Havas launches POP Australia with Lima in creative tech

Havas has launched POP Australia and appointed Raoni Lima as head of creative technology. The unit is the first Asia-Pacific origination Centre of Excellence for the group's Prose on Pixels network.

Based within Havas Village ANZ, the Australian operation will cover production, filming, editing, post-production, animation and visual effects. It will also use AI-based workflows tied to Havas tools including Vermeer.ai and Converged.AI.

The move adds an Australian base to Prose on Pixels, which already has studios in 15 locations. POP focuses on producing and adapting marketing content across markets and audiences.

The new business was created as brands look for ways to tailor creative work without adding production complexity. Havas said budget and time pressures often dilute creative ideas before they reach market.

Matt Hearn, managing partner of POP Australia, said the launch was designed to address that challenge.

"I've watched the best idea in the room lose to the budget more times than I can count. Trimmed down, made safe, sent out to everyone. That's the thing we wanted to fix, so we built POP Australia to fix it. Real craft, and the AI chops to match, with a global network behind a team you can actually get in a room," Hearn said.

"The big machines make you fit the work to the system. We built it the other way round, closer and faster, by people who've spent their whole lives making the work. Because the best thing you can give a good idea is the time to stay good," he said.

New Hire

Lima joins with more than 20 years of experience across agencies, holding companies and studios in Brazil and Australia. He previously worked on AI production initiatives at major holding companies and returns to Havas after a previous role with the group in 2020.

He will lead the integration of creative technology into POP Australia's production model, placing him at the centre of how the business combines established production methods with newer automated tools.

"Anyone can generate images and video. The real value comes from knowing which tools to use, when to use them and how to integrate them into the creative process to achieve better outcomes," Lima said.

"Real change starts at the root, a complete redesign of the entire process from the ground up, and that is exactly the bet we are making with the POP model. The focus is not simply producing more content or accelerating production, but using the technology selectively to extend what is creatively and commercially achievable while keeping craft and intent in human hands," he said.

Regional Push

The launch also reflects a broader regional investment by Havas in production services more closely tied to its agency structure. POP Australia will connect with the wider creative, media and customer experience operations inside Havas Village ANZ.

James Wright, group CEO of Havas ANZ, said the move forms part of the company's regional strategy and argued the market has put too much emphasis on scale as an end in itself.

"POP Australia is exactly the kind of deliberately different move we've been building towards. The market keeps being told that scale is the answer, but scale alone has never been a guarantee of better work," Wright said.

"Clients want agility, integrated capability and production that delivers real outcomes, and that's what POP gives them: global craft and genuine AI capability, purpose-built and close to the work, backed by the full Village. It's a significant investment in production for this region, and it's how we keep playing and winning differently," he said.

Havas said the Australian team brings three decades of experience across film and advertising. Chavvah Stuart, head of creative innovation at POP Australia, will lead the link between production and the rest of the local network.

That connection is important as clients seek more versions of campaigns for different audiences and channels. In that environment, the pressure is not only to produce more material, but to keep it relevant to each market and medium.

"The goal isn't volume, it's relevance. It's about smarter content that cuts through, connects, and lands when it matters. That is where craft and technology finally pull in the same direction," Stuart said.