Publicis Groupe FY 2015 Results

“2015 was a particularly busy year, especially with the integration of Sapient since the closing of the deal on February 6, 2015, the major repurposing process, the work stream on the Groupe’s transformation, not to mention the numerous media accounts up for review.

Under these circumstances, the Groupe’s performance was particularly good, in part thanks to the boost provided by acquisitions and exchange rates. The Groupe’s revenue grew by 32% (+19% before the favorable impact of exchange rates), and the operating margin reached 15.5% despite the dilutive effect of acquisitions and high restructuring costs. Net income rose 25%.

It might also be pointed out that free cash flow rose 31% to exceed the one billion euro mark for the first time in the Groupe’s history.

The fourth quarter, which is always more difficult to anticipate because of clients’ budget adjustments turned out to be better than expected. Organic growth reached +2.8% in Q4, driving annual growth to +1.5%. In fact, fourth-quarter performance proved quite satisfactory in North America where organic growth reached +6.3%. Organic growth of digital activities reached +8.8% in Q4. Over and beyond organic growth, all the indicators are positive.

Let me take this opportunity to thank all our clients for their trust in us and all our employees for their immense talent, their dedication and their energy at a time when demands are high. They had to take on the challenges of a hesitant global economy, our clients’ changing needs and our own transformation. Mention should also be made of the numerous innovations that bring about breakthroughs or even tipping points for our clients and that require them to transform themselves, just like us. Our own deep-rooted transformation is radically changing our structure and work patterns in order to provide our clients with the most complete array of fully integrated services, a unique alchemy of creativity and technology.

We have great confidence in the implementation of our new business model. It should enable us to meet the most demanding of client expectations and making us more competitive. The positive outcomes of recent collaborative undertakings testify to the fact that the organization we are putting in place is highly effective. We must now roll it out across the entire Groupe.

We have designed our model around the transition to digital that is obliging our clients to transform themselves. Our clients have always been at the very heart of our approach, but even more so now with this new organization that provides them with a complete array of solutions while seamlessly integrating the consulting and the technology in order to transform.

For all these reasons, 2016 will be a year of transition during which we anticipate to see modest organic growth, and focus on building foundations that will allow us to fire on all cylinders in 2017.”

Publicis Groupe’s Supervisory Board met on February 10, 2016, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Elisabeth Badinter, to examine the annual accounts for 2015 presented by Mr. Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer.

Publicis Groupe’s environment was one of marked slowdown in the emerging markets and a recovery in Europe that was below expectations. The overall global context was one of low growth and virtually non-existent inflation. With organic growth at 1.5%, the Groupe maintained strict control over its costs, thus enabling its free cash flow to exceed the one billion euro mark for the first time in its history.

2.1 – Q4 2015 revenue

Publicis Groupe’s consolidated revenue in Q4 2015 was 2,734 million euro, up 27.2% from 2,149 million euro in Q4 2014.

With close to 60% of the Groupe’s revenue exposed to the dollar and sterling, exchange rates had a 163 million euro positive impact on revenue, i.e. 7.6% of Q4 2014 revenue. Acquisitions (net of disposals) contributed 357 million euro, i.e. 16.6% of Q4 2014 revenue. At constant exchange rates, growth was 18.3%.

Organic growth stood at +2.8%, shored up by digital activities and the very good dynamics in North America. Europe, however, saw its growth decline, particularly in France as a result of the November events in Paris which led to a freeze on advertising investments.

3.1 – Income Statement

The Operating margin before depreciation and amortization rose to 1,661 million euro in 2015, up 27.1% from 1,307 million in 2014. The percentage operating margin was 17.3% (versus 18.0% in 2014).

• Personnel costs reached 5,988 million euro in 2015, up 32.9% from 4,506 million in 2014. Fixed personnel costs amounted to 5,197 million euro, i.e. 54.1% of revenue after 54.7% in 2014. Restructuring costs rose 49 million euro to reach 118 million euro in 2015 (versus 69 million in 2014), as the Groupe adjusts to an environment that has become increasingly digitaloriented and leverages the synergies from the Sapient acquisition. Numerous on-going investments (ERP roll-out, development of the production platforms, the continuing regionalization of the Shares Services Centers and technological developments) will improve our operational efficiency in the medium term.
• Other operating charges (excluding depreciation and amortization) totaled 1,952 million euro after 1,442 million in 2014, a sharp increase that can be attributed to the consolidation of Sapient. These charges stand at 20.3% of total revenue, up from 19.9% in 2014.

Depreciation and amortization totaled 174 million euro in 2015, after 125 million in 2014.

The Operating margin rose 25.8% to 1,487 million euro, up from 1,182 million in 2014.

Operating margin rate was 15.5% in 2015, down 80 basis points on 2014. The operating margin (expressed as a percentage of revenue) benefited from the strengthening of other currencies against the euro, creating a 20-basis point positive impact. At constant exchange rates, the percentage operating margin was down 100 basis points on 2014 due to the dilutive effect of consolidating Sapient and the increase in restructuring costs.

The percentage operating margins by region were 11.1% in Europe, 18.0% in North America, 15.3% in Asia Pacific, 10.7% in Latin America and 18.2% in the Middle East and Africa.

Amortization of intangibles arising from acquisitions totaled 89 million euro in 2015, compared with 51 million in 2014, an increase that stemmed mainly from intangibles arising from the acquisition of Sapient. An impairment charge of 28 million euro was booked for the period (down from 72 million in 2014), mainly concerning Rosetta and Neogama. Other non-recurring income and expenses amounted to a positive 8 million euro, mainly attributable to capital gains and losses on asset sales, after 10 million euro in 2014.

Operating income totaled 1,378 million euro in 2015, i.e. a 28.9% increase on 1,069 million recorded in 2014.

Financial income was an expense of 89 million euro in 2015, compared with an expense of 28 million euro in 2014. The reason the cost of net debt has risen so sharply since the previous period (74 million euro in 2015 versus 23 million euro in 2014) was the cost of funding the Sapient acquisition. Other financial income and expenses deteriorated by 10 million euro, largely due to the revaluation of earn-out payments.

