Tag: Publicis Groupe

Hong Kong – As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games begin, Cathay has teamed up with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong to launch a new campaign honouring the historic achievements of previous Hong Kong’s Paralympians.

Titled ‘Every Move Counts,’ Cathay’s campaign seeks to revive and spotlight the stories behind Hong Kong’s most legendary Paralympic moments, many of which were barely recorded and have since faded from memory.

The campaign puts a focus on three trailblazing Paralympians—Cho Ping, Benny Cheung, and Ko Chi Kin. Utilising AI, it reimagines and brings to life the pivotal moments when these athletes competed and won medals for Hong Kong.

As part of the campaign launch, Cathay is also rolling out a range of supportive initiatives for Hong Kong’s Paralympians, including special check-in counters, excess baggage allowances, dedicated baggage handling in Hong Kong and Paris, unlimited business class flights, 1 million miles for medallists, and more.

Edward Bell, general manager of brand, insights, and marketing at Cathay, said, “As the Official Airline Partner of the China Hong Kong Paralympics Committee, Cathay wanted to honour the grit, passion, and sheer talent of our home city’s Paralympics team, who share Cathay’s ‘Move Beyond’ spirit. Just like them, Cathay strives to make every move count, so we launched a campaign to ensure that this year these amazing athletes get the recognition and cheers they deserve.”

Halo Cheng, group creative director at Leo Burnett Hong Kong, added, “We’ve been oblivious to the monumental feats from our highest-achieving athletes for too long, but now Hong Kong’s Paralympians are finally getting the cheers they deserve. It was a huge honour to interview past Paralympians and learn their stories. We may have missed out on cheering for past Paralympians, but it’s not too late to cheer on this year’s 23 athletes.” 

Cathay recently introduced its new brand ambassador, Siobhán Haughey, a double bronze medallist at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Together, they are championing support for Hong Kong’s local athletes while inspiring everyone to reach new heights in their own journeys.

Singapore – Publicis Groupe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Influential, the influencer marketing platform and company known for authentically connecting brands to audiences through the development, deployment, and optimisation of creator-driven digital campaigns.

With this acquisition, Publicis Groupe will leverage Influential’s AI-powered technology and extensive network of 3.5 million creators to source top digital talent, craft effective strategies, and optimise media. Influential’s platform, with over 100 billion data points and access to 90% of global influencers with over 1 million followers, currently supports more than 300 brands worldwide.

By integrating Influential’s platform with Epsilon’s data and Publicis Groupe’s scale, the company will lead in ID-driven influencer marketing. This synergy will enable brands to identify creators who resonate with their target audiences and manage investments across social, digital, and affiliate channels more effectively.

The enhanced offering includes a premium creator network providing brand-safe, direct connections between leading brands and millions of diverse creators and their audiences. It also features influencer planning, leveraging Epsilon’s deep consumer insights to identify creators who effectively connect brands with their target customers across the internet. Additionally, the acquisition will maximise cross-channel outcomes by unifying and measuring the impact of social campaigns across digital and affiliate channels through a singular, AI-powered platform, enhancing the customer experience, and driving superior business results.

Led by founder and CEO Ryan Detert, Influential will be positioned centrally within Publicis Groupe, empowering all Publicis clients and teams with leading technology, expertise, and the delivery of influencer marketing services.

Commenting on the acquisition, Detert said, “I am thrilled for Influential to join Publicis Groupe, the world’s highest-performing and most innovative holding company. We look forward to combining our complementary capabilities and technology to deliver unparalleled influencer identification, content creation, amplification, and measurement for our clients—and to defining the next era of influencer marketing together.”

Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe CEO, also shared, “It is a great pleasure to be welcoming Influential to the Publicis family. Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100 billion data points, an unrivalled network of over 3 million creators, and access to data on 90% of influencers with 1M+ followers, Influential is above all an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector. With the new creator economy set to exceed linear TV on adspend in the next year, thanks to Influential, we are able to fully embrace its outsized influence and put it at the service of all of our clients.” 

He added, “Not only does this acquisition mean we will take the leadership in influencer marketing, it also uniquely positions us at the centre of the new media ecosystem. By combining our Epsilon data, which allows us to see 2.3 billion people around the world, with Connected TV, Commerce, and now Creators, we can enable our clients to truly know and understand their customers and prospects and engage with them on a one-to-one basis, wherever they are, both online and offline. It’s how we are putting power back into the hands of brands in a fragmented media landscape and driving marketing transformation that delivers real business outcomes.”

