Havas has acquired branded content specialist Wilderness, which will be based at Havas Village in London. The holding company said the deal would enhance its social marketing capabilities. Terms were not disclosed.  

Wilderness was founded by Managing Director Tom Jarvis in 2015 and gained a reputation working as an in-house partner to major entertainment brands including Sony Pictures, 20th Century, and Universal Pictures on projects involving branded content, shoppable experiences, “always-on" production and more.   

Wilderness also works with clients in the food and drink, FMCG, travel, fashion, and technology sectors. Clients include Disney+, BBC Studios, Ticketmaster and NOW. In 2023 it added projects for Sky Mobile, Sykes Holidays, Heineken, and Dolby, among others.     

Havas said Wilderness would become part of the Havas Play Network, which launched globally in 2023. Nick Wright, chief growth officer of Havas Media Network UK, will be responsible for the strategic integration of Wilderness into Havas, working with Rosie Holden, president of Havas Play UK and Jarvis.  

Pictured above L-R: Wright; Safiya Pommel, Deputy Managing Director, Wilderness; Jarvis; Jamie Maple, Executive Creative Director, Wilderness; Holden.