A dozen new business wins, including Coca-Cola’s U.S. media account and an integrated brief for Sam’s Club, has helped Publicis Groupe keep its revenue growth on track despite headwinds from tariffs and global economic uncertainty.
The numbers
4.9% – organic growth for the quarter.
€3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) – net revenue in Q1, up 9.4% year-on-year.
12 – new business wins in the first three months of the year, including briefs for Coca-Cola, Sam’s Club, Santander, and Uber.
€500 million ($560 million) – M&A investments over the quarter, including the acquisition of data company Lotame.
Watercooler Talk
Shares of Publicis Groupe fell nearly 16% during the first quarter and continued to weaken in April amid market turmoil triggered by President Trump’s plans to impose sweeping global tariffs.
Despite these headwinds, the business managed to sustain growth, driven by a record 12 client wins in the three months to April.
In the first quarter, Publicis also invested to strengthen its data chops—which CEO Arthur Saduon sees as a competitive advantage in an environment where clients need every cent invested to deliver ROI. Publicis has begun integrating Lotame with its data powerhouse Epsilon to allow it to reach 91% of adult internet users globally and deliver “personalized messaging at scale.”
2025 is off to a strong start for the French ad giant. Though it ended 2024 as the largest advertising and marketing services company among the “big six,” it’s a designation that won’t last too long if Omnicom’s proposed takeover of IPG passes regulatory scrutiny.
Regardless, Publicis is sticking with its guidance to deliver between 4% to 5% organic growth in 2025. This puts it on track to outpace U.K. rival WPP, where organic revenue is expected to flatten or stall up to 2%.
Key quote
“Looking ahead, we have never been in a stronger position to help our clients, in the good times, and even more importantly, in the challenging ones,” said Sadoun, pointing to Publicis’ identity capabilities, “unique connected media ecosystem,” and AI tools.
“These unique competitive advantages, and our diversified revenue mix that continues to withstand business cycles, mean that today we are confident in outperforming not only in 2025—for the sixth year in a row—but also beyond, in what will be a shrinking competitive landscape.”
