Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E), a unit of the Paris-based Havas is developing the sports part of its offering in the U.S. with the hiring of Mark Rothenberg to the new post of senior vice
president for sports. Up to now, HS&E's emphasis in the U.S. has been on the entertainment side through a Miami-based office headed by Manuel Reis, and Cake, HS&E's social media arm. Now
Rothenberg, based in New York, is tasked with developing the unit's sports expertise. Rotherberg will work with several U.S.-based Havas agencies including media shop MPG, Havas Digital, and creative
shops Euro RSCG and Arnold. Rothenberg will report to Maria Luisa Francoli, CEO of Havas Media North America and MPG Global, and Lucien Boyer, President and CEO of Havas Sports & Entertainment.
Given the appeal of sports to huge numbers of consumers, marketers are spending big bucks to get their messages out to fans. According to the Sports Business Journal, the top 50 companies in the space
spent $6.6 billion on sports marketing last year, up 27%. And because marketers are interested in the segment, many agencies are honing their expertise in sports marketing as well. Earlier this
month, GroupM's MediaCom unveiled a new unit, MediaCom Sport and hired IMG veteran Marcus John to run it. Other agencies are in the space as well. At the beginning of the year, Horizon Media formed a
new sports marketing and events division, and Interpublic has operated Octagon, the sports and entertainment marketing unit, for years. Rothenberg will report to Maria Luisa Francoli, CEO of Havas
Media North America and MPG Global, and Lucien Boyer, President and CEO of Havas Sports & Entertainment. Most recently Rothenberg, a 25-year marketing veteran, was with Two River Consulting
(TRC), a marketing consultancy focused on strategic planning and integrated marketing communications. Prior to that he was executive vice president of marketing for Cox Enterprises, the Atlanta-based
media company that purchased the agency he founded, Lifestyle Marketing Group (LMG), a sports and event marketing specialist. Earlier he helped establish Saatchi & Saatchi's sports marketing
network, and has worked with such blue chip clients as General Motors, Hewlett Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Gillette and others. "As our clients continue to look to us to provide seamless media
solutions across channels, our focus on integrated sports and entertainment solutions is a natural fit," stated Francoli. "Mark is a great talent whose expertise in sports marketing is coupled with
his holistic approach to meeting business challenges."
