“So, this is Christmas…and what have you done?” Well, to be fair, here at the Decision Marketing Nerve Centre we have been hard at it for years, and are now marking our 15th anniversary with a series of articles on how the industry has changed over the past decade and a half.
Over at Publicis, however, they’re gearing up to celebrate their 100th anniversary next year. Pretty impressive, hey?
Here’s the official blurb for the New year. New century. New wishes film: “From its beginnings in 1926 as a creative hot shop in Montmartre, to its international expansion, embrace of data and technology, and its position today as the industry’s leading holding company, the least we can say is Publicis has gone through some transformations over the past 100 years.
“And to ring in the new century, who better to create them than Publicis Conseil, the agency built by founder, Marcel Bleustein Blanchet?
“Blending live action and real actors with the latest in AI production, from the Groupe’s proprietary platforms and tools, they tell the story of the pioneering spirit, endless innovations and resilience that enabled Publicis to withstand war, fire, economic downturns, technological revolutions and a global pandemic during its first hundred years and positions it to continue to lead and reinvent the industry as it enters its next century – whatever it may hold.”
Naturally, Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun is chuffed to buggery. He said: “2026 will be a very special year for us, as we end our first century. A century where we have turned a small hot shop from Montmartre into the industry’s largest holding company over the last two years. A century that has seen the Groupe rise from the ashes – sometimes literally – three times and reinvented itself many more. It is this spirit of resilience that has defined us for 100 years and that is captured in our Wishes: a lion never gives up.
“2026 will also be the year where we enter our second century, the beginning of which will undoubtedly be defined by the rise of AI. This film is a human, historical and technological odyssey, that blends our best creative minds with our unmatched capabilities in AI production to embody our belief that the future of AI is our people.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, maybe, just maybe when Decision Marketing gets to 100, someone here will be producing such self-serving nonsense, but it is unlikely. A lion never gives up? Well, perhaps someone should put the old lion away for once.
With rivals bearing down on Publicis from every angle, surely Arthur and his pals should not be wasting their time “crafting” 6 minutes and 32 seconds of this stuff and get on with the work instead.
Decision Marketing Adometer: A ‘big cat, small pickings’ 5 out of 10
