Havas beats targets and eyes data and tech acquisitions

Havas appears to have found its own “secret sauce” to defy the advertising gloom which has beset most of its rivals, comfortably exceeding its own financial targets in its first full year as a standalone listed company, as it bets heavily on AI and plots more acquisitions to bolster its data and technology capabilities.

The French advertising group, which was spun off from Vivendi in late 2024, posted net revenues of €2.78bn (£2.33bn) for 2025, including a 3.1% rise in organic revenue.

The results place Havas in a robust “challenger” position within a global marketing industry currently grappling with stagnant budgets and the existential threat posed by generative AI.

Chairman and chief executive Yannick Bollore described 2025 as a “transformative” year and pointed to the successful rollout of Converged.AI, an operating system that the group claims has already halved the production costs of some TV ads.

He explained: “We are moving forward as an AI-driven organisation where technology amplifies human creativity,” noting that the group achieved this growth while maintaining a stable headcount of roughly 23,000 staff.

The group’s profitability also ticked upwards, with adjusted operating profit (EBIT) rising to €358m, representing a margin of 12.9%; up from 12.4% the previous year. Net income jumped 11.1% to €210m.

North America remained the group’s strongest engine, delivering 4.9% organic growth, while the UK and French markets were described as “slightly positive”.

However, despite the solid numbers, Havas’s performance remains in the middle of the pack compared to its peers: it outperformed the struggling WPP and Japan’s Dentsu, but lagged behind the 5.6% growth reported by Publicis Groupe.

Looking ahead to 2026, Havas is forecasting organic growth of between 2.0% and 3.0%, with plans to acquire up to ten more agencies to bolster its data and technology capabilities.

Bolloré also moved to quash persistent industry rumours of a potential “mega-merger”, explicitly telling staff and investors that the company is not in takeover talks for WPP.