Publicis Groupe out-performs again with 5.9% quarterly growth

Many in the ad world have been waiting (or hoping) for Publicis to drop the ball but they’ll have to wait a while longer.

Q4 organic growth was 5.9% leading to 5.6% across the whole of 2025 with all regions performing well including the crucial US at 5.2%. 2025 net revenue was €17.4bn, up 8.5% on 2024 while free cash flow was €2bn, meaning Publicis could easily afford another big deal should it be so minded. The shares have wobbled a bit this year in line with the ad market so there’s a dividend increase, paid from cash. 4 to +5% growth is forecast for 2026 but the market will be hoping for a little more than that.

CEO Arthur Sadoun (above) can be forgiven a congratulatory note. He says: “Thanks to our AI-powered growth model, we are entering our second century stronger than ever, with Q4 organic growth of +5.9%.

“This led to +5.6% for the full year, an acceleration versus our 5-year organic growth CAGR, with every region delivering solid results at a time when our main competitors are expected to be negative overall.

“2025 has been a year of increased investments in our AI capabilities and talent while improving on our already industry-leading margin and free cash flow. It was also a year of sustained commercial momentum as we once again topped the new business rankings.

“Now, looking ahead, we have one ambition: to be the industry’s Most Valuable Partner.

“We will be the MVP for our clients by building agentic solutions that truly deliver business outcomes at a moment when 95% of AI projects fail. We will be the MVP for our people by treating them as our key differentiator, not a commodity, giving them the tools and training they need to progress in an AI-driven world. And we will be the MVP to our shareholders by focusing on delivering transformational growth through new addressable markets, not legacy asset consolidation.” (take that Omnicom.)

Can Publicis keep it up? At the the moment there seems to be little standing in its way. Its secret sauce in media seems to be knowing who its ads are reaching and that may bring privacy problems down the line. But such concerns have hardly dented the growth of the big platforms like Meta and Google.