Publicis Groupe kicked off the year with a strong first quarter that included a net revenue gain of 9.4% to nearly 3.54 billion euro (approximately $4.01 billion) with organic growth (excluding currency and M&A impact) of 4.9%.  

The company spent about $567 million on acquisitions during the first quarter including purchases of media agency Atomic 212, identity solution company Lotame and influencer marketing and content company BR Media Group.  

The holding company reaffirmed previously stated full-year organic growth guidance of between 4% and 5%, noting that Q2 is expected to fall within that range as well. By comparison, the Groupe achieved 5.8% organic growth for full year 2024.

Earlier this year it said the low end of the projection (4%) would be achieved in current market conditions. At the top end, the Groupe said it could deliver 5% if the macroeconomic environment improves, which would result in less cuts in traditional advertising and a resumption of client spend on digital business transformation projects.

In March the Trump administration added another potentially troublesome element to the macro environment with the launch of a hostile tariff program. To what extent that program impacts the ad economy remains to be seen.

North America net revenue was up 11.3%, with organic growth of +4.8%. The U.S. posted 4.1% organic growth. Media and creative both contributed to growth with the latter posting high single-digit gains fueled by new business and scope extensions. Digital transformation operations were down single digits in what the company called a “context of a continued ‘wait and see’ attitude from clients.”  

Europe net revenue was up 4.3% and 2.7% organically, with gains in media and creative off-set somewhat by declines in digital transformation operations in several countries.   

Asia Pacific reported 4.8% organic growth, and China remained a strong performer with 9.3% growth.  

The Middle East & Africa and Latin America regions also posted double-digit organic growth.  

“We kick-started 2025 with a record new business run, with a dozen material wins across diverse sectors, geographies and expertise,” stated Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun. That performance, he added could “offset the potential effects of the deteriorating macroeconomic context. It makes us extremely confident,” that the firm will achieve its stated financial goals for the year.   

“We have never been in a stronger position to help our clients,” added Sadoun. “Thanks to the best identity graph in the industry, they can accelerate their growth by building direct relationships with their customers and their prospects. With our unique connected media ecosystem, they can optimize their investments and link them to business outcomes. Our production backbone enables them to minimize waste, and maximize creative asset reuse.”  

Publicis is the first of the four major holding companies to report Q1 results and its publicly traded shares rose nearly 4% in mid-day trading on the news.  

Omnicom will report later in the day after the close of markets.