Havas Group Joins Forces With Indie Multicultural Agency, Republica

September 19, 2018 | By Jessica Roiz

Havas, one of the largest global advertising and communication groups in the world, based in France, has joined forces with Republica, a top U.S. independent multicultural agency located in Miami — simply put (as noted on their website): A new era begins.

Founded by chairman & CEO Jorge A. Plasencia and president Luis Casamayor in 2006 to address the “seismic multicultural and digital revolution,” Republica’s mission is to build enduring relationships between brands and people across a spectrum of cultures, traditions, and languages. Some of their brand partners include Walmart, Google, Toyota, Nielsen, and Universal Parks & Resorts.

In this new venture, Republica becomes Havas’ lead multicultural agency partner in the U.S. and has been renamed Republica Havas. With its headquarters remaining in Miami, Republica Havas has expansion plans to other key U.S. markets such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Because of Plasencia’s long ties to the music industry –the worked for many years as the public relations director for Gloria and Emilio Estefan and stars like Shakira — Republica is expected to work in multiple musical projects.

The agency will continue to be led by Plasencia, Casamayor and their executive team, and sit under the direction of Paul Marobella, chairman and CEO, Havas Creative, North America.

“Our mission as a creative agency is to ignite the businesses of the brands we work with through cultural relevance,” said Marobella in a press statement. “As such, it was important for us to find the best partner that doesn’t just understand multicultural marketing but is embedded in the fabric of different cultural communities in America — Republica is that partner.”

After making the long and tough decision, as the founders penned on the official website, one of the most exciting factors of joining forces is the new growth opportunities and many benefits they will offer their employees.

“This is the right partnership because it allows us to continue to do what we love, staying true to our culture and our people while being able to offer our deep multicultural expertise to Havas’ many agency partners,” Plasencia added in the press statement.

 

Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8475911/marketing-company-havas-joins-independent-agency-republica