Havas Media Network Wins Olive Garden's Media Business

Havas Media Network has announced its selection as the media agency of record for Olive Garden in the US, the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment. As the media agency of record, Havas Media will oversee strategic communications planning and video media investment for the iconic brand.

Havas Media Network emerged as the winner following a competitive review. The agency will begin a 45-day transition period and will manage Olive Garden’s Upfront investment this year.

"Havas Media Network has a proven track record of engaging fans with iconic brands across various media,” said Jaime Bunker, senior vice president of marketing for Olive Garden. “We were impressed with the level of innovation in their approaches to meaningfully connecting with our guests, and we’re thrilled to work with their team as we continue to showcase what makes our brand special – our never-ending, abundant, craveable Italian food.”

Olive Garden continues to look for new ways to reach guests where they are through media. Through its partnership with Havas Media Network, Olive Garden will benefit from the agency’s proprietary Converged Operating System, and products such as propensity modelling, AI planner, and CTV Pulse to deliver personalised and data-driven media solutions.

"Our passion, innovation, and value-driven approach truly resonated with Olive Garden because we understand their business from the inside out," said Adam Rattner, North America chief growth officer of Havas Media Network. "Our personal history with the brand, with several team members starting their career as Olive Garden servers, give us insights that fuel our partnership, and we’re focused on helping Olive Garden’s media strategy to not only drive value, but resonate with today’s diners”.

Havas Media Network will also support both brand-building efforts and promotional campaigns.

“Olive Garden’s commitment to delivering endless value to their diners aligns perfectly with our passion for driving meaningful, results-focused media experiences. Through our client-centric mindset, audience-first strategies, and data-driven solutions, we’re ready to unlock meaningful business growth,” said Greg James, North America CEO of Havas Media Network. “Backed by our deep retail expertise and proactive leadership, this partnership is a powerful opportunity to deliver winning work, especially as we head into Upfronts season. This collaboration not only reflects our ability to connect brands with their audiences in smart, effective ways, it also reinforces our continued momentum in delivering real business results for category leaders.”