Havas Group has announced the acquisition of a 51 per cent stake in independent French creative agency Buzzman.

Buzzman was founded in 2006 by George Mohammed-Chérif, keen to put the power of digital culture to work for brands. Buzzman has since become one of the most awarded agencies in the market and is acclaimed as one of the boldest and most creative in Europe.

The agency’s roster includes Burger King, PMU, Boursorama Banque, Ikea, Ouibus (SNCF), Fleury Michon, Hippopotamus, Mondelez (Oreo, Milka), EasyJet, L’Oréal (Diesel, Puma Fragrances, Garnier), Huawei, NRJ Mobile, PayPal, BMW and more.

Yannick Bolloré (right in photo), chairman and CEO Havas Group said: “I am delighted and proud that Buzzman is joining Havas. Welcome aboard! Georges was one of the earliest advertising pioneers to seize on the amazing opportunities that digital has to offer. He made all the right decisions and took a bold step at just the right moment, launching a startup that has since become a creative force to be reckoned with, in France and beyond. This deal ties in perfectly with our determination to position Havas at the convergence of communications and entertainment since becoming part of Vivendi.”

Mohammed-Chérif (left) added: “In recent years, Buzzman has been the target of repeated approaches from leading communications and consulting groups. The reason why we have now chosen to go with Havas is Yannick Bolloré’s readiness to listen and his grasp of what it is that underpins our extraordinary creativity: our independence. The one non-negotiable condition for joining the Havas Group was maintaining our autonomy. We will now be able to take advantage of the synergies offered by the network and expand the field of opportunities, whilst holding fast to Buzzman’s recipe for success from the outset: exacting standards, outspokenness and boldness.”