The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in late August 2024.

Philippines – Globe has joined the ‘Working With Cancer’ initiative, coordinated by multinational advertising and public relations agency Publicis Groupe and aims to eliminate the cancer stigma and provide more assistance to employees afflicted by cancer. 

The initiative urges corporate executives to take the lead in eradicating the stigma and uneasiness that cancer patients experience at work and in fostering a supportive environment for those who most need it. This is in line with Globe’s mission to give its workers all-encompassing support and care so they always feel safe and appreciated. 

Globe has committed to a five-point action plan, which includes understanding and implementing policies and programs to support affected employees, raising employee awareness of the commitment, fostering workplace conversations about the disease, tracking progress, and continuously learning and improving support measures. 

Renato Jiao, Globe’s chief human resource officer, emphasised the company’s emphasis on preventive measures, such as yearly physical exams for early detection and preventive care, in order to preserve the health and wellbeing of its workers. Along with launching health education and awareness initiatives, Globe is always looking for new and creative ways to meet the medical requirements of its employees. 

Nearly half of the estimated 9,000 cancer deaths in the Philippines each year are thought to be premature or avoidable, according to the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies in 2023. Additionally, the nation reports about 25,000 new instances of cancer annually. 

Speaking about the initiative, Ernest Cu, Globe president and CEO, said, “Globe is a highly focused entity when it comes to employee welfare. We hope to set an example for the rest of the community in terms of supporting employees in this situation. My hope is that by bringing this issue to the forefront and to public awareness, we’ll be able to raise funding and draw more attention to it.” 

He added, “Aligned with our commitment to Alagang Globe, we promise to handhold our employees throughout their entire journey with us. Our care is a constant presence, and we continuously prioritise their comprehensive well-being and growth, especially their health.” 

Meanwhile, Paolo Borromeo, AC Health president and CEO, stated, “AC Health is deeply honoured to build on our longstanding partnership with Globe, which reflects our shared commitment to elevating healthcare for their employees. Through programs like Working With Cancer, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive care and support to employees facing cancer, ensuring they receive the best possible treatment and assistance throughout their journey.” 

Lastly, Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe CEO, said, “Today you are joining over 1,700 companies all over the world who are committed to build a more inclusive, more supportive workplace for all of those impacted by cancer and their families. I cannot thank you enough for joining us in this journey. We are so proud to have Globe by our side and signing the pledge is just another example of your exemplary company culture, always investing in your people and their well-being.” 

Paris, France – Ahead of the Cannes Lions Festival which will kick off on June 17, global advertising company Publicis Groupe has taken a stance to remove exaggerated promises about artificial intelligence (AI) implementation on the advertising scene with the launch of ‘BSBot’.

With the BSBot, clients will be able to record audio or upload images and text from keynote speeches, meetings, presentations, articles and press releases about AI. Once inputted, they will receive an immediate analysis that translates AI hype and jargon to real talk, and highlights critical questions that should be asked.

For Publicis, at a time when AI buzz is still setting agendas everywhere, they are taking a stand to remove the BS from AI. From tech titans promising the creation of new worlds, and destruction of old industries, to legacy companies using AI as a catch-all solution, everyone has a prophecy to push.

The bot will be launched on Monday 17th June and made available exclusively to the Groupe’s clients. Moreover, Publicis will also host more than 30 closed-door sessions, delivering the real deal on AI for its clients: what’s real, what’s ready and what’s relevant for their industry-specific business challenges and marketing imperatives.

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO of Publicis Groupe commented: “The only thing more widespread than AI at the moment is the noise surrounding it. Cannes will only amplify it further. AI is already helping to deliver some outstanding creative work and I’m sure we’ll see more of that on the Croisette. But as an industry, we are at risk of trying to make AI everything, everywhere, all at once.”

He added, “Unlocking its full power means basing it on real data, making it ready for 1:1 marketing, and ensuring it is relevant to specific business needs by designing for outcomes, not output. Through our closed-door sessions, we will set out exactly how we can deliver that, through CoreAI, to accelerate our clients’ business and marketing transformation. But don’t tell the bot I said that.”

