Havas has announced the launch of Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E) in Australia.

The division will be focused on identifying strategic brand alignments, partnerships and collaborations within sport and entertainment to connect brands and consumers, with a mission to create some of Australia’s biggest and most dynamic marketing campaigns.

HS&E has enjoyed great success around the world, with more than 35 offices operating in 20 markets, including the US, China, Russia, UK and South Africa. Global clients include Coca-Cola, adidas, Hyundai and British Airways.

The Australian launch comes in response to a growing demand in the local market for brands looking to develop ways to connect fans and brands through their passions and impactful brand experiences. Services include sponsorship activation, branded content creation, sponsorship analytics, social strategy and live brand experiences with the aim of bringing brands, fans and communities together.

The HS&E team will be led by Francis Coady, who has been appointed General Manager and brings a wealth of experience to the role with over 20 years working with some of the biggest entertainment brands and sporting codes across Australia and the globe.

This includes Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, NRL, Football Federation Australia, 20th Century Fox and the ABC. He also ran his own consultancy, The Coady Group, for 13 years, in which time he was also General Manager for the Bondi Short Film Festival, a boutique film festival. Coady will report into Havas Media Group CEO Mike Wilson and will be based out of Havas’ Sydney office.

LG Electronics has come on board as HS&E’s founding client with the agency activating a partnership with retailer, Harvey Norman and global blockbuster film Ghostbusters from Sony Pictures.

Coady said “The crucial point of difference that HS&E provides to our clients is two-fold – our intimate knowledge and experience with brands and the sports and entertainment industry, combined with our unparalleled access to consumer data and insights. It is our mission to use these insights and strategic smarts to execute every brand partnership beautifully, providing measurable ROI for brand marketers.”

Coady will be supported by a team of dedicated branding and entertainment specialists and will be announcing a number of additional clients in the coming months.