Havas Group has acquired a majority stake in Blink, a social media agency with a unique model which specializes in content and management of conversations between consumers and brands, assisting organizations to follow, understand and take part in the social media realm.
Blink was founded in 2007 by Sagi Chemetz, one of the first social media activists in Israel. It was the first content and social media agency in Israel and one of the first agencies in the social media field globally. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, the team of 35 experts work on digital and content strategy, content creation, social media management, community management, digital PR, crisis management and social and native media buying for its strong customer base which includes both blue-chip companies and SMEs, all leading players in their respective markets.
Yannick Bolloré, Havas Group CDO, said, “Social media has undeniably become one of the most powerful ways for brands to engage with consumers. Joining forces with an agency with the caliber of Blink will enhance our social media expertise as we export their approach to our other agencies all over the world.”
Chemetz, Blink founder and CEO, added, “We are very proud to partner with the Havas Group. It is another step towards our growth and innovation and it reflects a strong belief in our capabilities, our talented team and the unique creative atmosphere we have created at Blink over the years. In Havas we have found open-minded and creative partners and we are excited to become part of the Group. I believe it will allow us to move forward in fulfilling our vision to assist brands and organizations in better managing their social conversations in an open and creative way”.
Chemetz will remain CEO of Blink while Alberto Canteli, CEO Nordics CEE & Middle East of Havas, will oversee the agency’s integration into the Group.
Harvey Weinstein hit with new sex crime charge in New York
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.
Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.
The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren't part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.
Prosecutors have said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults — two in hotels in the Tribeca neighborhood and one at a lower Manhattan residential building. The purported incidents took place from the mid-2000s to 2016, prosecutors said.
But it's not clear whether any of those allegations underlie the new indictment.
While bracing for the new charges, Weinstein also is awaiting retrial after New York state's highest court this spring overturned his 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women. The high court, called the Court of Appeals, ordered a new trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Nov. 12.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the then-trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case. That judge's term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.
Prosecutors have said they'll seek to fold the new charges into the retrial, but Weinstein's lawyers say it should be a separate case.
Weinstein, who also was convicted in 2022 in a Los Angeles rape case, remains behind bars while awaiting his New York retrial.
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