Publicis Groupe exceeds growth guidance and launches AI strategy

Publicis Groupe has reported that full-year and Q4 2023 organic growth exceeded its previous guidance.

The agency holding group upwardly revised its full-year guidance in October to between 5.5% and 6% organic growth, and recorded a figure of 6.3% in its latest earnings.

For Q4, organic growth was 5.7%, ahead of 5.3% growth the previous quarter.

Media made up a third of Publicis’ net revenue, with double-digit organic growth last year, while data and tech represented another third, despite “seeing contrasting trends”.

The company also set out its intention to become “the industry’s first AI-powered intelligent system” and will invest €300m in its AI strategy over the next three years.

The first investment of €100m will occur in 2024, with half dedicated to training and recruiting teams, and the remainder to technology including the purchase of licences, IT software and cloud computing infrastructure.

This new strategy will unite all of the agency group’s data under a system called CoreAI, which will analyse and feed into all communication strategies, enable more precise media buying, accelerate client sales, produce personalised creative at scale, create software and digital products at scale and make operations more efficient.

Arthur Sadoun, CEO and chairman of Publicis, said: “Putting CoreAI at the heart of our organisation and truly becoming an intelligent system company will make our people more efficient and more productive.

“But way more importantly, it will allow everyone to do things tomorrow that no-one can do today, guided by the highest ethical standards and at the service of our clients’ growth.”

Additional reporting by The Media Leader France