The 'Greeting Card' campaign by Havas Paris positions the agency as a culturally attuned and personable entity entering the new year with a fresh identity. By framing the campaign as a narrative gesture of goodwill, it conveys a promise of renewed creativity and engagement, underscoring Havas’s commitment to thoughtful communication and a dynamic presence in the media and entertainment space. The campaign’s use of a traditional greeting card concept modernized through a direct medium reinforces the agency’s blend of heritage and innovation.
From a market strategy perspective, the campaign leverages the timely occasion of New Year’s greetings to create a meaningful touchpoint with clients, partners, and the wider industry. By situating itself within the familiar cultural ritual of exchanging wishes, Havas taps into the universal emotion of hope and new beginnings, fostering positive brand association. The creative angle—combining narrative storytelling with carefully crafted production elements such as music by Simon Davies and editorial input from Ultraschmooze—aims to elevate the agency’s self-promotion beyond conventional advertising, presenting Havas as both a creative force and a relatable player in the French market. The choice to keep the communication in French and focused on the Parisian identity further consolidates its connection with its primary audience, emphasizing locality and relevance. Overall, the campaign’s subtle, emotionally resonant approach reflects an understanding of the industry’s need for authenticity and relational branding.
FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT — Uses or parodies pop culture formats like films, shows, or genres.
The campaign ‘Greeting Card’ by Havas is fundamentally a branded New Year’s greeting positioned as an agency self-promotion, built around the familiar cultural format of seasonal greeting cards. Its core device borrows from and playfully reinterprets the widely recognized ritual of New Year’s greetings—transforming a standard ‘greeting card’ into a creative agency promo. There is no problem–solution arc or story-based resolution. Instead, the campaign leverages the greeting card structure, a borrowed, established social template, to frame its creative message and showcase agency personality, making FORMAT#12 the most precise fit.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Publicis Groupe – Positioned as a global leader in integrated communications, Publicis Groupe emphasizes its data-driven creativity and technology-powered solutions to deliver highly personalized and effective campaigns, blending media, digital, and creative services to optimize brand impact worldwide.
2. WPP – Known for its vast network of agencies, WPP leverages scale and specialized expertise across advertising, media, and public relations, focusing on innovative storytelling combined with data intelligence to build meaningful consumer connections on a global scale.
3. Omnicom Group – Differentiates itself through a broad portfolio of creative, media, and digital agencies that prioritize bold creativity and strategic planning, offering clients bespoke solutions that blend innovation with tradition to drive brand growth and engagement.
4. IPG (Interpublic Group) – Positions as a forward-thinking communications group that integrates diverse marketing disciplines with an emphasis on collaboration and cutting-edge technology, enabling brands to craft authentic narratives and deliver measurable results in an evolving media landscape.
5. Dentsu – Focuses on harmonizing creativity and technology within an integrated global network, offering data-centric marketing solutions and media expertise designed to adapt to rapid digital transformation, driving innovation and cultural relevance for its clients.
Q: What is Greeting Card about?
A: Greeting Card is a professional campaign created by Havas Paris in 2013 for the Havas brand, targeting the French market within the agency self-promo and media/entertainment category. Conceived as a heartfelt New Year’s message, the campaign was designed to introduce the newly established agency to clients and industry peers. The creative execution centers on a single audiovisual asset, featuring music composed and performed by Simon Davies and edited by Ultraschmooze, delivering a polished and engaging greeting entirely in French. Greeting Card leverages the direct medium to reinforce Havas’s presence and identity at a pivotal moment of renewal.
Q: What creative device does Greeting Card use?
A: Greeting Card employs FORMAT#12 PARODY OR BORROWED FORMAT, as defined by Clapboard’s 12-format classification system. This approach involves adopting or playfully reinterpreting a widely recognized pop culture or social format—in this case, the traditional New Year’s greeting card. Rather than following a problem–solution narrative, the campaign borrows the established template of seasonal greetings to frame its message, using the familiar ritual as a creative device. This structure allows Havas to showcase agency personality and connect authentically with its audience through a culturally resonant and easily understood format.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Greeting Card?
A: The campaign proposition for Greeting Card positions Havas Paris as a culturally attuned and personable agency entering the new year with a refreshed identity. By presenting the campaign as a narrative gesture of goodwill, Havas signals a commitment to renewed creativity and thoughtful communication, targeting clients, partners, and industry peers within the media and entertainment sector. The use of a traditional greeting card, modernized through direct digital delivery and rooted in Parisian culture, underscores the agency’s blend of heritage and innovation. This approach aims to foster positive brand association and reinforce Havas’s dynamic presence in the French advertising landscape.
Q: How does Greeting Card rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Greeting Card holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 64/100 in Clapboard's global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s curatorial standards.
Q: Who are the competitors in Havas's category?
A: In the agency self-promo and media/entertainment category, Havas competes with several global communications groups. Publicis Groupe is recognized for its integrated, data-driven creative solutions and technology-powered campaigns. WPP leverages its expansive network and specialized expertise to deliver innovative storytelling and data intelligence on a global scale. Omnicom Group stands out for its portfolio of agencies that blend bold creativity with strategic planning. IPG (Interpublic Group) integrates diverse marketing disciplines with a focus on collaboration and technology, while Dentsu harmonizes creativity and data-centric marketing within an integrated global network to drive innovation and cultural relevance.
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