Havas today announces the launch of the Conran Design Group network, a new global offering dedicated to brand and design, based on the long-standing expertise and talent at Conran Design Group, and W, Havas’ leading creative branding agency in France, which will be renamed W Conran Design.
With studios in London, Paris, Mumbai and New York, the network’s team of 250 strategists and creatives will use their expertise in brand strategy, brand design, experience design and communications and engagement to inspire progress for clients and empower brands to make a meaningful impact.
The network launch also marks the release of Conran Design Group’s new proprietary study, Citizen Brands, an evidence-based brand and design framework that identifies which brands are achieving balanced growth.
The study finds that the top 20 ‘citizen brands’ – those able to meet the needs of both individual and society – earned £8bn more in revenues on average yearly than their lowest-performing counterparts. They also achieved equity price increases that are on average five times higher than those of the lowest performers.
Left to right: Grégoire Weil, Managing Director, W Conran Design; Geet Nazir, Managing Partner, Conran Design Mumbai; Estelle Mège, Director General, W Conran Design; Ludwig Duran, Strategy Director, Conran Design Group; Gilles Deléris, Creative Director and Co-founder, W Conran Design; Thom Newton, Global CEO, Conran Design Group; Denis Gancel, President and Co-Founder, W Conran Design; Lee Hoddy, Executive Creative Director, Conran Design Group; Anaïs Guillemané Mootoosamy, Strategy Director, W Conran Design; Victoria Wright, Head of Corporate Brand, Conran Design London; Martin Piot, Vice President, W Conran Design
“Conran Design Group is uniquely equipped to lead this new network with more than 60 years of experience in strategic brand and design, a holistic approach, and the benefit of global scale with a local touch. W is the natural partner to support the success of this initiative in France with its 25-year track record of helping companies transform to remain at the heart of the conversation and make a positive contribution to society,” commented Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO, Havas.
“We’ve entered the era of expectation inflation – and brands are under huge pressure to deliver growth and good,” said Thom Newton, Global CEO, Conran Design Group. “This will only intensify amid ongoing uncertainty and heighted economic and environmental pressures. Brand leaders will be expected to take an even more active role in how their brands meet and balance these pressures. Our study shows that all companies across all sectors need to find a way to achieve balanced growth, critical in an increasingly unbalanced world. But rather than prioritising growth alone – growth at any cost – the focus should be on progress, progress that’s both balanced and sustainable. Our new global network, supported and informed by the Citizen Brands framework, will help brands achieve that.”
"We are delighted and proud that W, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary, will be leading Havas’ new brand and design network in France and rebranding as W Conran Design. The international reach this network provides will amplify the agency's strategic and creative influence for our clients and expand opportunities for our teams. It is a testament to the central place of design in brand strategies at a time when progress depends on balancing meaning and business,” added Denis Gancel, President and Co-Founder, W Conran Design and Gilles Deleris, Creative Director and Co-founder, W Conran Design.
About the Citizen Brands study
Download the report here
The Citizen Brands study identifies six drivers – across five markets, 10 categories and 150 brands – that can help brand leaders facing ‘Expectation Inflation’ pursue a better path towards balanced growth in an increasingly unbalanced world.
Two-thirds of brand leaders and investors interviewed feel unable to balance profitability with people and planet, and eight out of 10 struggle to balance expectations around people and planet with the need to maximise shareholder value. Some 96% fear not being seen to be doing enough in response to key societal and environmental issues, while 88% fear being perceived as too 'woke' by focusing on the same issues. Consumers, having to choose between cost and conscience, feel equally trapped: 71% report feeling forced to choose between price and sustainability.
The top 20 ‘citizen brands’ – those able to strike the delicate balance between the needs of individual and society – achieved a 37% higher revenue growth rate than their lowest-performing counterparts, as well as equity price increases that are on average five times higher than those of the lowest performers. The top 20 – which include Google, Amazon, Walmart, Microsoft and Nike – also earned £8bn more in revenues on average yearly than their lowest-performing counterparts.
Conran Design Group’s research uncovers six drivers of success among ‘citizen brands’: environmentalism, originality, betterment, assurance, inclusivity and contribution. Top-performing brands, who also achieve higher purchase intent than low-performers, are able to balance all six qualifiers.
The study included interviews with 105 brand leaders working in large blue-chip organisations and 120 professional investors, as well as 5,000 consumers.
The financial analysis was provided by Gate One, Havas’ flagship digital and business transformation consultancy, who design and deliver meaningful change for some of the world’s most interesting, innovative and influential organisations. Market research was provided by Savanta.
