Havas acquires experiential agency Shobiz in India

Havas Group has acquired Indian experiential agency Shobiz, headquartered in Mumbai, representing its third agency takeover in India this year.

Shobiz chief executive Sameer Tobaccowala will continue to run the agency, reporting to Vishnu Mohan, the chairman and CEO of Havas Group India & South East Asia.

The agency, founded in 1982, has five offices across India and employs more than 300 staff. It provides integrated experiential communications services that includes conceptualising and commissioning, strategic planning, communication and content design, creative, graphic and architectural design, audience acquisition, production and logistics and final reporting. The agency claims to have 142 repeat clients.

Mohan said Shobiz will bring in a new kind of creative skill to Havas' multi-disciplinary 'Village' model.

Havas acquired UX design agency Think Design, which has about 125 employees, in May, followed by the takeover of digital independent agency Langoor, with about 170 staff, in September. 

In a press release, Havas Group chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré said India has increasingly become a priority for Havas, especially in the past year. "After strengthening our local digital and service design capabilities with the acquisitions of Think Design and Langoor, we can now significantly boost our activation and experiential offer on the rapidly growing events market in India."

Tobaccowala explained: "Havas Group’s integrated approach to brand building coupled with their entrepreneurial spirit resonated with us. We are confident that this collaboration will unlock unprecedented growth opportunities for us."