Income tax amounted to 386 million euro in 2015, i.e. an effective tax rate of 29.9%, up from 311 million euro in 2014 when the effective tax rate was 28.0%.

The Associates’ share of profit was 8 million euro compared with 4 million in 2014. Minority interests totaled 10 million euro in 2015, after 14 million euro in 2014.

The Groupe net income reached 901 million euro in respect of the 2015 financial period, up 25.1% from 720 million euro in 2014.

After elimination of impairments, amortization of intangibles arising from acquisitions, the main capital gains (or losses) on the disposal of assets and the revaluation of earn-out payments, the Headline Groupe net income was up 19.7% to 992 million euro in 2015.

Headline EPS (diluted) rose 20.6% to 4.39 euro.

3.2 - Free cash flow

Before changes in working capital requirements, the Groupe’s free cash flow for the period was 1,097 million euro in 2015, compared with 836 million euro in 2014.

3.3 – Net debt Net debt

stood at 1,872 million euro at December 31, 2015, after a cash-positive 985 million euro at year-end 2014. The swing in the net financial situation was mainly due to the acquisition cost of Sapient. The Groupe’s average net debt in 2015 was 2,429 million euro, after an average cash-positive position of 93 million euro in 2014.

3.4 – Shareholders’ equity

The Groupe’s share of consolidated shareholders’ equity rose from 6,086 million euro at December 31, 2014 to 6,556 million euro at December 31, 2015. This increase was due to income for the period, partly offset by the buyback of Publicis shares from the Badinter family under an agreement with an Investment Services Provider over the period from March 30 to June 9, 2015 (467 million euro in total) and the dividend payout of 240 million euro.

Publicis Groupe’s transformation necessarily goes hand in hand with changes in its CSR strategy. This migration lends itself to greater inclusion and appropriation of the challenges of sustainable development in the daily lives of the Groupe and its agencies. 2015 was the start of a new cycle leading towards integrated reporting.

This year, the Groupe’s efforts focused on the following aspects. Firstly, continued dialogue with the stakeholders to improve how we measure up to their expectations with regard to sustainable value creation, which also enabled us to refine our analysis of the materiality of the Groupe’s CSR challenges. This materiality is articulated around three main groups of stakeholders (employees, clients and society, i.e. consumers) with major emphasis in three main areas (increased training and diversity while facilitating career paths, greater efforts in the field of responsible marketing and communications, and a clarification of data protection issues). Secondly, the Groupe has become more actively involved in a CSR assessment alongside EcoVadis. This supplier assessment program will be ramped up over a period of three years. Finally, at Groupe level, the agencies are working more closely with clients and partners to promote responsible communications and a greater awareness of the social and environmental impacts of our campaigns.

During this year of transition, the Groupe remained focused on human challenges, notably with a view to supporting staff in agencies where the environment is undergoing constant change (technological, organizational, etc.). Continuous training, of which the Groupe provided over one million hours in 2015, is essential in all our activities, as is a more inclusive organization with the wide variety of profiles needed by the Groupe. Furthermore, in-house cooperation methods are becoming increasingly flexible.

In 2015, Publicis Groupe entrusted SGS with an auditing scope corresponding to 98% of the Groupe in terms of staff (Sapient included). This mission included the on-site auditing of 53 entities corresponding to 35% of total headcount (versus 32% in 2014).

Publicis Groupe - which signed up to the United Nations’ Global Compact back in 2003 and to the UN’s Caring for Climate initiative in 2007 – worked in association with a number of corporate coalitions on the occasion of COP21 in Paris as part of the general mobilization in favor of the reduction of greenhouse gases.

5.1 – Reorganization

On December 3, 2015, the Groupe announced its plan to implement the most integrated organization in the sector, calling time on the traditional silo-type structure of communications groups, for the benefit of its clients and its employees alike.

This reorganization into 4 Solutions hubs is in line with the continued implementation of the Publicis.Sapient platform. This platform is unique in the communications sector, bringing together the Groupe’s agencies (Razorfish, DigitasLBi, SapientNitro and Sapient Consulting) with a view to providing clients with a full service offering across the digital communications value chain from consulting to retailing, including creation, data and production platforms.

The purpose of the reorganization is to structure the Groupe in such a way that its clients are at the very heart of its organization. In the Top 20 countries, the Top 50 clients will each be accompanied by a Chief Client Officer, and these CCOs will report to a Chief Revenue Officer. In this way, the Groupe can offer an entire array of solutions to its clients: creative solutions through Publicis Communications, media solutions through Publicis Media, digital solutions from Publicis.Sapient, and healthcare solutions provided by Publicis Health. For all other countries, a single structure called Publicis ONE will combine all of these solutions (creative, media, digital, healthcare) in each country.

The new organization will be rolled out in the first few months of 2016.

5.2 – “Media Palooza”

A very large number of media accounts came up for review in 2015. According to RECMA, there were tenders for over 20 billion dollars worth of billings in 2015. Publicis Groupe was one of the most exposed of the major communications groups. The Groupe largely consolidated its position with clients (Coty, Citi) and recorded notable gains including prestigious accounts such as Taco Bell, VF, Visa and Etihad. Some losses to be noted include the US media accounts of Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola.

5.3 - Blue 449 launch

ZenithOptimedia has launched a new international media network in order to boost growth while developing hitherto unexplored communication methods. This new network, named Blue 449, is headquartered in London, in the offices of the Walker Media agency which has been rebranded as bridgehead for ZenithOptimedia’s new global network.
Blue 449 has offices in 17 cities and works alongside other ZenithOptimedia brands such as Zenith, Optimedia, Performics and Newcast. The new network also acts as a portal providing open-source access to a vast array of businesses within the Groupe including VivaKi.
The Blue 449 launch follows the acquisition of Walker Media by Groupe Publicis in 2014.
Blue 449 is headed by Sébastien Danet (Global Chairman) and James Shoreland (Global CEO). Sébastien Danet is also Global Managing Partner at ZenithOptimedia and Chairman of VivaKi France. James Shoreland was Executive VP in charge of Corporate Development at ZenithOptimedia USA, and has been promoted to become the first CEO of Blue449.

