Paris, France – As part of its annual ‘Wishes’ tradition, Publicis Groupe has unveiled a new centennial film and documentary tracing the advertising holding company’s evolution over the past 100 years.
Developed by Publicis Conseil, the agency founded by Marcel Bleustein Blanchet, the campaign follows Publicis’ trajectory from its beginnings in 1926 as a small creative shop in Montmartre to its expansion into a global communications group shaped by data, technology and international growth.
The centennial film combines live action with AI-generated imagery produced using the Groupe’s proprietary tools. Publicis said the project aims to recount key moments in its history, including periods of crisis and reinvention, while reflecting on the role of innovation in the company’s development.
Titled “A Lion Never Gives Up”, the film uses a hybrid approach that blends live action with GenAI-driven 2D and 3D imaging to reconstruct historical scenes. Publicis said roughly a quarter of the film is shot with real actors, while the remainder is created using archival photos, film and documents.
The production required the sourcing and cataloguing of around 4,500 visual assets for about 150 individual shots, handled by AI prompt artists and archivists, according to the company. Publicis also noted that the editing process differed from a traditional film pipeline because shots could be regenerated throughout the process rather than being locked once assembled.
Alongside the campaign, Publicis has also released a documentary on its century of operation featuring Elizabeth Badinter, vice-chair of the Groupe’s board; Maurice Lévy, emeritus chairman; and Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO.
“2026 will be a very special year for us, as we end our first century. A century where we have turned a small hot shop from Montmartre into the industry’s largest holding company over the last two years,” said Sadoun. “A century that has seen the Groupe rise from the ashes – sometimes literally – three times and reinvent itself many more. It is this spirit of resilience that has defined us for 100 years and that is captured in our Wishes: a lion never gives up.”
He added, “2026 will also be the year where we enter our second century, the beginning of which will undoubtedly be defined by the rise of AI. This film is a human, historical and technological odyssey that blends our best creative minds with our unmatched capabilities in AI production to embody our belief that the future of AI is our people.”
