With its acquisition of Plastic Mobile, French-owned agency Havas Digital moves deeper into mobile commerce in Canada and North America, encompassing retail, loyalty, payments, coupons and in-store initiatives.

Plastic Mobile will be integrated within Canada?s Havas Village offer, which also includes Havas Worldwide, Havas Worldwide Digital, and Havas Media. The deal, for undisclosed terms, follows on the recent announcement of Havas Worldwide Canada?s restructuring and the integration of its Toronto and Montreal teams within the Havas village model.

"We began Plastic Mobile with the vision of bringing to life rich and innovative mobile experiences,? said Melody Adhami, president and chief operating officer of Plastic Mobile, Toronto.

?Being part of Havas gives us the opportunity to benefit from the strategic advantages of a world leader in communications and its network of industry experts and global resources." 

The new entity will be a full-service mobile agency with practice areas in strategy, user experience, design, and engineering.

The acquisition represents Havas?s commitment not only to furthering its mobile and digital capabilities in Canada, but also to bolstering its offering to North American clients. 

Plastic Mobile serves brands looking to disrupt the mobile app market and lead with innovative technologies. It has represented flagship clients such as Rogers, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, Scotiabank, Pizza Pizza and Brookfield.

Plastic Mobile recognized it was time to join a large international group to continue developing and attract more Fortune 500 brands, Ms. Adhami said in a release. Being part of Havas will enable Plastic Mobile to benefit from the strategic advantages of a world leader in communications and its network of industry experts and global resources, she said.

Andrew Benett, global CEO of Havas Creative Group and Havas Worldwide, said the acquisition would complement Havas? activities in the Canadian market.

Plastic Mobile, founded in 2007 by Ms. Adhami and Sep Seyedi, has won numerous awards, including a Webby, W3 and Communicator.

Other Fortune 500 companies that have worked with the agency include Unilever, Rogers and Shopper?s Drug Mart.

Havas, a multinational advertising and public relations company based in Paris, operates in more than 100 countries and is one of the world?s biggest global advertising and communications groups. 

Havas has two key operational units: Havas Creative Group, including Havas Worldwide and Arnold Worldwide, and Havas Media Group.

The acquisition comes as mobile?s growing popularity reshapes marketing and advertising, driven by the power of smartphones and tablets to create a more personal connection between consumers and brands. 

?The deal signifies not only the great work being done in Canada, but also how important mobile is to leading brands and retailers,? said Sheryl Kingstone, Toronto-based research director for Yankee Group. 

?It?s extremely important for agencies to not underestimate the unique skill set required to create differentiated mobile experiences. 

?Acquiring assets and people that understand and think from a mobile-first approach is an excellent opportunity for Havas to address mobility for their clients,? she said.