• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, February 13, 2018

Havas has launched a new specialist agency that will create advertising and marketing campaigns informed by insights derived via emotion-detection technology. 

The new shop, Havas Health Plus (part of the holding company’s Havas Health & You division) will be led by CEO Dennis Urbaniak, who will continue to serve as Chief Digital Officer at Havas Health & You. 

Allison Ceraso has been appointed president and Chief Experience Officer; she will create an experience design model that integrates creative, content, sensory design and user experience. 

The new agency is being formed, in part, by consolidating some members of the legacy Havas Lynx North America team and Havas Life New York teams, where Ceraso was previously managing director and Chief Creative Officer, along with some new hires and talent from across the HH&Y network.

At launch, it has an approximate staff of 125. It also has access to talent from across the Havas Health & You network and the broader holding company. 

Also joining the effort are Bam Zahraie, who has more than a decade of expertise creating digital solutions for Microsoft and Amazon, and will head up digital innovation and data analysis. Todd Kolm will oversee the in-house Digital Outcomes Lab, which allows HH+ to drive initiatives through rapid prototyping to product and program development. 

“HH+ is a great example of how we continue to evolve ourselves as a network to push our creative and strategic work even further,” stated Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Health & You. “The convergence of technology, data and creativity has obliterated traditional barriers, and we’re taking advantage for our clients.”