Havas Group acquires UK based data-led creative specialist agency additive

The acquisition of the Edinburgh-based agency strengthens the network’s ‘meaningful media’ proposition, which focuses on creating media experiences (MX) that deliver the optimum connection with a given audience, in a specific context and with the right content and message. additive+’s suite of capabilities builds on the Group’s existing audience-first data solution, Converged, by using data to optimise creative messages as well as media channels, platforms and formats.

Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group, comments: “We are delighted to welcome the additive+ team to the Havas Family. This acquisition strengthens our ability to seamlessly distribute and optimise unlimited volumes of dynamic and relevant creative messaging to addressable audiences at scale across any digital channel and device. This will allow us to further improve our clients’ media and creative effectiveness by maximising creative relevance when it matters most, helping them to win the battle of attention.”

HMG UK agencies and divisions, including Havas Media, Havas Entertainment, Havas Market and Search Laboratory (another recent acquisition by the Group) can now partner with additive+ in delivering full-funnel, multi-channel media experiences for its clients. additive+ have already developed a scalable solution for international clients and they are already planning on launching their capabilities in other key markets, including the US.
additive+ will remain based out of Edinburgh, Scotland, where it was founded, further extending Havas Media Group’s UK footprint beyond its existing offices in London, Manchester and Leeds.

Since being founded by Richard Gill and Jack Few in 2020, additive+ has worked with over 50 clients across the UK, Europe and the US, including Heineken, Netflix, and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, delivering an average 55% uplift in effectiveness. additive+’s excellence in this area will provide further support to Havas Media Group UK’s award-winning effectiveness work.

Richard Gill, Founder and Managing Partner, additive+, added: “We’ve had a global view on business since setting up, and with the scale a major network offers, Havas Media Group UK opens up a huge opportunity for us to build our offering in the UK and beyond. We’re particularly excited by Paddy and the team’s truly global outlook and joined up proposition. The Havas Village model enables media and creative to work hand in hand, in order to create the most meaningful outcomes for clients, something which is completely aligned with our own approach.”

Gill began his advertising career with Publicis Groupe in London before setting up a performance marketing business. He later founded iProspect’s Edinburgh office and subsequently became Managing Partner at Dentsu in 2016.

Few started out as new business executive at Rainmaker Consulting in London, and then worked at sports marketing specialist start-up Rush Sports Marketing. He later joined Ogilvy as a Client Director in Asia, working across The Coca-Cola Company, before becoming Director, Head of Dynamic Creative at Dentsu in 2016.

Before founding additive+, Gill and Few worked together at Dentsu in Scotland, harnessing their skills in media and creative respectively to deliver data-driven creative campaigns for clients across the UK.