Havas Entertainment’s managing partner Tristan Brooks tells Toy World how the merger with Azure Media has been a great success, creating a real ‘can do’ culture in the agency.

As the decline in kids’ commercial TV continues, with a transition towards online, media, creativity and PR agency Havas Entertainment entered into a merger with media specialist Azure Media a year ago, enabling the two companies to share their expertise. It was a move, Tristan says, which has gone down with existing clients and attracted new ones, as they look to navigate the ever evolving media landscape.

Tristan discusses what makes Havas Entertainment stand out among other agencies, including the fact that it only represents toys and games clients, and its growth strategy for 2023 with a clear focus on increasing its performance in digital media, where most of its audiences view content.

He explains how kids’ TV has gone from being a ‘reach media’ to a ‘frequency media’, meaning that the ability to reach audiences at scale is now more challenging. “When engaging child audiences, we need to address the ongoing decline of kids’ TV by building awareness wherever children are actually spending their time,” he tells Toy World.

He adds that digital platforms offer greater opportunities for advertisers, as well as more flexibility and the chance to be more creative and engaging with young viewers. Havas is enhancing its services after acquiring some digital performance companies to boost its end-to-end solutions for clients.

Looking to the future of the media landscape, Tristan says further fragmentation is “inevitable” with more platform and app launches. “However, with Netflix and Disney+ offering part ad funded subscription services, commercial opportunities will also grow in a fragmented market,” he predicts.

Click here to read the full interview with Tristan Brooks in the January issue of Toy World.