Paris, France – In a bid to further educate its clients about the inner workings of the metaverse and Web3 technology, global advertising agency company Publicis Groupe has unveiled its new avatar interface named Leon, and appointed him as its chief metaverse officer.
Leon, who resembles the lion evident in the Publicis logo, was unveiled at this year’s Viva Technology. The appointment of Leon builds on the expansive set of existing capabilities, skillsets and talent that currently resides within Publicis Groupe, with a focus on deep Web3 expertise in both blockchain use cases – inclusive of NFTs, smart contracts and decentralised applications – as well as metaversal technologies like VR/AR and artificial intelligence.
During the announcement video, Leon showcased its expertise as a Web3 native, and he has strong grounding across communication disciplines and is a metaverse expert.
Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said, “The metaverse isn’t a destination, it’s a real-time learning moment for all. It requires interrogation, education and experimentation. We are committed to being on that journey with our clients, to help them understand what it means for their business and to bring them the existing Web3 capabilities in the Groupe across data, media and technology. Leon embodies that as an avatar and will help our clients navigate this new channel and progress every step of the way.”
Meanwhile, Marco Venturelli, chief creative officer of Publicis France, commented, “The metaverse is an endless, unknown territory to explore with creativity. To truly innovate we have to experiment and learn as we go. Leon’s mission is to motivate all of us to be brave and progressive; because the earlier we move, the further we can go.”
Agathe Bousquet, president of Publicis Groupe in France, said, “We want to support our clients, innovate with them and showcase the best achievements. In terms of the metaverse our clients have questions about creative, production, rights, commitments… We needed an expert to answer that. That will be Leon’s role.”