Publicis Groupe has reported strong organic growth in Q1 of 2022.
The company’s March quarter report posted organic growth of 10.5%, in contrast to 2.8% for the same three months last year.
Publicis confirmed its guidance for the rest of 2022 with organic growth at upper end of the +4 to +5% range.
The multinational advertising and public relations company noted continued momentum in the U.S. at +8.0%, robust recovery in Europe at +14.9% – fueled by France and the U.K.
The company also reported very solid growth in Asia at +14.4% with China double-digit again this quarter.
Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: “We started the year very strongly, both financially and commercially. Our organic growth for the quarter came well above expectations at +10.5%, versus +2.8% for the same period last year.
“Our model is going from strength to strength, as it continues to capture rising client demand for first-party data, digital media and commerce. This is particularly true in business transformation, where Publicis Sapient saw strong acceleration this quarter and grew +18% globally.
“All of our regions performed well. The organic growth of the U.S. at +8% confirms the country’s continued dynamic with a good performance of Epsilon at its core. Europe posted robust recovery at +15% organic growth, fueled by France and the U.K. Meanwhile, in Asia, we also delivered very solid numbers, with +14% organically and double-digit growth once again in China.
“We are confident in our ability to deliver on all of the objectives we set for the year and actually come in at the upper end of our organic growth target, despite the uncertainty caused by the global health situation, the evolution of the conflict in Ukraine, and the consequences of inflation for our clients.
“This confidence is underpinned by our truly differentiated model. Once again, we demonstrated in the last quarter that with Epsilon and Publicis Sapient integrated with our creative and media operations, we have unique capabilities to help our clients transform, grow and optimize their spend in this very challenging period.
“The best proof of the uniqueness and attractiveness of our offer is our new business performance. After topping all of the new business rankings in 2021, we are confirming our momentum with significant wins last quarter like McDonald’s, Singapore Tourism Board, Siemens, Etisalat, LVMH, Pepsi and the largest pitch of the year so far, AB InBev, to name just a few.
“I would like to thank our teams for their incredible efforts, and our clients for their partnership,” Sadoun said.
Sadoun also added: “Of course, the start to the year has also been dominated by the war in Ukraine. Our thoughts and unwavering solidarity go out to the Ukrainian people, and our 350 employees in the country. We will continue to respond to the gravity of this situation with concrete actions, and a clear focus on protecting their safety and wellbeing.”