Publicis Groupe has reported revenue of €4.19 billion for the first quarter of 2026, reflecting an organic growth of 6.4%. Net revenue has stood at €3.46 billion, marking a 4.5% organic increase, in line with expectations.
The company has seen growth across key regions, with the U.S. growing at 4.7%, Europe at 3.9%, and Asia-Pacific at 5.9%. Latin America has led regional growth at 13.3%, while Middle East and Africa has declined by 5.1% amid geopolitical challenges.
Its AI-powered marketing services, contributing 86% of total net revenue, have continued to drive performance, registering 7.6% revenue growth and 5.6% net revenue growth. The Connected Media practice has delivered high single-digit growth, while Intelligent Creativity has posted low single-digit gains. The Technology segment has remained slightly down due to reduced visibility in large transformation projects.
The company has also completed the acquisition of AdgeAI, a content measurement platform, and announced the acquisition of 160over90, a global sports and culture agency, to strengthen its capabilities.
Publicis Groupe has reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance, expecting net revenue organic growth between 4% and 5%. It has also projected a slight sequential acceleration in growth in Q2 2026, alongside a free cash flow of approximately €2.1 billion and operating margin improvement beyond the 18.2% recorded in FY2025.
Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe:
“Publicis had a very strong start to the year, outperforming the industry for almost 20 quarters in a row despite the volatile macro environment.
Organic revenue growth reached 6.4%, leading to 4.5% in net and further increasing the gap with our peers.
All of our key regions performed well, with the U.S. at +4.7%, Europe at +4% and APAC at +6%.
In what remains an uncertain global context, we are committed to giving visibility into our performance for the rest of the year. We are confirming our industry-leading organic growth guidance of 4-5%, with the 4% rock solid, and a sequential organic growth acceleration in Q2 despite a higher comparable of 100 basis points.
At a time when our industry has seen more changes in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, we are confident that we will outperform again in 2026 and beyond, for three key reasons.
First, with our transformation well behind us, we are laser focused on our clients’ growth. This has enabled us to be #1 in the new business rankings once again, and for the 7th consecutive year, and means we are still #1 in the U.S. and China in 2026, even after the consolidation of the market.
Second, we are further increasing our addressable market in a shrinking competitive landscape, investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the most value for our clients. This was the case again in Q1, with the acquisition of the content measurement platform AdgeAI, and 160over90, the global leader in sports marketing.
Last but far from least, AI continues to be a tailwind for Publicis, driving our growth, widening the gap with competition, and enabling us to expand our partnerships with some of the world’s most innovative companies like Microsoft.
I would like to thank all of our clients for their ongoing trust, and our people for their outstanding efforts.”