5.4 - Acquisitions

• Sapient: completion of the acquisition process on February 6, 2015, for a total consideration of approximately 3.7 billion dollars.
• Glickman Shamir Samsonov is one of Israel’s top creative agencies with a staff of over 75 people.
• Langland Advertising, Design & Marketing Limited, one of the most highly reputed healthcare agencies. Langland was acquired by Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG), the Groupe’s network specialized in the healthcare sector.
• The Creative Counsel Group is the largest integrated below-the-line group of agencies in South Africa, providing marketing and activation solutions to local and international clients.
• Tardis Medical is a consulting agency specialized in the clinical and medical fields. It was acquired by Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG), the Groupe’s network specialized in the healthcare sector, and will be integrated into Publicis Touchpoint Solutions.
• Match Media is the leading independent media agency in Australia. Match will be integrated into Blue 449, ZenithOptimedia Group’s new global media business.
• Expicient Inc. is a leading global omni-channel services firm with significant expertise in inventory and order management systems (OMS).
• Epic Communications is South Africa’s leading independent integrated strategic communications agency.
• Relaxnews is a press agency, member of Fédération Française des Agences de Presse and of the International Press and Telecom Council, and has global expertise in consulting, production and management of content, for the digital transformation of media and firms (exclusive negotiations ongoing).
• Monkees is the leading French agency specialized in digital marketing and the social media.

5.5 - Finance

• New 1.6 billion dollar medium term loan The Groupe has refinanced its 1,890 million dollar syndicated credit facility maturing in January 2016 aimed at financing the Sapient acquisition, with a 1,600 million dollar medium term syndicated loan at variable rate, concluded on January 20, 2015, maturing in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
• Share buyback On March 17, 2015, before trading opened at the Paris Stock Exchange, Publicis Groupe purchased 2,406,873 of its own shares in a block transaction from the Badinter family for a total consideration of 176 million euro, i.e. 73.03 euro per share. This transaction was part of a broader framework consisting of a share buyback program authorized by the AGM of May 28, 2014 and the 2022 Orane bond early redemption approved by the Supervisory Board on September 15, 2014 and announced on September 16, 2014.
  The transaction was carried out at a discount of 2% to the weighted average share price of the five previous days’ trading, and at a discount of 4.5% to the closing price on March 16, 2015 (76.47 euro).
  The entire transaction was funded by Publicis Groupe’s available liquidities.
• Share buyback contract: execution of share buyback program through an investment services provider Publicis Groupe entered into a share buyback contract with an investment services provider for the purposes of the Share Buyback Program authorized by the Combined Annual General Meeting of its shareholders on May 28, 2014.
  This contract was signed on March 27, 2015, and related to a maximum of 3,935,000 shares to be purchased at an average price not exceeding the limit imposed by the combined AGM of May 28, 2014. The actual price paid for these shares was calculated on the basis of the arithmetical average of the average prices weighted by the volumes traded each day during the buyback period, and was limited to that arithmetical average.
  Under the terms of the contract, the buyback period extended from March 30, 2015 to July 31, 2015 but actually ended on June 9, 2015 by which date the Groupe had acquired 3,935,000 shares at a volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of 73.89 euro for a total cost of 291 million euro.
  This buyback program was within the framework of the proposed early redemption of the 2022 Orane bonds approved by the Supervisory Board and announced on September 16, 2014.
  By unanimous decision of the bondholders present and represented at the bondholders’ meeting of June 19, 2015, the amendment of the Issuance Agreement authorizing early redemption of all Orane bonds at the Groupe’s discretion was approved. This amendment was also approved by the Groupe’s AGM on May 27, 2015.
• Redemption of the 4.25% Eurobond Publicis Groupe redeemed its 4.25% Eurobond at maturity in March 2015 for a total of 253 million euro. The redemption was fully funded out of Publicis Groupe’s available liquidities. Given the 3.85% effective rate of interest on this bond issue, the redemption helped reduce the average cost of the Groupe’s outstanding gross debt.
• Early redemption of the 2022 Orane bonds On July 15, 2015, Publicis Groupe SA completed an early redemption of its 2022 Orane bonds at an exchange rate of 8.12 shares per bond, thus distributing 12,684,356 existing Publicis shares to the Orane bondholders. On the redemption date, the company also paid out a total of 11 million euro in cash for coupons accrued (calculated prorata temporis from September 1, 2014 up to July 15, 2015).
• New syndicated multi-currency credit facility Publicis Groupe subscribed on July 22, 2015 a new syndicated, multi-currency credit facility for 2 billion euro over a five-year period. This facility is intended for general financing purposes and replaces the 1.2-billion euro syndicated facility entered into on July 13, 2011.

2016 should unravel in a low-growth economic environment with low inflation, characterized by macroeconomic uncertainty and a continued downswing of commodity prices, but also by clients focusing on the very short term (cost reduction plans). Despite this context, Publicis Groupe expects all its financial indicators to increase in 2016: i.e. revenue, operating margin, adjusted EPS, and dividend payout.

The achievements to date in digital and the corporate shift towards a transformation of business models confirm the merits of the Groupe’s long-term strategic orientations and endow it with a real competitive edge. From the operational point of view, Publicis Groupe is currently implementing the most integrated organization in the sector so as to structure the Groupe with its clients at the very heart of its organization to provide them with the complete array of solutions. That structuration should foster the Groupe’s growth through integrated opportunities and new possibilities with consulting and technology, as well as enhance its profitability by simplifying the organization.

This reorganization and the Groupe’s very broad exposure to digital activities (52% of revenue in 2015) should bolster its future growth and continue to improve margins.

