Havas reports positive Q2 despite APAC’s poor performance

July 30, 2025 10:48

Havas has reported “another quarter of growth acceleration”, with 2.6% organic growth in Q2 2025.

The French holdco’s net revenue reached AU$1.24 billion (€697 million) in the second quarter. Broken down, 36% of that came from Havas Media, 41% from Havas Creative, and 23% from Havas Health.

Europe (notably France and the UK) and North America were the biggest contributors to the solid performance, bringing in 50% and 35% of the net revenue, respectively. APAC and Africa brought 9%, while Latin America brought 6%.

Specifically, APAC and Africa experienced a negative performance in Q2, according to a release. Havas attributed this to less client spending in China. Looking at H1 2025, net revenue for the region was down 1.8%.

Total growth for Q2 was at 0.8%, after taking into account a positive 1.0% scope effect and a negative 2.7% foreign exchange effect.

Chairman and CEO of Havas, Yannick Bolloré, said overall, the first half of the year has been “solid”, driven by “dynamic new business momentum, particularly in North America, along with numerous integrated wins we are especially proud of”.

He said in a release: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our clients for their continued trust, as well as our teams for their dedication and outstanding creativity that continues to set us apart.”

Bolloré also took the opportunity to double down on AI, sharing that its Converged.AI system is “clearly bearing fruit and delivering meaningful impact for our clients worldwide”.

“As we continue to scale our AI-powered product suite, we are committed to equipping all our teams with the knowledge and tools to fully embrace its potential, ensuring that technology and creativity reinforce one another across every part of our organization,” he said. “We are maintaining a strong pace in M&A, with five new agency acquisitions completed during the first half of the year, and continue to forge strategic partnerships, most recently with Ostro and YouGov.”

Q2’s strong performance means Havas’ net revenue for H1 2025 is up 2.9% year-on-year, at AU$2.39 billion (€1.35 billion). The holdco has an adjusted EBITA of AU$255 million (€144 million), which is up 8.3% year-on-year.

In comparison to other holding companies, Havas is sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack.

Publicis Groupe continues to be the star performer, with 5.9% organic growth credited to an “unprecedented new business run” in the first six months of the year, including Coca-Cola, Nespresso, Lego, Paramount, and Spotify. In total, the group secured AU$8 billion (€4.46 billion) in new business in H1.

Omnicom reported a 3% organic revenue growth in Q2. Broken down by discipline, year-on-year growth was 8.2% for media and advertising; 5% for precision marketing; 2.9% for experiential; and 1.5% for execution and support. This growth was partially offset by declines of 9.3% for public relations, 4.9% for healthcare, and 16.9% for branding and retail commerce.

Meanwhile, IPG reported a 3.5% drop, which CEO Philippe Krakowsky said was “in line with expectations”. The decline was atrributed to “prior-year client account activity”. IPG reported AU$3.87 billion (US$2.54 billion) in total revenue for Q2, down from AU$4.14 billion (US$2.71 billion) in the same period last year.

WPP’s Q2 results will be on August 7, and Dentsu on August 14.

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Lauren McNamara

Lauren McNamara is a freelance journalist. She previously spent three years at Mumbrella, most recently as the associate editor. She left her staff role in August 2025.