Havas has made its second acquisition in less than a week, swooping for UK experiential agency Bearded Kitten just days after it snapped up French data consultancy Unnest, in a move designed to strengthen Havas’ ability to deliver best-in-class brand experiences for clients in the UK and worldwide.
The deal will also bolster Havas Play’s global proposition, providing added scale, creativity and production expertise in experiential marketing valued at $128.3bn globally.
Founded in 2007, Bearded Kitten has forged a reputation for delivering immersive, end-to-end brand activations and experiential marketing campaigns for some of the world’s top brands.
The agency currently works with Netflix, Unilever, Intuit, L’Oreal, Twitch and Beavertown and a number of existing Havas Media Network UK clients, including Red Bull, Pokemon, Google and Disney.
The 45-person agency strengthens Havas Play with specialist expertise in immersive experience design, prop-making and theatrical production, alongside deep sector knowledge spanning entertainment, retail, and luxury.
This integration is the next evolution of Havas Play UK, creating a 200-strong brand experience business, backed by the agency’s global scale to deliver connected and immersive experiences for brands.
The agency will be rebranded as ‘Bearded Kitten, Part of Havas Play’, and will continue operating from its current premises. Founder Barney Sutton will join the Havas Play leadership team, reporting into CEO Nick Wright.
Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bollore said: “Bearded Kitten consistently ranks among the top experiential agencies worldwide. We are thrilled to welcome Barney Sutton and the entire team at Bearded Kitten to the Havas family.
“Their creativity, craft and proven track record will help us capitalise on the experiential marketing boom. The acquisition of Bearded Kitten is a statement of our ambition to scale our Havas Play offering globally.”
Barney Sutton added: “From our first conversations with Havas, we knew it was the right fit. We’ve been particularly selective about potential partners, but Havas Play instantly felt like the missing piece. We’re still very much Bearded Kitten, the same people and culture, but now with the scale and resources of Havas Play behind us. We couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter!”
Pictured (l-r): Bearded Kitten CCO Joana Ferrāo, founder and CEO Barney Sutton, Havas Play UK CEO Nick Wright, CEO, and Havas Media Network UK&I CEO Patrick Affleck
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