Certain information contained in this document, other than historical information, may constitute forward-looking statements or unaudited financial forecasts. These forward-looking statements and forecasts are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. They are presented as at the date of this document and, other than as required by applicable law, Publicis Goupe does not assume any obligation to update them to reflect new information or events or for any other reason. Publics Groupe urges you carefully to consider the risk factors that may affect its business, as set out in the 2014 Registration Document filed with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and which is available on the website of Publics Groupe (http://www.publicisgroupe.com), including an unfavourable economic climate, an extremely competitive market sector, the possibility that our clients could seek to terminate their contracts with us at short notice, the fact that a substantial part of the Group’s revenue is derived from certain key clients, conflicts of interest between advertisers active in the same sector, the Group’s dependence on its directors and employees, laws and regulations which apply to the Group’s business, legal action brought against the Group based on allegations that certain of the Group’s commercials are deceptive or misleading or that the products of certain clients are defective, the strategy of growing through acquisitions, the depreciation of goodwill and assets listed on the Group’s balance sheet, the Group’s presence in emerging markets, the difficulty of ensuring internal controls, exposure to liquidity risk, a drop in the Group’s credit rating and exposure to the risks of financial markets.

Publicis Worldwide
Arla (Belgium), Mobistar (Belgium), Fédération des Médecins Omnipraticiens du Québec (Canada), BASF (Brazil), Henkel (Brazil), Metro_ Santiago (Chile), Sodimac (Chile), Universidad de Piura (Peru), Tencent (China), Heinz ABC (Indonesia), Tourism NT (Australia), Civil Engineering Institute (Macedonia), Roche Macedonia (Macedonia), Heineken (Mexico), Dos Equis (Mexico), Barcel (Mexico), UBS (United Kingdom), SCA (United Kingdom), Jungheinrich AG (Germany), Telekom Deutschland GmbH (Germany), Commerzbank AG (Germany), Bridgestone (Brazil), Habib's (Brazil); Nestlé (Brazil), P&G (Greater China), EverGrande (Greater China), Qihoo360 (India), Mobile Wallet (India), Michelin Tyres (India), Tabcorp (Australia), P&G (Australia), Commonwealth Games (Australia), Samsung (South Africa), Sears, Shop Your Way (USA), Red Lobster (USA), Hofer (Slovenija), KD Skladi (Slovenija), Nissan (Bulgaria), Uber (France), SNCF (France), Citi (Global), Heineken (Global), Emirates (Croatia), Bimbo (Mexico), Astrazeneca (Mexico), Snow beer (Greater China), Citigroup (Mexico), Cortefield (Croatia), Hewlett Packard (Croatia), Novartis (Mexico), Porsche (Mexico), Pepsico (Mexico), Wyeth (Greater China), European Commission (Macedonia), Tempo (Greater China), Maspex (Croatia), 3M (Mexico), Heineken (Mexico), Notarc (Panama), L'oreal (Croatia), Capitalbio (Greater China), Chevrolet (Greater China), Huawei (Greater China), Ferrero (Croatia), Audi (Mexico), Nestlé (Mexico), Grupo Modelo (Mexico), Lily (Greater China), El Comercio (Peru), Molson Coors (Bulgaria), Garnier (Mexico), Strongbow (Croatia), Tsunami (Mexico), Boehringer (Mexico), Zhongan (Greater China), Sanofi (Mexico), Orangina-Schweppes (France), Simobil (Slovenia), Kerry Property (Greater China), Mutualités Chrétiennes (Belgium), Backus (Peru), Bulla (Australia), Telefonica Vivo (Brazil)

Saatchi & Saatchi
HomeAway (United Kingdom), Benecol - Pan European (Fallon London/United Kingdom), Praktiker – digital (Poland), Drinkworks/Monteith's Cider (Australia), Bank SA (Australia), Bank of Melbourne (Australia), Berlitz (Japon), Acer (Singapore), ADT (South Africa), Cadillac (United Arab Emirates / Middle East & North Africa), Toyota Corolla (Australia), Geely (China), Saunier Duval Brand Group (Germany), Siemens (India), Tonno Nostromo (Italy), FWD Group (Singapore/Thailand), Bathstore (United Kingdom), Bauli (Italy), Eurobet (Italy), Hamdard Laboratories (India), Huawei – digital AOR (Mexico), PLDT/Sun Cellular (Philippines), The Big Issue (United Kingdom), Visa 2016 Olympics sponsorship (United Kingdom /Global), Wuling (Indonesia), General Motors – Event Management Agency for Chevrolet, Opel & Isuzu (South Africa)

Leo Burnett
Fererro Chocolates (Italy), Allergan Medical Aesthetics (Singapore), OSN Cable & Network Provider (United Arab Emirates), Marshall’s (USA), Big W (Australia), Brooks Running (USA), Bridgestone Olympics Activation (USA), Avios (United Kingdom), Fortis Healthcare (India), GEMS World Academy (Singapore), Samsung Digital AOR (Vietnam), Tigerair (Singapore), Masafi (UAE), Lurie Children’s Hospital (USA), T-Mobile (Poland), iSelect (Australia), Canon media (Australia), First Gulf Bank (UAE), China Mobile (China), HDFC Bank (India), Sterlite Technologies (India)

BBH/NEOGAMA
Tesco (United Kingdom), Coverfox (India), Samsung (UK), King (China), Magnum watches (Brazil), Viva Channel (Brazil), Vale (Brazil), Infocus (India), Heinz (United Kingdom), JBL (USA), Nest (USA), Pillpack (USA), Netflix (USA), Seamless (USA), Prostate Cancer (United Kingdom)

DigitasLBi
BP East of Rockies (USA), Sony PlayStation (USA), Pandora (USA), CÜR Music (USA)

