A Brave PR, Digital & Experiential Agency
What sets Havas Formula apart from other agencies? We’re champions of bravery. Bravery is about more than challenging the status quo; it means working harder, thinking smarter and being bolder than any other agency in the game. It means looking at why your brand should matter and creating meaningful experiences and stories that stick. We challenge our clients to think and act differently – and to step outside the comfort zone. Because brave doesn’t happen when you fear making mistakes or sit around waiting to catch lightning in a bottle. In an era where earned and paid media collide, we believe that brands have to be brave in order to stand out. Attention spans are now shorter than ever. We overcome this by taking a hard look at how and where your target stakeholders are consuming their news and content and building strategic programming that engages. #bebrave
ADP partnered with Wired magazine to give attendees at the 2019 SXSW conference in Austin, TX, the opportunity to literally smash workplace barriers at the Breaking Barriers exhibit, a series of "break rooms" based on common work challenges. Visitors could use a variety of heavy objects to break a glass ceiling, smash outdated technology, destroy a piggy bank, or pummel a clock to vent their frustrations at their professional hurdles. The activation gained over 200 million PR impressions, was called the “dark horse of SXSW” by Adweek, and named one of the 5 best activations by Entrepreneur.
Havas Formula recently had the privilege of promoting the US tour of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s fleet of Range Rovers. Taking place at New York’s Rockefeller Center this past October, the exhibition featured a collection of 10 Land Rovers and Range Rovers from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Staff at the exhibition shared details about each vehicle including design, history, and service with the Royal Family—all details the agency leveraged for earned press. Havas secured media attendance and extensive coverage of the exhibition in a range of broadcast, online and print outlets. Press exposure included the TODAY Show, NBC NY-4, The New York Post, Town & Country, Autoblog, Time Out, Jalopnik, and Bloomberg to name a few. Beyond traditional exposure, the agency landed social posts by numerous publications such as Town & Country, New York Post, AllCarNews, Unnamed Project, and US Weekly, making the special exhibition a buzzworthy event.
Trusted in homes for over 90 years, Schlage wanted to shift consumer brand perception from a security product manufacturer to a maker of stylistic home accents. Enter the ELEVATE Design Collective. A strategic alliance comprised of six industry-leading home design brands – Schlage, Delta Faucet Company, Formica Corporation, Hunter Fan, JELD-WEN, KitchenAid – with a mission to create a prominent voice and inspiration for interior designers, architects and remodelers. ELEVATE provided Schlage with a platform to share its distinct design point of view through several initiatives including a partnership with the Pantone Color Institute and an NYC urban loft project unveiled during New York Design Week.
In celebration of National Sunglasses Day, Maui offered media and influencers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Leveraging the brand’s ‘The View is Better from Here’ platform we activated a full brand immersion in the sky. This included two event locations, nine helicopters, 50+ media attendees, seeded products, 196 editorial placements, over 1.7 billion impressions and a view no one will ever forget.
For leading tax software, TurboTax’s, Havas FORMULATIN leveraged earned media, influencers, events and paid partnerships to build awareness and relevance among the U.S. Hispanic audience. Every tax season the agency secured more than 15,000 placements and generated over 440 million impressions, helping TurboTax see a 14% YOY increase in Latino filings. As one of the key components to one tax season, TurboTax partnered with Latina influencer Jenny Lorenzo to interview consumers on the streets of Los Angeles. The impromptu Q&As were turned into a video series to help demystify common tax myths, using humor and cultural references, and lived on Lorenzo’s Instagram and YouTube channels.
In May 2024, Sony Pictures Television and Apple TV+ launched the highly anticipated sci-fi/psychological thriller series Dark Matter, based on Blake Crouch’s novel and starring Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly. To promote the series, Sony partnered with Havas Street for a large-scale activation at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles The centerpiece of this campaign was a recreation of the show's iconic "box," which served as a portal to alternate realities, immersing attendees in the storyline through VFX footage and 4D experiences. The activation aimed to attract a diverse audience, particularly sci-fi fans aged 30+, with a focus on the emotional and psychological themes of the series. The execution included a 19-foot cube structure with multiple immersive chambers, designed to engage the audience with vivid environments and sensory effects. The experience kicked off with a VIP event, featuring a Q&A with the show’s creator, before opening to the public. The initiative successfully drove engagement and anticipation for the show’s premiere and ongoing episodes.
