Havas and Entropia unite to service media clients and briefs in Malaysia

Havas Group is said to be streamlining the media operations in Malaysia from mid-July onwards entering a strategic partnership with independent full service agency Entropia for the Malaysian market. Through the partnership, Havas Immerse, which is the creative and digital arm under Havas, will work with Entropia on media briefs and duties for the Malaysia market.

In a statement to A+M, a Havas spokesperson said the strategic partnership agreement that will allow it to offer media centric solutions to its clients in Malaysia.

"Entropia is an independent network not attached to any holding company, who we are already working with, as a strategic partner on their requirements outside of Malaysia. We felt extending the partnership to Malaysia, where they have a very strong presence and proven prowess in digital transformation would be completely in sync with our client’s media needs in Malaysia," the spokesperson said.

When asked how the revenue will be split, the spokesperson declined to disclose commercial details of the partnership due to confidentiality. That said, the spokesperson stressed that this is a contractual partnership and not a merger, and there will be no overlap in skills between Havas Immerse and Entropia’s staff working on media briefs.

Havas Immerse was birthed in 2017 when Havas Group acquired digital agency Immerse. The acquisition saw Immerse integrate the group’s creative operations and will be rebranded as Havas Immerse. Immerse was set up in 2004 as a digital agency primarily specialising in providing strategic creative consultancy and digital marketing solutions. Following the acquisition, Andrew Lee, managing director of Havas Malaysia, to lead Havas Immerse reporting into Vishnu Mohan, chairman & CEO of Havas Group Southeast Asia. 

Since it was founded in Kuala Lumpur in July 2016, Entropia has seen growth in the region, becoming one of the top marketing services groups in Malaysia. Recently the agency also hired Syahar Khalid as its partner for integrated media, where he will be tasked with translating actionable trends and insights into media strategies and executions that drive curiosity and conversations for Entropia’s clients. Syahar will report directly to Entropia founder, Prashant Kumar.

Entropia has been bolstering up its operations in Malaysia.Most recently it launched MEDICI – its end-to-end eCommerce offering to further tap on this booming area. In beta for the last six months, MEDICI has begun to deliver eCommerce solutions for brands, distributors and retailers across the region, combining strategic, technological, and operational support for Entropia’s multi-market and regional clients. It also covers strategy and brand commerce in owned social media channels (interactive and influencer-led livestream commerce), and third-party marketplaces such as Lazada and Shopee.

In the past, Havas also worked with Trapper Media for media duties in Malaysia as its affiliate agency. The partnership went on for six years before the separation in March 2017.