Publicis is selling directly to AI-anxious CEOs as it steps away from traditional pitches

C-suite AI anxieties, Sadoun argued, had driven client spending and new business wins for Publicis in the third quarter. Chief among those was PepsiCo, which Publicis won without a pitch last month, while choosing to drop out of the competitive pitch for Coca-Cola’s media business.

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Sadoun said that Publicis’ tech services arm Sapient had been “instrumental” in winning “the two biggest accounts of the year without a pitch” and credited it with helping the Groupe bag three “AI-led transformation assignments this year outside of traditional pitch processes.” He didn’t name the clients in question.

‘New market reality’

Such tactics propelled Publicis to a “record” run of new business wins in the third quarter, according to the Groupe’s earnings report. Sadoun said new clients had contributed to a net increase in organic growth of 2% heading into 2027, equal to €300 million ($335.5 million) in additional revenue.

Publicis led the industry for new business wins in the first half of 2026, according to COMvergence. Its performance has been aided by the “new market reality” following Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group last year, Sadoun argued. Fewer rivals meant more opportunities to compete on capabilities and business cases, rather than price, while a smaller competitive field was contributing to some clients stepping away from formal reviews.

“We are starting to see clients that know exactly what they want in a competitive landscape that is way clearer with three competitors, and instead of spending months just looking at everyone, they focus on the one they want to work with,” he said. Sadoun said this wouldn’t risk an increase in client conflicts. “The three players [Publics, Omnicom and WPP] are big enough to manage conflict,” he said, as long as agencies were transparent with brands and maintained data “firewalls” for client privacy.

Turmoil within its greatest rivals hasn’t been unwelcome, though. “Some have made the choice to externalize their IT professionals,” he said, in a pop likely referencing Omnicom’s recent move to outsource hundreds of IT and developer jobs. “[Clients] don’t expect us to reorganize, to let people go, or to stop making acquisitions. They are expecting us to invest on their behalf,” he said.

‘Imperative to adapt is immediate’

If Publicis’ rivals have made for a cosier competitive picture, AI-inspired spending from companies worried about being left behind has provided a pull factor during Q3. 

Net revenue rose 5% to €3.529 billion ($3.95 billion) compared with the same period in 2025; North America net revenues rose 4.4% and represented 59% of the Groupe’s income. Publicis’ media business accounted for 62% of its revenue in the quarter.

Sadoun said much of the underlying revenue growth had been driven by clients spending to stay ahead of their customers’ AI use for product discovery and purchasing. “Clients need to adapt how they reach and engage with [consumers],” he said. “The imperative to adapt is immediate. Clients are ready to commit budgets faster because moving too slowly could mean losing market share.”

Figures released by the U.K.’s Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) back that up. The group’s quarterly Bellwether survey of British marketers estimated that 25.6% of advertisers increased their marketing budget in the third quarter, provoked by “tech-related investment” as well as an improving economic picture in the U.K.