Havas Launches Multicultural-Marketing Agency "Totality" to Handle Creative, Strategy and Media for Hispanic, African-American and LGBT Markets

CEO Leo Olper and CCO Mauricio Galvan to Lead Full-Service Agency

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Oct 06, 2011, 05:07 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Havas announces today that it is launching Totality, a multicultural-marketing agency devoted to representing the nation's ethnic and niche consumers, including the Hispanic, African-American and LGBT communities. The integrated agency will offer a full range of creative and strategic communications services, including media planning and buying.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111006/NE82357LOGO )

Totality will partner with agencies in the Havas network, including Arnold Worldwide, Euro RSCG and MPG, as well as procure its own clients. Subsequently, all multicultural offerings in the network, such as Euro RSCG Latino and MPG Diversity, will work together to create one integrated offering for multicultural clients. Totality currently works on assignments and projects for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare brand, Scott's Emulsion, Chivas Latin America and Reckitt Benckiser's Veet, among others.

David Jones, CEO Havas, commented: "This move further demonstrates our will to launch start-ups in fast-growing sectors."

The creation of Totality follows the opening of Arnold in Shanghai, the launch of BETC London, Camp & King in San Francisco and Socialistic, the New York based social media agency.

Leading the agency will be CEO Leo Olper and Chief Creative Officer Mauricio Galvan, who together ran Euro RSCG Latino. Olper and Galvan will report to Andrew Benett, Global Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Worldwide and Global CEO of Arnold Worldwide. Olper and Galvan have tapped Reginald Osborne to spearhead African-American and LGBT initiatives for Totality. Osborne holds the dual role of SVP, Director of Multicultural Marketing at Arnold, where he leads multicultural efforts for McDonald's.

"The demographic make-up of America has changed so quickly and drastically in the last decade that it has become essential for brands to understand the differences and similarities between cultures. In Totality, we've created a strategic offering that will help brands navigate this space and foster deeper connections with the 'new mainstream,'" said Benett. "Mauricio and Leo have successfully led Euro RSCG Latino over the past year, so they were the natural choice to lead Totality. They have deep knowledge in multicultural marketing, a strong vision for growing the agency and a great team of experts already in place."

"Ethnic groups have already become the majority in numerous cities across the U.S., and marketers want agencies that can offer a synergistic approach to reaching both the general market and the growing ethnic populations," said Olper. "Having in-house expertise across different multicultural groups enables us to work hand-in-hand with the Havas family of agencies to offer clients a common voice for their marketing programs."

Galvan added, "Right now is a really exciting time to be in the multicultural marketing space. We are literally changing the conversation between brands and consumers in important ways that reflect the changes already taking place in society. From a creative perspective, there's so much that hasn't been done yet, and it's exciting to be at the forefront."

About Havas

Havas (Euronext Paris: HAV.PA) is a global advertising and communications services group. Headquartered in Paris, Havas operates through its two Business Units, Havas Worldwide and Havas Media, in order to optimize synergies and further reinforce Havas's position as the most integrated of all of the major holding companies. Havas Worldwide incorporates the Euro RSCG Worldwide network as well as agencies with strong local identities: Arnold in the USA and the UK, H and W&Cie in France… Havas Media incorporates the MPG, Arena Media, Havas Sports & Entertainment and Havas Digital networks. A multicultural and decentralized Group, Havas is present in more than 75 countries through its networks of agencies and contractual affiliations. The Group offers a broad range of communications services, including traditional advertising, direct marketing, media planning and buying, corporate communications, sales promotion, design, human resources, sports marketing, multimedia interactive communications and public relations. Havas employs approximately 14,000 people. Further information about Havas is available on the company's website: www.havas.com

Contacts:

Eric Robertson
212-463-1201
[email protected]

Lorella Gessa
Communications Director
Havas
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 47 90 36
[email protected]

SOURCE Havas