The French group anticipates growth greater than that of its competitors, confirming its strategy focused on data, artificial intelligence and acquisitions.
Publicis announced on Thursday July 16, 2026 an upward revision of its annual organic growth forecasts for the current year, now between 4.5 and 5%. The French group, world number two in the sector in terms of turnover since the merger between Omnicom and IPG, outperformed the market for the seventh consecutive year.
Solid growth in the first half
The group’s organic growth accelerated in the second quarter, reaching +4.8%, driven by activity in Europe (+5%), the United States (+5.5%) and China (+7.5%). Publicis also posted an adjusted operating margin rate at a new record level (17.5%). “We are confident of being able to continue the same dynamic in the 2nd half and to continue to outperform the market, which allows us to raise our annual forecasts,” declares Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis, who next year will celebrate ten years at the head of the group founded by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.
“Our performances are 6% higher than those of our competitors,” underlines Arthur Sadoun. For three years, the group has been widening the gap with its rivals and, for the seventh year in a row, it is outperforming the market. Despite the merger between the two American players, Publicis remains number one in market capitalization ($25.3 billion).
Publicis is capitalizing on an investment strategy in data and technology, with 14 billion euros invested in ten years. Major acquisitions include Sapient in 2014, Epsilon in 2019, and LiveRamp last May for $2.2 billion, the third largest acquisition ever made by the group. This acquisition supports the shift towards agentic artificial intelligence initiated in recent months.
The Marcel internal artificial intelligence platform, set up a few months after the arrival of Arthur Sadoun, is today used by the group’s 114,000 employees. Publicis also attracted six new major clients in the first half, including Microsoft, HP, American Airlines and Reckitt Benckiser, which should generate 300 million euros in new revenue.
While some competitors are carrying out share buybacks and massive layoffs, Publicis is continuing its recruitment policy, with 2,400 hires since the start of the year. Asked about the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, Arthur Sadoun specifies: “Our employees will not be replaced by AI but some of the tasks they carry out can be carried out by the machine […] This represents around 25% of the medium-term tasks. We are taking advantage of growth to secure jobs and automate what can be automated.”
In a global economy destabilized by conflicts and political and commercial tensions, Publicis intends to continue to accelerate on all fronts. “We are accelerating on all fronts. In the current context of market feverishness, this is a real performance,” underlines Arthur Sadoun. “We are very optimistic for the future,” he concludes.
