Mumbai: Havas has announced the launch of the Conran Design Group network, a new global offering dedicated to brand and design, based on the long-standing expertise and talent at Conran Design Group, and W, Havas’ leading creative branding agency in France, which will be renamed W Conran Design.  

With studios in London, Paris, Mumbai and New York, the network’s team of 250 strategists and creatives will use their expertise in brand strategy, brand design, experience design and communications and engagement to inspire progress for clients and empower brands to make a meaningful impact.  

The network launch also marks the release of Conran Design Group’s new proprietary study, Citizen Brands, an evidence-based brand and design framework that identifies which brands are achieving balanced growth.

The study finds that the top 20 ‘citizen brands’ – those able to meet the needs of both individual and society – earned £8bn more in revenues on average yearly than their lowest-performing counterparts. They also achieved equity price increases that are on average five times higher than those of the lowest performers.

“Conran Design Group is uniquely equipped to lead this new network with more than 60 years of experience in strategic brand and design, a holistic approach, and the benefit of global scale with a local touch. W is the natural partner to support the success of this initiative in France with its 25-year track record of helping companies transform to remain at the heart of the conversation and make a positive contribution to society,” commented Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré.

“We’ve entered the era of expectation inflation – and brands are under huge pressure to deliver growth and good,” said Conran Design Group global CEO Thom Newton. “This will only intensify amid ongoing uncertainty and heighted economic and environmental pressures. Brand leaders will be expected to take an even more active role in how their brands meet and balance these pressures. Our study shows that all companies across all sectors need to find a way to achieve balanced growth, critical in an increasingly unbalanced world. But rather than prioritising growth alone – growth at any cost – the focus should be on progress, progress that’s both balanced and sustainable. Our new global network, supported and informed by the Citizen Brands framework, will help brands achieve that.”

"We are delighted and proud that W, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary, will be leading Havas’ new brand and design network in France and rebranding as W Conran Design. The international reach this network provides will amplify the agency's strategic and creative influence for our clients and expand opportunities for our teams. It is a testament to the central place of design in brand strategies at a time when progress depends on balancing meaning and business,” added W Conran Design president and co-founder Denis Gancel and W Conran Design creative director and co-founder Gilles Deleris.