Havas Worldwide London has been appointed as the creative agency ‘hub’ for Arla Foods following a pitch.

Havas was picked over DLKW Lowe to help build the Arla brand across categories in emerging markets.

Wieden + Kennedy (W+K) currently handles the global advertising account for the Arla brand, Lurpak and Cravendale.

W+K remains the lead agency for the Arla brand globally and is responsible for strategy and master campaign guidelines, with the Havas Worldwide network brought in to focus on emerging markets.

Havas will be running the Arla brand account centrally, partnering with teams in its healthcare network across Sao Paulo, Singapore and South Africa.

According to a statement, W+K did not participate in the pitch for this business as Arla “wanted representation in markets where W+K [is] not present”.

The role of an emerging markets agency is newly created by the Arla brand and will focus initially on LatAm, Africa and South East Asia. The short-term scope calls for the delivery of six campaigns, including TV.

Jan Worre Pedersen, head of global media and agency management at Arla Foods, said: “We are very confident that in Havas we have a highly strategic and creative partner that is as equally ambitious with our vision as we are.

“The agency passionately detailed how they’ll convey local nuances across our emerging markets and build the Arla brand through meaningful campaigns,” he added.