MSLGROUP
Alcon (USA), 24 Hour Fitness (USA), Rover.com (USA), AIG (France), Conforama (France), Elior (France), Michelin (France), Cathay Pacific (Netherlands), Ranstad Holding (Netherlands), Nivea (Poland), ThyssenKrupp AG (Poland), ING (Poland), Mahanagar Gas Limited (India), Alstom (India), Belkin International (Singapore, Hong Kong, China), Alibaba.com (China), Orient Europharma (Taiwan), Instagram (Italy), Reckitt Benckiser (Italy), Amazon (Poland), Federation of German Industries (Germany), Rotterdam World Gateway Terminal (Netherlands), Fiat (Brazil), Marriott (Hungary), Pratt and Whitney (Singapore), Credit Agricole (France), Sanofi Pasteur (France), Orange (France), American Public Health Association (USA), BP (Netherlands), Uber (Germany), Lockheed Martin (Poland), Amgen (Italy), Lidl (France), Maison du Monde (France), Engie (France), Alibaba (China), Dongfeng Nissan (China), Cath Kidston (China), Hyundai (China), Adidas (Taiwan), AXA (Brazil), lifeIMAGE (USA), RaceTrac (USA), Volusion (USA), Stichting Nederlands Debat Instituut (Netherlands), Randstad Holding (Netherlands), New Venture (Netherlands), Holmatro (Netherlands), ARN Car Recycling (Netherlands)

Starcom MediaVest Group
Alcro Beckers (Sweden), Answear.pl (Poland), AUDIO (Turkey), Bankimia (Spain), Bla bla car (India), BMW (China), Canon (Australia), Cartoon Network (Turkey), CSOB (Czech), Dabur India Ltd (India), Discovery Channel (Poland), Dogtas / Kelebek (Turkey), du Telecom - Performance Media (UAE), Dubai Culture - Social (UAE), Dublin Airport Authority (Ireland), Dutch Government - social security counsel (Netherlands), Empik (Poland), Etihad Airway Partners (Global), Government Stichting pensioenregister (Netherlands), Gul Yapi (Turkey), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (Singapore), Kalbe (Malaysia), Keurig Green Mountain (USA), Kozmoklinik (Bio Oil) (Turkey), Lexa (Netherlands), Liberty Insurance (Poland), Lidl (UK), Mathijs Maaltijdbox (Netherlands), Morgan Stanley (USA), National Environment Agency of Singapore (Singapore), NBA (National Basketball Association) (USA), New York Life (USA), Nielson FS (UK), Nutella (Ferrero) (Turkey), Oppo India (India), Piatnica (Poland), Pingan (China), Poczta Polska (Post Office) (Poland), PPG Deco (Poland), Qingku - Herbal Tea (China), Royal London (UK), Seguros Constitución (Panama), Singapore Airlines (Malaysia/Thailand), Sun Generation Ltd (Poland), Tacit Development (Poland), TAMEK GIDA (Turkey), Tauron (Poland), Telenor (Sweden), Telenor ASA (Norway), Tempo Scan (Indonesia), TomTom (Global), Turkcell Music (Turkey), TVN (Poland), UNHCR (Italy), Vakko (Turkey), Valspar (USA), VF Corp (USA), Viacom (Poland), Vimpelcom (Russia/Ukraine/CIS), Visa (Global), Walmart (Mexico), White Wave Foods (USA), Wonga (Poland), Yorukoglu (Turkey)

ZenithOptimedia
eis.de (Allemagne), Pixmania (France), Toyota (Slovakia, Czech Republic), Mercedes-Benz (Romania), BRD - Groupe Société Générale (Romania), Bella Food (Romania), AXN Europe Limited (Romania), L'Oréal (Bolivia), Viva (Bolivia), ABInBev (Bolivia), Nestlé (Bolivia), NH Hotels (Colombia), Istanbul Cerrahi Hospital (Turkey), The Euroepan Commission (Armenia), Alkaloid (Armenia), Coty (Global, 13 markets), Harvey Nichols (United Kingdom, Kimberly Clark (USA, digital creative/production), Uniqlo (United Kingdom), Uber (France), Corbis Corporation, IAAF, Pitch International, AMS (Global and regional research and analysis for global and regional sports federations, bodies and marketing agencies), Molson Coors (Romania), College Football Hall of Fame (USA, digital creative/production), GNV (Italy), 4a-event (Belarus), Singapore Airlines (Global), Czech Tourism (Czech Republic), Truecaller (India), Frank Lloyd (Netherlands), BASF (global), Samsung (South Africa), First Gulf Bank (GCC), JM (Sweden & Norway), Newsphone (Greece), Hyundai (Colombia), House of Travel (New Zealand), Home Shop 18 (India), De Lijn (Belgium), Pandora ME (GCC), LVMH (S.Korea), Daimler (Luxembourg), Watson’s (Turkey), National Arts Council (Singapore)

Publicis Groupe networks and agencies consistently rank among the most awarded in the world. According to the Gunn Report, Publicis Groupe counts 50% of the best film commercials made in our industry over the last 15 years, and Publicis Groupe’s creative networks are cumulatively the most awarded in the world (Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Worldwide, BBH, Fallon).

Notable awards for each network are listed below:

BBH

BBH London

• Cannes Lions - Gold Film Craft for Audi Birth
• Sunday Times Best Companies to work for - 55
• BTAA - 4 silvers

BBH Singapore

• 2015 Ad Age A List –Top 3 Global Agency Award/Runner Up
• Ad Age A List- Creativity 50 – Scott Mcclelland
• D&AD – Pencil - Integrated & Innovative Media – IKEA BookBook

BBH NY

• Effies - Gold in electronics category for the launch of PS4 (PlayStation
• Webby Awards - Puppy Love (Mobile Advertising) and Gamer Masterpiece (Consumer Electronics & Services)
• One Show - Bronze Pencil for PlayStation Gamer Masterpiece

DigitasLBi

• Tony Weisman won the Chicago Ad Fed Silver Medal Award
• Cannes Lions Health Grand Prix for AstraZeneca “Take it from a Fish” Campaign
• Diversity & Inclusion:
  • Named one of the best places to work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign (Scored 100% for the 4th consecutive year on the HRC Corporate Equality Index)
  • Named MAIP (Multicultural Advertising Intern Program) Agency of the Year for the 2nd consecutive year
  • NAFE (National Association for Female Executives) “Top Companies for Executive Women
  • Ranked #10 on Ad Age’s Best Places to Work List (4th time we made the list)
• Won a record-setting four Adweek Media Plan of the Year awards, the most wins by a single agency in a single year, ever
• Ad Age Top Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century for American Express Small Business Saturday

Leo Burnett

• Advertising Age 2015 Awards Report: Leo Burnett was ranked the most awarded agency network in the world.
• Cannes Lions 2015: The network won a record-breaking 69 Lions, including two Grand Prix, two Titanium and two Glass Lions.
• 2015 Gunn Report: Leo Burnett topped “All Gunns Blazing” category for seven of the past eight years and is the second most awarded network in the world.
• Leo Burnett was crowned “Network of the Year” in 2015 at International ANDY Awards, Art Directors Club Global Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe, Adfest Awards, Dubai Lynx Awards, Shark Awards, and AWARD Awards.
• Directory Big Won Rankings 2015: Leo Burnett is ranked he second most awarded network in the world. Leo Burnett Beirut, Toronto, Sydney and Chicago are in the top 20 list of most awarded creative agencies.

