at speed, without input from an advertising agency.
Havas believes the advertising agencies to thrive in that environment will be those with the best planners and creatives.
And hence a £120 million deal for a majority stake (51%) in Uncommon Creative Studio, twice named Creative Agency of the Year in the UK.
Havas is ensuring creativity at Uncommon isn’t damaged by being taken over by a global monster with its own ideas on how to run things.
The founders are retaining a stake in the business (49%) and will make their own decisions across client partners, internal teams and creative output.
Uncommon Won a Grand Prix at Cannes this year for an outdoor campaign for British Airways using 512 executions showcasing motivations for travel.
The agency will stand alongside Havas UK and is seen as an opportunity for Havas to expand its creative network in the US, building on Uncommon’s roster of major clients.
“Uncommon will bring new energy, creativity, and audiences into Havas’ already leading-edge creative network, igniting, inspiring and supporting every aspect of creativity,” says Yannick Bolloré, chairman and global chief executive officer, Havas, and chairman, Vivendi.
“Uncommon have created a new space and energy in the industry.
“They are a once-in-a-decade company and having them join the Havas family is an exciting prospect.
“We share a vision: with every project, Uncommon and Havas remind the world that creativity is, and always has been, the difference.”
Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon, says Uncommon was created to be on the receiving end of the most important and influential briefs of our time.
“This partnership brings that conviction closer to reality,” says Leonard.
“This deal is different: it’s based on a freedom to make decisions, a power to break down barriers and the removal of dependency to make good things happen. We can create the industry we wish we worked in.”
Leonard and co-founders Lucy Jameson and Natalie Graeme started Uncommon in 2017 after leaving Grey London.
The Grand Prix outdoor campaign:
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