Havas Media wins Reckitt Benckiser's South African portfolio

The Havas Media Team

“This is an incredible start to the year for us in the South African office, and within the global Havas network. At the heart of our drive as a marketing business is, together with our business partners, to make a meaningful difference to bottom lines and to our communities. We are confident that our team will go beyond the call of duty to deliver stellar work that delivers great value in this partnership with Reckitt Benckiser,” said Vineel Agarwal, Regional Head of Havas Africa: East and Southern markets.

Havas Media South Africa was named top in RECMA growth rankings over three years from 2016, a record growth for a media agency in South Africa. Sustained by a team of young and energetic talent, with a breadth of experience, the agency has continued to grow, partnering with brands across various sectors. Globally, Havas Media network topped 2019’s campaign agency growth rankings, echoing the individual market growth.

“We are problem solvers at Havas Africa. We put our clients at the centre of our thinking and our solutions are anchored by relevant proprietary research tools that keep us in the know regarding the behaviour of consumers. This approach is underpinned by our reinvented media agency model that follows a 360-degree view of content within an integrated media universe. This and many other tools in our arsenal will absolutely bolster our excellence-driven team to succeed in this partnership,” Agarwal continued.

The Havas Media – Reckitt Benckiser relationship exists in Kenya, where the Havas Kenya team, has successfully retained the partnership for the East Africa region. Both teams will work together to deliver successful campaigns that positively impact the business’ bottomline.

Speaking on the appointment, Yawer Rasool, Marketing Director Africa, Hygiene Home Business Unit said, “This is the start of a great partnership. Having Havas Media as our strategic media agency for South Africa not only gives us capability to leverage a pan Africa media strategy but it also allows for holistic communication plans given Havas Johannesburg is also our advertising agency.”

Echoing the positive sentiments on the appointment is Kunal Sahgal, Marketing Director, Health business portfolio, “I look forward to this new chapter and partnership with HAVAS. I’m excited about the tools that HAVAS has in its arsenal to drive more effective and efficient media impact on iconic brands like Dettol, Durex, Gaviscon & Disprin.”

Havas Media South Africa will be taking care of the media strategy and buying across all offline media. Leading the team will be three specialists, Head of Client Service, Melissa Read, Head of Strategy, Carel Scheepers and Head of Digital, Katherine Couzyn, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of strategists, planners and buyers.