MSLGROUP

• Cannes Lions: Grand Prix and Gold Lion in the PR category for Always #LikeAGirl
• Effie Awards: 3 golds and 1 silver for Always #LikeAGirl
• PR Week Global Awards: Always #LikeAGirl was awarded 5 times including Gold Campaign of the Year and Global Citizenship winner
• Global SABRES – Always #LikeAGirl was named Global Campaign of the Year and Best in Show
• Stevie Awards: awarded Grand Stevie for Global Marketing Agency of the Year, U.S. Marketing Agency of the Year and 10 campaign golds, 9 silvers and 7 bronze awards for clients Sony, Lycra, Hyundai, Citroen, Viber and Logitech
• EMEA SABRES: named Eastern European Consultancy of the Year
• Asia-Pacific SABRES: named Digital Consultancy of the Year
• Strategy Awards: named Canadian Agency of the Year
• Holmes PR Creative Index: #3 Global Rank for 2015
• IPRA International Business Awards: for Netfilx: It’s OK to Spoil, Always #LikeAGirl, PayPal Be the Customer Challenge
• Top Com Corporate Business Awards/France – Grand Prix for National Road Safety and Gold for redesign/relaunch of government.fr website

Prodigious

• The A-List Awards –1 Silver (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• ADC Global 2015 –1 Silver (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• Autovision – 3 Awards: 2 Gold Ottocar Trophies (Jaguar with Spark 44 + Range Rover), 1 Black Arts & Crafts Ottocar Trophy (Range Rover)
• Cannes Lions – 14 Lions: 4 Gold (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Intermarché with Marcel, Noémie with Leo Burnett), 2 Silver (Intermarché with Marcel) and 8 Bronze (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• Clio Awards –1 Silver (Cartier), 2 Bronze (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil)
• Club des Directeurs Artistiques – 1Price (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil)
• Cresta Awards – 2 Gold (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil), 2 Silver (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil), 2 Bronze (APREC with Publicis Conseil, Orange with Publicis Conseil)
• Cristal Festival – 2 Grand Cristal (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil), 2 Gold (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil), 2 Silver (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil), 4 Bronze (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil, Samsung with Leo Burnett)
• D&AD – 7 Awards: 2 Gold (RayBan with Marcel), 1 Silver (RayBan with Marcel), 3 Bronze (RayBan with Marcel, Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil)
• Effie –1 Silver (Parc Zoologique de Paris / Musée national d’histoire naturelle « Les animaux sauvages sont de retour » with Publicis Conseil)
• EPICA –3 Gold (Atlantic with Leo Burnett, Cartier with Publicis 133, Samsung with Leo Burnett), 2 Bronze (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil, Purina with Publicis Conseil)
• Festival de l’Automobile –Grand Prix Best Commercial(Renault with Publicis Conseil)
• Grand Prix du Brand Content – 1 Gold (APREC with Publicis Conseil), 1 Silver (Orange, # Futureself with Publicis Conseil)
• Grand Prix Stratégies du Luxe – Grand Prix (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• IFFA Awards –Best Director (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• LIA –2 Bronze (Cartier with Publicis 133)
• New York Festival –2 Second Prize (APREC with Publicis Conseil, Cartier with Publicis 133), 1 Third Prize Award (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil)
• Top Com – 1 Gold (Renault with Publicis Conseil), 2 Silver (Orange Appli Utiles, La Fibre with Publicis Conseil), 1 Bronze (Parc Zoologique de Paris with Publicis Conseil)

Publicis Worldwide

• Cannes Lions/Health- 42 awards (3 Gold, 11 Silver, 27 Bronze, 1 Product Design Lion). Marcel, 2nd most awarded agency in France and ranks 5th over the EMEA region.
• D&AD Awards- 26 pencils (2 Yellow Pencil, 9 Graphite Pencil, 14 Wood Pencil), including a coveted Black Pencil for the Intermarché "Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables" integrated campaign by Marcel Paris.
• NY Festivals- 26 awards (1 Grand Prize, 7 Gold, 8 Silver, 9 Bronze), including the coveted Best of Show Award for Marcel Paris campaign "Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables" for Intermarché. Intermarché, the commercial French supermarket, was honored with the New York Festivals 2015 Brand of the Year Award for their commitment to creativity and innovation. Regional Agency of the Year Awards for Europe salute Marcel Paris.
• The One Show Awards- 15 Awards (2 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Bronze), including this year’s Green Pencil Award for the best environmentally-conscious work of the year with the Intermarché "Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables" integrated campaign by Marcel Paris.
• Eurobest Awards- 24 Awards (6 Gold, 9 Silver, 9 Bronze). With a total of 5 awards, Intermarché « The Freshest Orange Juice » is the Publicis WW most awarded campaign.
• Epica Awards- 28 Awards (5 Gold, 11 Silver, 12 Bronze).
• Clio Awards- 21 Awards (7 Silver, 14 Bronze).
• Clio Healthcare Awards- With a global total of 11 awards (3 Gold, 7 Silver, 1 Bronze), Publicis Worldwide received « Network of the Year » honors. Publicis New York named the Clio Healthcare « Agency of the Year ».
• Gunn Report 2015- Most Awarded All Gunns Blazing in the World: Intermarché, "Inglorious Fruit & Vegetables", Marcel (Paris) ranks N°3. Most Awarded Countries & Agencies in the World: N°1: Marcel Paris/France, N°2: Publicis/Mexico, Publicis/Italy, Publicis/Romania, Publicis/Switzerland, N°3: Publicis/ Singapore, N°5: Publicis London/UK, Publicis/China.
• Publicis Mexico awarded Creative Circle’s Creative Agency of the year award for the third year in a row.
• Publicis Singapore awarded Singapore Creative Agency of the Year Awards (Campaign Asia-Pacific).
• Publicis Argentina has made it for the very 1st time to the top 5 local creative ranking.

