Havas Sports & Entertainment UK and Cake Unite To Create New Hub For Entertainment And Content

Brand engagement specialists Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE) and brand entertainment agency Cake, both part of the Havas Media Group (HMG), will come together in the UK as Havas Sports & Entertainment Cake (Havas SE Cake). 

Havas SE Cake will be based at a new central London home and both teams will be integrated under the leadership of Adrian Pettett, CEO and co-founder of Cake, as CEO of Havas SE Cake. Adrian will report to Lucien Boyer, President and Global CEO of Havas Sports & Entertainment. Adrian will be supported in his new role by the management teams coming from both Cake and Havas SE. 

Havas SE Cake, which has a combined turnover of £12m, will foster increased collaboration, driving synergies to connect brands with people via their passions, using creative content, media and technology. 

The formation of this new entertainment and content hub combines both agencies’ expertise in content creation, PR, experiential, social/digital activation, and strategic consulting on behalf of brands and rights holders. The expanded offering is supported by a strong track record for global and local clients including the following who work with Cake: Carling, Very.co.uk, Weetabix, Alton Towers and the recently-won V Festival and Virgin Atlantic – and those of Havas SE, including The Coca-Cola Company, Barclays, The IAAF, Heathrow Express, Kia and FIFA amongst others. Under the group, both brands will continue to service their roster of clients. 

The newly-aligned UK model is the blueprint for the future of entertainment and content hubs, which will be rolled out globally in the coming months. Further, the hub is an important milestone ahead of the opening of the 2017 Havas Village UK home in London’s Kings Cross.

Lucien Boyer commented: “People expect more from brands and want them to provide compelling content and experiences, when and where they want it. This is the collision of entertainment, marketing, communications and commerce.   

As such, brands need to face this imperative in sourcing all of their communications content from people’s passions, whether that is music, sports, gaming, film, pop culture or fashion...with the ambition of increasing brand love and performance. 

Thanks to Cake’s innovative and nimble approach to creativity combined with our expertise, we have the ability to help brands connect with people and build long lasting relationships. Finally, this move means a focused vision on growth and collaboration, carving out an even stronger force within Havas Media Group in the UK and globally, at the heart of Havas, leveraging our unique access to assets provided by our global partnerships with Vivendi's Universal Music Group and STUDIOCANAL.” 

Adrian Pettett, adds, “Cake pioneered the concept of brand entertainment.  This move puts us at the heart of a creative content business, with greater access to partnerships across sports, music, gaming and film. As part of Havas SE Cake, we are more closely aligned with an agency that has the same principles and values as we do, a shared expertise in working with top brand names, and a strong global network. We are all incredibly excited about what the future holds.”