Publicis Groupe reported another strong financial result for the fourth quarter and 2025, driven by its creative and media work powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
As AI platforms such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI prepare to introduce advertising products, Publicis CEO Arthur Sadun is bullish that traditional holdcos are evolving fast enough to stop customers’ money from going astray.
numbers
5.9% – Organic growth in Q4
8 billion dollars – Last year I worked on a new business. Awards include media account for Coca-Cola North America, media account for Mars, and global creative brief for Nespresso.
$17.18 billion – 2025 net revenue. increase 5.6% From 2024 onwards 20% From 2022.
water cooler story
Even as the advertising market shrinks following Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG, Publicis’ winning streak shows no signs of slowing.
Over the past 12 months, the top 100 companies had a customer retention rate of 98%.
The traditional advertising group, which has invested more than $17 billion in data and technology over the past decade, including its $6 billion acquisition of Epsilon in 2019, is at the forefront of the 2026 AI arms race.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are both gearing up to launch ad products, with the former asking selected advertisers to contribute at least $200,000 to testing with a portion of its 800 million users, potentially siphoning dollars from existing ad players.
But Sadun told ADWEEK that he sees Publicis as the “connective tissue” in the new advertising ecosystem.
Following acquisitions such as Epsilon and Rotaim, 73% of Publicis’ operating model is now “AI-powered,” Sadoun said. The advertising group revealed in September that 80% of its revenue from its media division, which accounts for 60% of its total revenue, is now powered by AI tools.
“We’re starting to see tangible results from our clients that when used properly, AI can deliver business outcomes, not as a new shiny toy, but as something deeply ingrained in their business models,” he said.
One of its biggest rivals, WPP, recently signed a deal with Gemini, but despite OpenAI’s impending advertising launch, Sadun ruled out Publicis marrying a single partner in the space.
“We are not an AI platform. We should not be competing with companies that are investing trillions of dollars in data and new technologies. We should be an AI platform. [business] This helps our clients connect their entire ecosystem across data, technology, the right AI, and the right talent. ” he said.