Publicis Healthcare Communications Group

• Global Award - The Global Awards - Advertising to the Consumer/Patient Educational Awareness, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Global Award - The Global Award - Art and Technique Humor, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Global Award - The Global Awards - Advertising to the Healthcare Professional Internal Medicines, JINARC "MoA"
• Global Award The Global Awards - Advertising to the Consumer/Patient Over the Counter (OTC) Products & Treatments, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Art and Technique Animation, ADPKD "ADPKD"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Art and Technique Art Direction, JINARC "MoA"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Art and Technique Art Direction, ADPKD "ADPKD"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Best Use of Media Digital, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Art and Technique Direction, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Best Use of Media Social Media, Confidante "Sniffers"
• Finalist Certificate - The Global Awards - Art and Technique Web Design, ADPKD "ADPKD"

Razorfish Global

• 2x Cannes Lions – bronze outdoor, bronze mobile
• 1x D&AD – bronze wooden pencil in digital marketing
• 1x Clio Awards – silver in social media
• 1x One Show – gold in online data visualisation
• 2x LIAA – silver in digital automotive, silver in digital microsites
• 1x Art Directors Club – gold in social content
• 2x Webby Awards – people’s voice in media and entertainment, winner in native advertising
• 2x Mashies – winner in best use of Instagram, best global campaign
• 1x IAB Mixx – silver native advertising
• 5x Smarties – silvers in mobile video, innovation, mobile social, product & services, lead generation
• Adweek – media plan of the year
• 2x FWA – winner mobile site of the day, and entered the FWA Hall of Fame
• 2x Effie – silver, bronze in content hero
• 3x MOBEX – golds in best app, most responsive mobile campaign, bronze in most innovative use of mobile technology

Saatchi & Saatchi

• At the Cannes Lions Festival 2015, Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded a total of 44 Lions – 1 Grand Prix, 1 Innovation, 5 Gold, 15 Silver and 22 Bronze.
  • F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi was the leading agency, being awarded a total of 14 Lions. They were awarded with a Grand Prix for Leica '100.
  • 9 Lions were awarded to Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland, of which 2 Golds were awarded for their groundbreaking HIV+ issue for Vangardist Magazine.
  • Saatchi & Saatchi Australia were awarded the network's first Innovation Lion for the 'Penny the Pirate' campaign for OPSM. The OPSM campaign alwo won a Creative Effectiveness Lion.
  • Silver Lions were alwo awarded to Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi Argentina and Spain, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, USA, UK and 4am Saatchi & Saatchi Guatemala.
• At the Clio awards, the Saatchi Global Network was awarded with 25 awards – including a Grand Prix for F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi
• F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi were awarded a Grand Prix at El Ojos Festival with Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi winning 1 Silver and 3 Bronze
• At the London International Awards, Saatchi was awards 25 times
• At the ADCI Saatchi & Saatchi Italy has, for the 5th year in the row, been the most awarded agency with 1 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze
• Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland swept the board at the Golden Drum Festival for HIV+ Vangardist, with 3 Grand Prix and 2 Gold
• ASB client in New Zealand was named most effective at the Effie Awards
• Our Georgia, Ukraine and Bulgaria offices were awarded at the Black Sea Festival
• CONILL’s “Mas Que un Auto” won 3 Grand Prizes at the ANA Multicultural Awards and Integrated Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Hispanic PR Association Bravo Awards
• Saatchi London wins a Silver at the Campaign Big Awards for Silver Surfer – Rekordlig

Sapient

• 7 Cannes Lions for the community including a Grand Prix for Press for the Better by Bike campaign
• London International Awards – a Gold, a Bronze and a Silver at the for the community's– Better by Bike campaign
• An Effie for SapientNitro China - for Unilever’s OMO “Mother's Day Campaign" 
• D&AD - Two pencils for both SapientNitro London and Second Story for our Lycra "Moves You" campaign and AIGA’s "100 Years of Design”
• The Lovie Awards: SapientNitro London office received a GOLD Lovie and a people’s choice Lovie for their work on Royal Bank of Scotland “RBS Digital Brand Revitalization” for Financial Services
• SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards - Second Story’s - AIGA’s "100 Years of Design campaign
• The Community wins Bronze and Silver awards at The ONE SHOW for City of Buenos Aires “Better by Bike” campaign and for VH1 “Watch Don’t Learn” TVC campaign
• SapientNitro London’s “We Are Close” campaign was selected as a winner at the 2015 Cannes Lion’s Chimera Challenge.
• OMMA Awards: ADT’s “I AM ADT” Digital Campaign won for Best Technology in Web Service and Target’s “Wish List” app won for Best Mobile Marketing Application
• W3 Awards: SapientNitro, Second Story, the community and Campfire won an outstanding combined 35 awards at this competition with the Target “Wish List” app selected as Best in Show for Mobile
• AdWeek’s Project Isaac Awards: India’s DBS Bank Chili Paneer Campaign won Best Video Invention and Fisher Island’s - Island Immersion Room won for Best Brand Performance