Panda Express hosted a four-night exclusive dining event in Los Angeles and New York to celebrate the return of its Firecracker Shrimp. The venues were transformed into elegant dining spaces with ambient lighting and live violin music. Limited reservations allowed guests to enjoy a five-course meal curated by the Panda Innovations Team, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to quality ingredients and innovation, fostering a sense of community among loyal patrons and attendees. Through this event, we strengthened Panda’s brand affinity, generated positive word-of-mouth, and worked to attract new customers who would appreciate Panda Express’ values of convenience, flavor, and health-conscious dining choices.
Every Halloween, Sun-Maid tried to join the seasonal conversation with a better-for-you narrative, which always fell flat. Havas Formula helped the brand bravely embrace the insight that its raisins may just be the scariest part about Halloween. In fact, the only thing scarier than getting raisins on Halloween is being the house that hands them out! We leaned into Sun-Maid not being afraid to say it is the scariest house on Halloween by building and decorating a physical “Raisin House” that brought raisins’ scary Halloween reputation to life for consumers. To amplify the activation and reach an audience outside of the Raising House location, we launched a TikTok challenge that encouraged consumers to tell us what the Raisin House meant to them. The Raisin House program attracted 1,500 attendees, 1.5B media impressions in its first year and a 3,200% increase in TikTok followers. Sun-Maid was also able to attribute a sales increase of 6.2% to the campaign.
To bring the ‘Welcoming Spirit’ to the next generation of Jim Beam® drinkers, we created a personal and inviting experience inspired by the one place people feel most welcome, backyards. Birthday celebrations, parties, BBQs and hangouts best happen in someone’s backyard where people embrace who they are without judgment. Our Beam Backyard experience brought this feeling to life with a genuine and warm environment filled with opportunities to socialize and embrace carefree moments.
Armor All embarked on a cross-country tour with the goal of transforming car care into a cherished spring tradition. The strategy involved imparting entertaining and informative advice to audiences, guiding them through attaining the ideal “Summer Body” - not for themselves, but for their automobiles. The Summer Auto Body footprint had a fitness theme and activated at car shows, community events and retail locations from coast to coast. The footprint included a variety of stations, each of which demonstrated a different Armor All product in a fun and engaging way. For example, attendees raced against friends, or the clock, to clean a car dash using Armor All wipes while on a treadmill. Guests also had the chance to pose with the Power Clean photo opportunity and share their photos online. Havas Street distributed fun giveaways and Armor All products for people to use at home.
For Norwegian Cruise Line’s debut at SCOPE Art Basel, we created a multi-sensory lounge space for attendees to view the same art which appears on board Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests enjoyed multiple pieces on display in our sponsored space including interactive motion detected digital artwork. The entrance featured the latest in LED technology that displayed motion waves, handcrafted cocktails served at a replica bar as seen on board, scenic lounges with ocean views and staff to showcase the first-rate service that Norwegian Cruise LIne provides its cruisers.
Havas Formula implemented a comprehensive thought-leadership strategy for Sterling, a leading provider of employment background screening, focused on driving education and generating leads. The PR strategy resulted in 11 Sterling executives being featured in the media, showcasing their expertise on topics like compliance, gig workforce challenges, and staffing in hospitality. The agency secured 41 media placements, achieving over 8.7 million impressions and enhancing Sterling’s visibility as a resource on hiring trends and employer solutions. The strategy increased inbound inquiries and positioned Sterling as a key voice in the gig market and HR industry, highlighting their expertise and the importance of compliance and innovative hiring practices.
Celebrating more than 90 years of Reverso, Havas Street developed a multi-sensory exhibition in the heart of New York City, retracing the history of this remarkable timepiece for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Our immersive retrospective exhibition featured more than seven unique experiences within the 14,000 sq ft. space. Attendees explored the creative and cultural universe of the Reverso’s exceptional design through featured films, immersive artwork, discovery workshops, the 1931 café and more. Additionally, the brand partnered with celebrity ambassadors Lenny Kravitz and Anya Taylor-Joy to attend the exhibition’s opening night festivities.
Cox Automotive, one of the world’s largest automotive marketing and remarketing companies, was looking to cut through the clutter and raise its visibility as the go-to authority for dealers. Leveraging a two-fold strategy, Havas Formula capitalized on macro industry trends and tapped the brand’s proprietary data assets. In addition, the agency crafted a full pipeline of creative pitches. The hyper-aggressive media blitz resulted in consistent, high-impact visibility placements across national business, mainstream and top-tier trade press.