Paris, France – Publicis Groupe has named Nannette LaFond-Dufour as chief impact officer. She will directly report to Arthur Sadoun, the head of Publicis Groupe’s management board. 

In this newly created global role, LaFond-Dufour will be in charge of all of the group’s ESG commitments, including Publicis’ ambitious SBTi-approved climate targets and concrete action plans for diversity, equality, and inclusion. She will also be in charge of major initiatives, including Working with Cancer and the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society. 

Lafond-Dufour will oversee a dedicated team tasked with connecting the group’s ESG professionals around the world. They will work together to develop and implement a coherent impact strategy with clear and specific performance metrics. Their goal is to improve and grow existing Publicis programs while also integrating new ones, which will benefit both teams and clients.

As a new member of the management committee, LaFond-Dufour will answer directly to Arthur Sadoun, the head of Publicis Groupe’s management board. She will work closely with Agathe Bousquet, who is the president of Publicis France and the management board’s guarantor of ESG obligations. 

LaFond-Dufour most recently held the positions of chief sustainability officer and chief client officer at McCann Worldgroup. 

Speaking about the appointment, Sadoun said, “With the Directory+ we are delighted to welcome Nannette to the Group.Through our transformation, we have outperformed the industry on all key business and financial metrics over the past four years. But we know that for our growth to be truly sustainable, at all levels, it must also be responsible. That’s why we’ve also worked to lead the way with our best-in-class ESG initiatives. With Nannette at our side and her proven expertise in implementing concrete changes at the heart of some of the world’s largest companies, we are convinced that we can go further and faster in our ESG agenda, for the good of our employees , our customers, and our planet.” 

Meanwhile, LaFond-Dufour expressed, “I am very admiring of the transformation carried out by Publicis, demonstrating both its ability to anticipate the future but also to prepare for it by making social and environmental commitments. At a time when evolution is more necessary than ever, I am delighted to join a visionary, courageous and agile team.” 

With a company like Publicis Groupe Indonesia consisting of multiple agencies across a vast array of markets, driving business transformation using creativity and technology is no simple feat to achieve. However, for Sony Nichani, CEO of Publicis Groupe Indonesia, this is made easier with how she makes her leadership work in the company.

In terms of how she approaches leadership, Sony focuses significantly on fostering collaboration and driving camaraderie, pushing forward the agenda of building strong and authentic relationships with her teams as well as supporting their individual growth.

“If I have to pin down my leadership style, it would lean towards Servant leadership. As a team, we focus on defining our culture and driving positive employee engagement. We are very proud of the way this is reflected in our bi-annual employee surveys and low attrition scores,” said Sony.

Motivation through merits

To compliment her values in leading others, Sony shared the unique initiatives implemented by Publicis Groupe Indonesia to keep the teams engaged and motivated.

Firstly, Sony shared how the company utilises a clear and transparent ‘Pay for Performance’ model, which provides a disciplined approach to meritocracy using their ‘Career Conversations’ tool to ensure that their top talents are recognised and compensated well. Aside from these rewards, the company also launched its monthly ‘Lions of the Month’ initiative, which recognises team members who showcased exemplary performances based on peer nominations.

Furthermore, the company also commits to several activities and events to promote upskilling and cater to the well-being of employees such as mental health initiatives, ‘Thirsty Thursdays’ that promotes learning on digital transformation and A.I., and Friday disconnects which help teams bond with each other or spend time at home with the family while continuing to offer hybrid working opportunities.

Facing the dynamic shift

Talking about the challenges faced by Publicis Groupe Indonesia, Sony mentioned that there has been a radical shift in the kind of work that clients are investing in, as businesses are transforming more and more to be competitive. With this in mind though, Sony shared that Publicis Groupe Indonesia is equipped to deal with these emerging situations.

“Given the Groupe’s creative, intelligence, and technology expertise, our agencies are well equipped with strong capabilities to provide clients with transformative ideas and consumer experiences. This has given us a unique positioning to provide strategic counsel to help our clients solve their business challenges and provide an open architecture that allows them to plug & play with world-class experts under a single P&L, leading to a deeper and more meaningful partnership with clients,” she mentioned.

Going into detail, Sony explained that Publicis Groupe Indonesia achieves this by creating bespoke teams to offer clients end-to-end solutions in a frictionless and efficient manner. This approach has helped them significantly in campaigns such as with Mondelez and Blackpink, wherein they efficiently leveraged data, experiences, AI-based personalised content and activated communities to give K-Pop fans a one-of-a-kind experience.