Starcom MediaVest Group

• In 2015, SMG was honored with 866 awards across 47 countries.
• Most awarded Media Network at Cannes Lions with 164 nominations, winning one grand prix, 21 gold, 14 silver and 29 bronze.
•  #1 Media Network in The Directory’s Big Won report (global aggregate rankings)  Six SMG offices were represented in the top 20 of WARC’s media agency rankings including #1 Chicago, #7 New York, #10 London, #12 Warsaw, #17 Sydney, #20 Santiago
• Effie Index’s #2 Global Media Network with standout performances from Effie Poland and North America, who was also second ranked network of any kind with nine gold, 10 silver, four bronze and 15 finalists
• Awarded Festival of Media Global Agency of the Year, winning five golds, five silvers, four bronze and 18 finalists as well as Festival of Media Asia’s Network and Agency of the Year
• Named Cristal Festival Global Media Network of the Year
• Tied for most wins at Adweek Media Plan of the Year (North America) with Publicis Groupe’s DigitasLBi.
• SMG won 17 Agency of the Yearhonors this year also include:
  • Spikes Asia Media Agency of the Year
  • Dubai Lynx Media Agency of the Year
  • ROI Festival (China) Agency of the Year
  • FLEMA (Czech and Slovakia) Agency of the Decade
  • The Media Awards (Ireland) Agency of the Year
  • AMMA (Netherlands) Agency of the Year
  • Kampanje (Norway) Agency of the Year, third year in a row
  • AAAP (Philippines) Agency of the Year
  • Mixx Awards (Poland) Agency of the Year
  • RACA (Russia) Agency of the Year, back to back
  • Singapore Media Awards’ “King of the Media Jungle”
  • Mediapost (USA) Agency of the Year

ZenithOptimedia

• Media agency credits for 16 Cannes Media Lions – 1 Gold, 7 Silver, 11 Bronze
• Gold at Festival of Media Asia
• 8 major prizes at US Addy Awards
• Offremedia’s Media Agency of the Year, 2nd year running (in 2nd year of competition history)
• ZenithOptimedia’s performance marketing division Performics named a Top 30 Global Digital Agency Network by RECMA
• M&M Awards Global - Best International Launch, for Lexus NX: Striking Angles
• 2 US Adweek Media Plan of the Year awards for FX and Kohl’s
• EACA Euro Effies - Gold Effie, for Toyota Aygo: Go Fun Yourself
• 8 other Effie awards across Australia, Poland and USA

08-01-2015 - Publicis Groupe Extends Tender Offer to Acquire Sapient
15-01-2015 - Publicis Groupe Names Anthony Gazagne President of PublicisLive
23-01-2015 - Publicis Groupe Extends Tender Offer to Acquire Sapient
27-01-2015 - Publicis Groupe Acquires French Digital Marketing Agency Monkees to be aligned with Publicis Activ
29-01-2015 - Jean-Michel Bonamy Joins Publicis Groupe as Vice-President Investor Relations & Strategic Financial Planning
04-02-2015 - Publicis Groupe and Sapient Receive all Regulatory Approvals for Proposed Acquisition
06-02-2015 - Publicis Groupe Completes Acquisition of Sapient
12-02-2015 - 2014 annual results
16-02-2015 - Publicis Groupe and Relaxnews Announce the Start of Exclusive Negotiations in View of the Acquisition of Relaxnews, press agency specialized in lifestyle content creation, at a valuation of €9.58 per share
26-02-2015 - Publicis Groupe Acquires Integrated Strategic Communications Agency, Epic Communications. Agency to Join the MSLGROUP Network in South Africa
12-03-2015 - Publicis Groupe Strengthens Publicis.Sapient's Leadership in Omni-Channel and Connected Commerce with Acquisition of Expicient Inc
17-03-2015 - Share Buyback
25-03-2015 - Update On Publicis Groupe Always On Platform
30-03-2015 - Share Buyback Contract
21-04-2015 - Q1 2015 revenue
13-05-2015 - Share Buyback Contract
28-05-2015 - 2015 Combined Shareholders' Meeting
01-06-2015 - Acquisition of Relaxnews at a Price of 9.58 Euro per Share
23-06-2015 - Notice of Early redemption of ORANE
29-06-2015 - Arthur Sadoun, President of Publicis Worldwide, will take on the direct supervision of MSLGROUP. Olivier Fleurot will join the Groupe's holding as Senior Vice President
22-07-2015 - First-half 2015 results
23-07-2015 - Early Redemption of ORANE
19-08-2015 - Chris Foster Appointed SVP Global Clients, Publicis Groupe
10-09-2015 - Publicis Groupe Makes Major Leap in South Africa with Acquisition of The Creative Counsel Group
19-10-2015 - JCDecaux and Publicis Groupe announce that they have entered into exclusive negotiations in the context of increasing JCDecaux’s participation in the capital of Metrobus from 33% to 100%.
22-10-2015 - Q3 2015 revenue
27-10-2015 - Orange and Publicis Groupe Announce the Creation of IrisNext One of the Biggest MultiCorporate Venture Capital Funds in Europe
24-11-2015 - Acquisition of leading Israeli Creative Agency, Glickman Shamir Samsonov in Tel-Aviv
03-12-2015 - Publicis Groupe Announces Important Nominations and its Transformation Plan
14-12-2015 - Publicis Groupe Named 2015 Adobe Digital Marketing Partner of the Year

EBITDA: operating margin before depreciation
Operating margin: Revenue after personnel costs, other operating expenses (excl. non-current income and expense) and depreciation (excl. amortization of intangibles arising on acquisitions).
Operating margin rate: Operating margin as a percentage of revenue
Net income group share: Group net income after elimination of impairment losses, amortization of intangibles from acquisitions, main capital gains and losses on disposal of assets, revaluation of earn-out payments and costs related to merger with Omnicom project and Sapient acquisition.
EPS (Earnings per share) : Net income group share divided by average number of shares, not diluted.
EPS, diluted (Earnings per share, diluted) : Net income group share divided by average number of shares, diluted.
Capex: Net acquisitions of tangible and intangible assets, excluding financial investments and other financial assets.
ROCE (Return On Capital Employed) : Operating Margin after Tax (using Effective Tax Rate) / Average employed capital. Capital employed include Saatchi & Saatchi goodwill which is not recognised in consolidated accounts under IFRS.
Net Debt (or financial net debt) : Sum of long and short financials debt and debt-hedging derivatives linked with, net of treasury and cash equivalents.
Average net debt: Average monthly average net debt.Dividend pay-out : Dividend per share / EPS