Hasbro-owned games publisher hits play on regional media strategy with Havas SG

Games publisher Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, has appointed Havas Media Singapore to handle its regional media duties across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. The appointment will be for a year, with the option to extend. The appointment followed a pitch in December last year that saw at least three other agencies vying for the account.

Kenneth Ong, brand manager Southeast Asia, Wizards of the Coast, said that Havas Media impressed the team with its passion, strong insights and understanding of the gaming category. "The agency's deep digital know-how and commitment to understanding our business ambitions will allow us to entrench current fans while growing new audiences. We look forward to working together with Havas Media to create some magic to Wizard’s digital marketing activities, to succeed in the competitive marketplace field," he added.

During the appointment, Havas Media will take on marketplace marketing, data analytics and digital media management for Wizards of the Coast. The agency told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it will focus on growing Wizards of the Coast's official store on Shopee, as well as market product launches.

Deanson Lee, executive director, digital solutions, Havas Media Group Singapore, said that the agency looks forward to leveraging its integrated expertise in marketplaces, data and analytics to win in the gaming space. “Wizards of the Coast has a strong portfolio of games such as Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. As avid players ourselves, we are delighted to embrace the opportunity to strengthen their presence regionally with data-driven precision and grow the business through identifying profiles of emerging high potential casual gamers that go beyond the core fan base," he added.

Separately, Singapore Management University reappointed Havas Singapore as its media agency with an integrated creative scope, following a pitch. The appointment is for three years with an option to renew an additional year. Havas Singapore first won the account in 2016. In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE then, a spokesperson from Havas said it was reappointed as its integrated abilities  leveraging data, content, partnerships along with media and creative resulted in a thorough, synergised proposal. Additionally, the spokesperson added that the collaborative flair, energy and diligence of the team brought the pitch to life and reinforced SMU’s decision to stay with Havas.

A month prior to that, Havas Singapore was handed the media duties for Yum Brand’s Pizza Hut and KFC. Leveraging the network’s integrated, multi-disciplinary capabilities, the team is responsible for data analytics, media strategy and planning for Pizza Hut and KFC Singapore across offline and online platforms. This appointment followed a closed-door pitch commissioned end October and is said to be fully operational from January 2021.

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