PUTEAUX CEDEX, FRANCE: Havas Group generated $546.4 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2012, a 2% organic growth increase compared with the same period of last year.
The holding company, which owns and operates Havas PR, Abernathy MacGregor, and Cake, reported $1.6 billion in revenue in the first nine months of the year, up 2.5% organically from last year.
In North America, Q3 revenue was up 2.5% organically to $188.9 million in comparison with Q3 2011. The holding company also reported $549 million in North American revenue in the January-to-September period, up 2.2% organically.
“The macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging. Notwithstanding, the group's organic growth in North America, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific increased in the third quarter, and we continued to generate healthy net new business,” Havas CEO David Jones said in an earnings statement. “Not surprisingly, Europe slowed in Q3 though the group continued to gain market share in the region, reflecting our competitive strength in this market. Digital continues to accelerate and is an increasingly important driver of the business.”
The company saw $387 million in new business in the quarter, down from $447 million in the same period of last year. Havas Worldwide PR North America won the account for vodka brand Oddka in the US in the third quarter. Staples, Seagate, and Lego also hired Havas agencies for social media campaigns, the company said in a statement.
A representative from the holding company declined to release specific PR figures for the quarter.
In September, Havas rebranded the Euro RSCG Worldwide PR agency as Havas PR as part of its global rebranding initiative. Meanwhile, digital agency Euro RSCG 4D changed its name to Havas Worldwide Digital, while healthcare communications firm Euro RSCG Life was renamed Havas Life.