Through this method of gaining a deep understanding of their audience, Sony has seen a strong business growth momentum with Indonesia being recognised as a key driver and contributor to SEA’s growth in the first quarter of this year. This leads to an improvement in ownership and empowered leadership when it comes to how they bring together their services to clients.

Building strength towards success 

As a result of these strategies and initiatives, Sony commented on how Publicis Groupe Indonesia has gone from strength to strength over the past four years in terms of capability building, new business growth, and achieving fame at regional and global levels.

“In 2023, we had double digit growth, won over 80 awards including Creative Agency and Digital Agency of the Year in Asia Pacific and have been recognised for our work in creative, data, CRM, AI as well as for key client projects. But what was most heartening for me was winning SEA’s Best Culture Award at Campaign Asia Agency of the Year 2023 as that truly is a testament of our coming together as a team,” she shared.

Talking about how this style of leadership helped make everything possible for the company, Sony concluded with a piece of advice saying, “Empathy is most important – we are in the people’s business and we spend so much of our time together, so it’s really important to understand and appreciate each other’s differences.”

India – Digitas India, the connected marketing agency within the Publicis Groupe, has announced it has won the digital creative mandate of multinational food company and global olive oil producer Deoleo India. 

Digitas India’s remit includes handling all digital creative and social media responsibilities for Deoleo’s marquee products, including its esteemed brands such as Figaro Olive Oil, Bertolli Olive Oil, and Figaro Baby range.

The agency is entrusted with the job of transforming these classic brands through cutting-edge digital narratives and enhanced consumer engagement. Additionally, Digitas India will assist brands in exploring new markets, strengthening relationships with current customers, and raising awareness about the consumption of olive oil.

Deoleo also sees this partnership as a key step in its shift to digital operations.

This marks the launch of a range of creative campaigns aimed at highlighting the unique qualities of Deoleo’s products while also captivating a broader audience through creative and interactive social media marketing initiatives. 

Sonia Khurana, chief operating officer at Digitas India, said, “We are excited about our partnership with Deoleo. Building a brand on social media takes a deep understanding of the platforms, how the audiences interact with the content on these platforms, and an appreciation of the brand and category. We hope to bring the best of all these to make Figaro and Bertolli a success on social media.” 

Speaking on the partnership, Satarupa Majumdar, marketing director for India and the Middle East at Deoleo, also shared, “Collaborating with Digitas India represents a significant step in our strategy to connect more deeply with our consumers leveraging social media. Their creative ideas align entirely with our brand ethos, and we are confident that this partnership will help us tell our story in more convincing and significant ways to our audience.” 

Singapore – Publicis Groupe has announced new appointments to its senior leadership team in Asia-Pacific, namely Pauly Grant as chief talent officer, Martin Davie as head of performance, Jonathan Mackenzie as head of data solutions, and Joanna Ong as managing director of communications and PR.

Pauly was most recently the agency’s chief people officer for ANZ and head of people strategy for APAC. In her new role, she will continue to be responsible for ANZ’s human resource portfolio. Pauly will focus on driving the region’s talent and culture strategy to support the group’s business strategy. She will work closely with the market chief talent officers and the Asia-Pacific Executive Committee, and report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. 

She joined Publicis Groupe ANZ 11 years ago and has progressed through several increasingly senior roles, a testament to Publicis Groupe’s inclusive and progressive environment for its people. As an innovative HR leader, Pauly is committed to driving strategies that deliver important organisational change for the group’s people and business.

Meanwhile, Martin was most recently the managing director for international at Publicis Media Singapore, with his new role entitling him to focus on enhancing the group’s regional performance capabilities, ensuring superior client results and innovative service offerings, and instilling a performance-centric approach across the group’s operations. He reports to Ching Ian, CEO of PMX Asia Pacific, and Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.

Martin has leveraged his 18-year background in performance media in the UK, Australia, and Asia to drive exceptional client outcomes. Over the past three years, his leadership of the International Hub team has been key in helping global brands grow their business in the Asia-Pacific market.

For Jonathan, he was most recently the managing director of Publicis Media Precision Asia Pacific, and will be responsible for the growth of data-driven products and solutions that power advertising transformation for the group’s clients, across both media and creative. Jonathan reports to Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.

