• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 12, 2013

Havas has launched a new branding agency called Brand Acumen. The New York-based firm is part of the holding company’s Havas Creative division and is overseen by branding veteran Bill Smith, CEO of the startup operation.

According to Havas, the new agency will specialize in brand consulting, developing brand names, linguistics, trademark evaluation, brand architecture, market research and validation.

According to Smith’s LinkedIn page, he was the founder of Addison Whitney, a branding firm focused on the pharmaceutical, medical and biotechnology fields. That firm was sold to inVentiv Health in 2007 for an undisclosed sum.

“Working with Havas gives us the global reach that is essential to successful branding in an always-connected world," stated Smith.

While at A&W, per his LinkedIn page Smith created hundreds of brand identities, including some current household names such as Xbox, Pfizer’s Viagra and Toshiba’s Satellite brand of laptop.

Before A&W, Smith founded an executive search firm called Chase Adams that focused on the IT and biotech sectors. That was sold to RoyalPar Industries in 1989.

Smith also sits on the board of Harrison Hayes, a Charlotte, NC-based pharmaceutical and medical marketing consultant.

The holding company said that the newly established firm would serve as the branding arm of Havas. Havas itself has undertaken several major rebranding projects over the past year. Last September, in a bid to align with the marketing trend toward integrated communications, the firm rebranded Euro RSCG -- one its major creative shops -- Havas Worldwide.

Earlier this year, the company retired two of its longstanding media monikers, MPG and Media Contacts, and rebranded the agencies under the Havas Media Group.

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