Havas CX scoops brief for global skincare brand Aesop

Havas’ dedicated customer experience network, Havas CX, has been appointed as the global customer engagement agency for skincare and beauty brand Aesop following a competitive pitch, with London shop Havas CX Helia leading the account.

The group has been tasked with developing a new global “replenishment and recognition” programme for customers and will be supported strategically and operationally in key markets by Havas CX Helia in the UK and BETC Fullsix in France, which pitched together, along with Havas CX in Asia.

Aesop was founded in 1987 in Melbourne, Australia, and now markets over 80 branded products, including skincare, haircare, soaps, fragrances and homewares. It even markets a brand called Post-Poo Drops, which is a botanical bathroom deodoriser that neutralises “disagreeable smells”.

In 2012, the company sold a majority stake to Natura & Co, the Brazilian global group behind Natura, The Body Shop and Avon. Natura took total ownership in December 2016.

The agency will work alongside Aesop’s in-house CRM team, which has invested heavily in customer marketing technology over the past 12 months. Tapping into data to advance the cross-channel customer experience, the strategy will focus on innovation, differentiation and digital acceleration and aim to inspire more customers to become brand ambassadors.

The pitch was run via The Observatory International and led by Aesop global head of CRM Gianfranco Cuzziol, who said: “In a highly competitive pitch, Havas CX was the one agency that really ‘got’ the Aesop brand – built on the back of amazing products, beautiful stores and a truly unique customer experience.

“As well as a clear, ambitious vision for translating the Aesop experience across all channels, they showed a real understanding our specific market nuances, especially in the incredibly competitive skincare markets in Asia. This is a moment of significant opportunity for our brand, and we believe we’ve found the best possible partners with which to maximise that.”

Havas CX brings together more than 1,200 people from 20 of Havas Creative’s global agency groups and local agencies, plus additional specialists from across the Havas network, under a common structure, governance, methodology and mission.

The agency’s London managing director Dominique Bergantino said: “Aesop boasts one of the world’s truly unique in-store experiences – so our challenge was to think less about the micro-interactions we can deliver digitally and more about how technology can enable an end-to-end customer journey that both recreates and interweaves with that physical experience. It’s a fascinating brief, and we can’t wait to get started.

“Equally, we’re proud to partner with a company that shares our commitment to putting people, planet and profit on equal footing. Aesop certified as a B Corporation in 2020 – a wonderful achievement we’re in the process of working toward ourselves. This new partnership with Aesop inspires us to reach that goal as urgently as we can.”