Havas Entertainment has rebranded to Arena Media, which existed in the UK agency landscape until 2021.

The new Arena UK remains under the Havas Media Network UK umbrella and, as part of Havas’ wider Converged strategy, Arena will work closely with the rest of the Havas UK Village to develop cross-function solutions for clients.

It will continue to be led by managing director Hamid Habib and newly promoted deputy managing director Jen Ray.

Wins including Dr Martens and Rémy Cointreau, as well as account consolidations such as Sega and Bethesda, have allowed Havas Entertainment to quadruple its billings since its launch in 2021, a Havas spokesperson said.

But Havas Entertainment was a UK-only proposition. Being part of the global Arena network puts the agency in a better position to “deliver integrated solutions and campaigns for local and global disruptor brands”, according to the spokesperson.

To promote the rebrand and Arena’s “zero clients, only partners” ethos, an OOH campaign has launched in London, including sites in Leicester Square and St Pancras.

Habib commented: “If you want an agency that only stays in the media lane, there are plenty out there; that’s not us. We continue to be a boutique agency but with the network backing which means we are doing some of the most creative media work in the market today whilst building bespoke tools and tech.

“We believe joining the Arena Media family can unlock growth for us and the brands we work with. It’s exciting times.”

Havas has confirmed that no redundancies will result from the rebrand.

Return of Arena name

Arena is Havas’s “agents of change for growth” agency network. It employs 1,500 people worldwide across 40 offices.

Havas launched the network in 2002. When it bought UK independent agency BLM in 2008, it renamed the shop Arena BLM, thus bringing the Arena name to the UK market.

The “BLM” part of the agency name — standing for founders Steve Booth, Nick Lockett and Charlie Makin — was dropped in 2010.

In 2021, Havas axed the Arena brand in the UK and moved its clients to Havas Media. At the same time, Havas Media Network UK CEO Patrick Affleck launched Havas Entertainment as part of a new strategy developed soon after he joined the company.

BLM itself, which opened its doors in 1990, played an important role in UK media, having been the training ground for many current leaders. Alumni include GroupM UK and EMEA CEO Josh Krichefski, Electric Glue CEO Pippa Glucklich and Omnicom Media Group EMEA CEO Dan Clays.

Havas Media Network transformation

Havas Media Network has introduced a number of changes to its structure since the start of this year.

It has merged PR shop Organic, social media agency Wilderness and B2B company Simbiotik into Havas Play to form the Havas Play Network, led by CEO Nick Wright.

Havas Entertainment deputy managing director Kim James was later promoted to chief growth and development officer at Havas Media Network — a role previously held by Wright.

Meanwhile, Havas has combined Search Laboratory, which it acquired in 2021, with Havas Market to create a broader commerce offering.

Havas Play Network’s CEO is on a mission to bring media and creative back together

Havas Media promotes Kim James to lead growth