AD Agencies
Havas brings Play to belgium with Digizik acquisition
BELGIUM: Havas has tuned into Belgium’s cultural pulse with the acquisition of Digizik, officially launching Havas Play in the market. The entertainment and culture specialist will now operate as Digizik by Havas Play, strengthening the group’s push into passion-led marketing built around music, sport, gaming, fashion and lifestyle.
Founded in 2011 by François Charles and Grégory Lefillatre, Digizik has carved out a reputation as a cultural connector, using music and entertainment to shape stories that resonate beyond the screen or stage. The agency works with around 30 active clients and brings with it a close-knit network spanning Belgium’s cultural scene and key international players.
Its client list reads like a playlist of big brands and cultural heavyweights, including Universal Music, BNP Paribas Fortis, Red Bull, Warner Music, Campari Group’s Picon, Orange’s Hey!, John Martin Brewery and Casio’s G-Shock. Digizik has also produced event content with artists such as Stromae, Angèle, Bigflo and Oli, Major Lazer and Justice, alongside rising talent.
By folding Digizik into Havas Play, the group sharpens its integrated village offering in Belgium, bringing cultural creativity alongside media, creative, advisory and public affairs services. The move also plugs local expertise into Havas Play’s global activation network, supported by the group’s Converged.AI technology platform.
Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré, said the acquisition reflects the group’s strategy of blending creative excellence with data and AI-driven capabilities, while giving Belgian brands a powerful new way to connect with audiences through culture.
For Digizik’s founders, the deal marks a new chapter. François Charles and Grégory Lefillatre said joining forces with Havas Play opens the door to transforming audiences into engaged communities and creating experiences that live at the crossroads of entertainment and culture.
Havas Belgium co-CEO Hugues Rey added that the move firmly anchors the group in entertainment marketing, turning cultural insight into measurable impact and giving brands a more meaningful way to join the conversation.
The launch of Havas Play in Belgium signals a clear intent from the group to place culture at the heart of brand building. By combining Digizik’s deep-rooted entertainment credentials with Havas’ global scale and technology-led approach, the group is positioning itself to help brands move from simple visibility to lasting cultural relevance in an increasingly experience-driven market.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
