• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, Yesterday

A year after announcing a major expansion of its long-term consumer research partnership with YouGov, Havas this morning announced "a major evolution" in the deal, expanding the number of international markets covered, and integrating "bespoke" health data for new consumer insights.

The new deal boosts the number of markets covered to 30 -- up from 26 a year ago and nearly double the coverage of the holding company's original deal with the global online research and data analytics firm.

The new health data integration will draw from proprietary consumer panel data focusing on chronic and seasonal health and wellness conditions.

"The expanded partnership couples clients’ first-party data with YouGov’s attitudinal and psychographic data, enabling the creation and activation of audiences at global scale with vertical-specific accuracy and a privacy-first approach," the companies said in a joint statement.

“For our clients, we’ve boosted performance while safeguarding customer privacy,” added Havas Global Chief Data and Technology Officer Dan Hagen.

Combined with other aspects of Havas' AI-driven "Converged operating system," the agency said it has reduced "activation time and increased lead conversion" by more than 50% for its clients.