Hopscotch

France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland

It seems strange today to remember that Hopscotch started life as a challenger brand, shaking up the somewhat conservative French public relations business, dominated as it was back then by giant holding companies Havas and Publicis. Launched in 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, Hopscotch attracted a number of US tech clients looking for digital services and a more creative approach. Today’s Hopscotch is matches up with those older giants in terms of size—1,000 people generating revenue of almost €320 million—and capabilities, with a variety of brands covering public relations (Hopscotch PR, Le Public Système PR, Human to Human, Hopscotch Décideurs), events, and digital marketing, as well as units focused on entertainment, sports, luxury goods, and tourism.

The other way in which Hopscotch matches up with long-established competitors is the size of its international footprint. Around half of its people are based in France (where it has offices in Paris, Lyon, Lille, and Marseilles), with others spread across 40 offices spanning Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and the Netherlands as well as the Middle East.

Last year saw group revenues rise by almost 18%, with new assignments from Accor, Arena, Adobe, Baker & Mckenzie, Burberry, Crunchyroll, DAZN, Fondation L'Oréal, Givenchy, Ingenico, Korean Tourism Organization, Kylie Jenner Perfume, Leroy Merlin, and Pernod Ricard. Another obvious source of the increased revenue in 2024 was the Paris Olympcs: Hopscotch handled the closing ceremonies of both the Olympics and the Paralympics, as well as the 50th edition of the Deauville Festival. The firm also hosted Hasbro Pulse, an event that brought journalists and influencers together to experience new Star Wars, Marvel and Transformers products; created an ambassador program for Orange, enabling runners to experience the marathon course for the first time; launched the Nissan Patrol; and partnered with Roger Federer on behalf of sporting goods brand Wilson.

As the group has expanded, maintaining the culture has grown in importance, and over the past year Hopscotch has focused on its onboarding process; launched internal learning platform HopAcademy, with numerous expertise-focused training modules;   launched initiatives to support employees with disabilities, as well as parents with disabled children; and followed through on its Solidarity Day, launched in 2023 to support local communities. The company has also rolled out a comprehensive program to train all employees in AI, integrating AI into agency proposals, while ensuring that responsibility is at the heart of its strategy for the technology.—PH