At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Havas unveiled The Science of Desire, a new global study and strategic framework aimed at helping brands better understand the factors that drive consumer preference, loyalty and long-term growth.
Building on more than a decade of the company’s Meaningful Brands research, the study shifts the focus from measuring brand relevance to understanding the forces that influence consumer choice. Havas argues that in an era defined by automation and abundant data, visibility alone is no longer enough; brands must create compelling reasons for consumers to choose them repeatedly over time.
The research is based on insights gathered from more than 87,500 respondents, over 2,400 brands across 10 markets and 1,000 AI-powered interviews. According to the findings, brand desire is shaped by three interconnected drivers—attraction, affinity and attachment—which together create a reinforcing cycle that strengthens over time.
The study found that brands that successfully build desire outperform their peers across key business metrics. Such brands generate 2.2 times more fame, enjoy 87% greater pricing power and deliver 2.4 times more sustained growth. Havas also found that desirable brands are up to four times more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated responses, suggesting that brand preference plays an increasingly important role in AI-driven discovery environments.
Despite these advantages, the study identified what it calls a widespread “desire deficit”, with 84% of brands occupying a middle ground of consumer indifference and achieving only 61% of their growth potential.
Alongside the study, Havas announced further developments within its Converged.AI ecosystem. The group revealed an increased investment in Vurvey Labs, an agentic intelligence company, and said it will serve as lead investor in the firm’s Series B funding round. The investment forms part of Havas’ previously announced commitment to invest €400 million in data, technology and AI by 2027.
The company also highlighted a series of AI-focused initiatives, including an expanded partnership with Akkio to strengthen Converged.AI’s agentic capabilities, continued development of its generative AI production platform Vermeer.ai, and wider deployment of AVA, its secure AI platform designed to support more than 23,000 employees across the group.
According to Havas, these developments are intended to combine human insight with intelligent technology, supporting its “Growth, Powered by Desire” positioning and helping clients drive long-term business growth.
“Being seen is not enough. You must be desired. In a world where optimization is increasingly automated, creativity is what creates connection, builds desire and drives growth. Technology may amplify brands, but desire gives them gravity,” added Mark Sinnock, Global Chief Strategy, Data and Innovation Officer at Havas Creative Network.
“At Havas, we believe growth starts with what truly moves people. In today’s AI-driven landscape, the most successful brands will be those that combine technological power with deep human understanding and creativity, to build lasting connections. With The Science of Desire and the continued evolution of our Converged.AI ecosystem, we are equipping our clients to unlock stronger, more sustainable growth,” said Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO of Havas.
“From the beginning, we believed there was a missing layer in AI: a true understanding of people in motion. At Vurvey, we are building the world’s leading human AI company, helping organizations better anticipate how people think, feel and make decisions, well beyond static snapshots. Havas recognized that vision early, and this expanded investment reflects a shared ambition to build the next generation of human-centered AI,” said Chad Reynolds, Founder & CEO of Vurvey Labs.
“The opportunity with AI is not simply to optimize performance, but to elevate how we connect data, insight and decision-making. By combining human judgment with intelligent systems, we enable our clients to scale relevance, enhance creativity and build more relevant, desirable brand experiences,” said Dan Hagen, Global Chief Data & Technology Officer at Havas.
