Coffee chain Starbucks has handed its international customer engagement business to Havas Helia; the first time the company has had an agency dedicated to the business.
The appointment, which follows a competitive pitch through Creativebrief, will see Havas Helia work with Starbucks’ regional HQ in the UK and roll out digital activity to over 40 markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The win will be especially sweet for Havas Helia, which, as Havas EHS, narrowly missed out in 2011 when the company appointed Kitcatt Nohr (now Digitas) to handle its UK CRM account.
Kitcatt Nohr went on to develop the My Starbucks Rewards scheme but the business was once again put up for review in 2014, although it appears to have been dormant ever since.
However, Starbucks appointed Iris as its creative agency across the EMEA region last year, and the agency would have been licking its lips in anticipation of grabbing more work.
Iris launched its own “customer marketing practice” in October last year, bringing together DM agency-land’s “oldest gang in town”, but they have failed to pick up the business.
The brand also works with in-house specialist Oliver, which manages in-store and point-of-sale activity.
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