Havas Media Continues Analytics Buying Spree

Havas Media Group has followed up last month's acquisition of data analytics firm ElisaDBI by buying big data analyst MFG Labs.

Founded in 2009, Paris-based MFG Labs employs a team of mathematical researchers led by Pierre-Louis Lions, who serves as Professor at the Collège de France; and Jean-Michel Lasry, Professor at the University Paris-Dauphine. Together, the pair have developed the MFG 'Mean Field Game' theory, which examines the behaviour of large and complex models through the study of simpler models.

Dominique Delport, Global MD of Havas Media Group, described MFG's co-founders as being 'two of the greatest mathematical minds in the business', and said that the addition of Lions, Lasry and their team will expand the group's existing data and content services. It will also enable MFG Labs to deliver creative data driven strategies and in-house machine learning algorithms to other Havas Media Group Digital Hubs across the US, UK, LATAM and APAC regions.

Commenting on the acquisition, Lions said: 'We join the Havas Media Group at a unique moment where quantitative methodologies and big data analytics are becoming the key to media performance. For an intrinsically quantitative and programmatic spirited team like us these are exciting times.'

Terms of this deal were not disclosed.

ElisaDBI, acquired last month, offers a range of web site analysis and conversion, mobile measurement, social media analysis and marketing performance measurement services.

Web sites: www.havasmediagroup.com and www.mfglabs.com .