Publicis is set to invest £255.6 million ($326.4m) in AI over the next three years, as it said it had achieved 6.3% growth in 2023.
It now plans to integrate the technology into its current platform, and plans to use CoreAI across five key disciplines including insight, media, creative, software and operations.
The advertising giant also plans to invest £85 million (€100 million) into upskilling, training and recruiting, and 50% in IT, software and cloud infrastructure.
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The advertising firm added that this would be fully funded by “internal efficiencies” with no impact on operative margins.
Publicis Group CEO Arthur Sadoun said: “Our journey from a holding company to a platform has not been easy, but it definitely paid off, as you can see with our 2023 organic growth outperforming the industry for the fourth year in a row.”
He added: “The platform organisation we have built over the last decade, our propriety data of unmatched breadth and accuracy, and the 45,000 engineers, consultants and data analysts at the heart of our model, uniquely position us to push
Sadoun said that the investment would “allow Publicis to continue to outperform its peers on organic growth, sustain the highest financial KPIs, and lead the change on industry”.
1 Comment. Leave new
This is all very inspirational, but I can’t help wondering if ad-land is once again too late to the party. Historically, the industry’s approach to data has been flawed. It wasn’t so much the lack of data, but a lack of understanding and seriousness in its application. Agencies and brands often operated on assumptions, gut feelings, and brand prestige. Publicis’ move, while ambitious, highlights a broader industry trend of playing catch-up. As someone who left traditional advertising in favour of the deeply unsexy (at the time) data, I see this as a pivotal moment. The industry must embrace this change wholeheartedly, learning from its past oversights to forge a future that is not only technologically advanced but also strategically sound. Data can no longer just be an afterthought, but the driving force behind every creative and strategic decision.
Paul Alexander, Group CEO, Beyond: Putting Data to Work