A screenshot from French advertising and communications firm Havas's website.
Advertising agency holding company Havas SA has bought Toronto-based mobile marketing agency Plastic Mobile, part of a larger plan to double Havas's presence in Canada within three years.
The acquisition, announced on Thursday, is the first since the company began restructuring its Canadian operations in December. The roughly $1.15-billion Canadian advertising market is among 10 global "priority markets" for Havas.
The restructuring is designed to offer clients expertise in different areas of advertising under one roof, and on tighter budgets. That includes data analysis and digital expertise that more marketers demand. The acquisition of Plastic Mobile is meant to build out Havas's mobile and digital services.
"You'll see us in Canada start to expand into new and interesting disciplines with a fair amount of speed and scale," Andrew Benett, global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail in December.
Havas's major clients in Canada include Hershey Canada, New Balance, Couche-Tard and Michelob Ultra. Plastic has worked on mobile advertising for clients including Rogers Communications Inc., Bank of Nova Scotia and online retailer Beyond the Rack.