He has over 20 years of experience in digital advertising. He spearheaded the launch of Publicis Media Precision in 2017, transforming programmatic capability across the region from a specialised central hub to dedicated teams in all markets, delivering impact to clients’ digital performance while driving growth in programmatic billings and revenues.

Lastly, Joanna transitions into her new role from her recent role as managing director of MSL Singapore. In her new role, she is responsible for communications in the region across the group and reports to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.

Joanna is a senior communications practitioner with over 25 years of experience in reputation management, corporate and brand strategy, and communications. She started her public relations career at Ogilvy PR and Burson-Marsteller and later moved into in-house roles, heading Asia Pacific corporate and brand communications for hospitality conglomerates including IHG, Radisson Hotel Group and Hilton Worldwide. She returned to the public relations industry in 2021 to lead MSL Singapore’s transformation and growth.

Speaking on these new appointments, Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia Pacific, Publicis Groupe, said, “We are delighted to be able to appoint our top talents from within our ranks who have demonstrated their capabilities into these key roles. This both underscores the breadth and depth of talent we have within the group and the fact that we are an organisation that recognises and rewards top talent with opportunities for growth and mobility. With these latest appointments, we are strengthening our core leadership team as we move ahead with our strategy to create even greater impact for clients and further elevate our position in the region.”

Thailand–Advertising agency Leo Burnett has appointed Prasert Vijitpawan as the new chief creative officer in Thailand. 

In his new role, Vijitpawan will work with major clients, including Nescafé, McDonald’s, First Choice, Samsung, Suntory’s Brands, Lotus’s, Kubota, and Visa. 

Vijitpawan is known as an exceptional creative who has received numerous awards from prestigious award-giving bodies such as Cannes Lions, D&AD, Clio, New York Festivals, The One Show to Spikes Asia, ADFEST, and many more. 

During his first tenure with Publicis Groupe, he spent five years at Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand and left in 2011. Prior to his appointment at Leo Burnett, Vijitpawan spent 13 years at Ogilvy Thailand, where he amassed a number of awards and accolades. 

Speaking on the appointment, Thipayachand Hasdin, CEO at Leo Burnett Thailand, said, “Prasert’s appointment signifies a pivotal moment for Leo Burnett Thailand. Being among Thailand’s foremost creative talents, his presence underscores our dedication to creating impactful and culturally resonant brand narratives rooted in a deep understanding of human behaviour. With Prasert on board, we’re poised to embark on a thrilling new chapter.” 

Ajay Thrivikraman, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe Southeast Asia, also stated, “Leo Burnett Thailand, with its world-class talent, is renowned globally for its memorably great creative work that makes Thai advertising unique. We believe that Prasert has the calibre and capability to lead this agency into the future.” 

Meanwhile, commenting on his new role, Vijitpawan remarked, “Leo Burnett Thailand is one of the outstanding stars in the Leo Burnett global network, so it is a huge honour to be part of the team again. I have long admired the audacious bravery of Leo Burnett’s work, its visionary clients, and our shared belief that creativity has the power to transform human behaviour.” 

Sydney, Australia – Multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe has announced the appointment of Clare Pickens as CEO of Leo Burnett Australia.

Being picked out in a global search for Leo Burnett Australia’s next CEO, Pickens will then be taking the helm of the agency in April.

Prior to her appointment, Pickens worked in various roles at Wieden+Kennedy based in Amsterdam and London. She led brand strategy and creative quality, delivering on business objectives for brands including Uber, Nike, Mondelez, Instagram, Heineken, P&G, Netflix, Diageo, Levi’s and Booking.com.

She was also previously Global Managing Director of creative agency Red & Co. and was most recently Managing Director of HERC Amsterdam.

Speaking on her appointment, Pickens said, “I am deeply excited by the opportunity to join the Leo Burnett team in Australia. Being part of such an established group with a legacy of effective and quality creative work is a great privilege. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and helping usher in a new phase of progressive partnership and business solutions with our wide client base.”

Meanwhile, Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, commented, “Clare is a leader who has worked across multiple markets and client categories, with a progressive view on creativity and what it takes to deliver innovative and effective work. Her commercial acumen has been honed leading creative agencies focused on building business through creativity. We are excited to bring such a unique international leader to Australia to lead Leo Burnett.”