Havas Play & iion launch playable ads in ANZ & APAC

Havas Play has partnered with iion to launch a playable advertising service across ANZ and APAC, with iion serving as the exclusive technology partner for playable and mini-game builds.

The product, Havas Play:able, is designed to help brands create and distribute interactive ads across gaming, digital and social channels. It will be available through the wider Havas network as well as directly to brand clients.

Under the arrangement, iion will integrate its Playable Creator Studio into Havas Play's regional operations, allowing teams to produce bespoke interactive concepts and working previews before moving into full production and deployment.

The launch comes as agencies and ad technology companies push further into gaming formats aimed at driving more direct audience participation. Havas Play, which focuses on sport, entertainment, gaming and fandom, is looking to extend those formats beyond games and into broader media activity.

Several Havas Play clients are already exploring the format for casual gaming experiences in retail, fast-moving consumer goods and beauty. That early interest suggests a broader push by brands to use game-style interactions in both digital and physical consumer settings.

How it works

Playable advertising has often been constrained by production costs and development timelines, particularly when brands want to see a working concept before committing to a full campaign. Havas Play:able is positioned as a way to speed up that process by generating previews more quickly and reducing upfront production demands.

According to the announcement, the platform uses agentic technology and AI automation alongside human creative input to build interactive previews. Once developed, the experiences can be distributed through iion's gaming network, as well as across the open web and social channels, with analytics tracking audience interaction and campaign performance.

That reflects a broader shift in digital advertising, as marketers look for formats that can be tested quickly and adapted across multiple environments. Interactive units have long been used in mobile game marketing, but agencies are increasingly adapting the format for consumer brands outside the gaming sector.

Yun Yip, Chief Commercial Officer at iion, said the shift reflects changing expectations around audience engagement.

"The era of passive media is over - every ad should be an invitation to play, interact, and engage, because that's how genuine brand love is created. Havas Play fundamentally understands culture and entertainment, and together we aim to take the power of 'play' far beyond gaming into the broader digital and social ecosystem.

"By fusing their cultural pulse with our technology, we are making every impression an active, lean-in moment that keeps brands top-of-mind while delivering measurable performance across the player's experience."

Regional push

The partnership gives Havas Play a single technology partner for playable and mini-game builds across ANZ and APAC. For iion, it places its tools within an agency network working with brands that want stronger audience engagement in culture-led campaigns.

The emphasis on casual gaming is notable because it expands the target market beyond dedicated players. Advertisers are increasingly using simple, short-form game experiences to reach consumers who may not identify as gamers but regularly engage with game mechanics on mobile devices and social platforms.

Nick Smith, Managing Partner at Havas Play ANZ, said the format could help brands move from placing messages around gaming content to creating experiences audiences actively choose to engage with.

"Gaming has become one of the most powerful ways for brands to earn attention, and the scale and frequency of casual gaming has made play a mainstream behaviour, not a niche activity. Micro-games give brands an opportunity to move from advertising around gaming to creating experiences that audiences actively participate in, with simple, culturally relevant experiences that people can pick up and play anywhere.

"Historically, bringing that kind of experience into a brand's everyday content and media plans has been difficult, expensive and slow. Havas Play:able changes that. By combining our understanding of culture with iion's technology, we can turn an idea into a playable branded experience in days, not weeks, giving brands a new way to make their audiences active participants rather than passive viewers."

Havas is one of the larger global communications groups, with nearly 23,000 employees in more than 100 countries. The launch adds to growing competition among agencies, platforms and specialist ad technology providers to offer brands more interactive formats that can move across gaming, social and web environments.