• by Larissa Faw , February 11, 2021

Publicis Groupe is bringing together 600 creatives, strategists and producers under one creative umbrella titled “Le Truc.” This network builds on the company’s Power of One unification and  seeks to address post-pandemic working conditions and changing client demands.

Carla Serrano, Global Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe, will lead the group as president, along with Elaine Barker, managing partner of operations at Saatchi & Saatchi, who will lead resource management and operations. They will be joined by Neil Heymann who departed Droga5 after 12 years to serve as one of Le Truc’s founding partners as well as Bastien Batman who exited Ogilvy  last month to become Le Truc’s Chief Design Officer. Leo Burnett Global Creative Chief Liz Taylor and Publicis North America CCO Andy Bird will round out the leadership team.

Publicis will develop bespoke Le Truc teams for clients, pulling in various Groupe staffers as well as freelance talent. The group will also utilize independent creatives, students or interns and make investments in other creative companies. Groupe leaders stress this move is not consolidating its creative brands but rather strengthening its flexibility to rearrange talent based on capabilities and client need.

The hub — located at Publicis’ New York headquarters in Manhattan — will allow creatives from across Publicis New York, Digitas, Razorfish, Rokkan, Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Media to jointly work on an as-needed basis.

The company says it is designing the space in a way that prioritizes “health and safety” of team members. Although the rollout is NY-specific, the Groupe intends to develop similar networks across its global footprint in the future.

The collective’s name derives from French slang describing “the thingamajig, the knack, the way” to conjure the brainstorming of developing the creative brief.

“The post-pandemic world and workplace will never be the same, and we must design for the future – which will be flexible, collaborative and ever-changing.” said Serrano. “Le Truc’s nimble, fluid talent model brings together the best minds and offerings, ensuring clients get curated teams while delivering more enriching and diverse experiences for our people.”