Ad Campaigns
Publicis Groupe’s Working with Cancer issues a wake-up call to all with an integrated campaign
Mumbai: Working with Cancer, the cross-industry coalition formed by Publicis Groupe to erase the stigma and insecurity of cancer at work, is launching a global ‘wake-up call’ urging everyone to play their part in supporting colleagues with cancer.
After being diagnosed and treated for cancer last year, Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun launched Working with Cancer at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 17th January. Today the program is an alliance of major international companies united by a pledge to create an open, supportive and recovery-forward culture for cancer sufferers. Founding partners include Abbvie, Adobe, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, BT, Citi, Google, Haleon, Labcorp, L’Oréal, Lloyd’s, LVMH, Marriott, McDonald’s, Meta, Mondelez, Microsoft, MSD, Nestlé, Omnicom, Pepsico, Renault Group, Sanofi, Toyota, Unilever, Verizon, and Walmart, the world’s largest private employer.
Walmart president & CEO Doug McMillon, “Walmart is proud to partner with Working with Cancer and others to eliminate the workplace stigma of a cancer diagnosis. Our purpose is to help people save money and live a better life, and supporting the health and well-being of our own associates, including those who have been diagnosed with cancer, is at the core of that purpose. Together we can make the workplace better for those living with cancer and make a positive impact on people’s lives.”
Working with Cancer is now setting its sights on the wider world, through a wake-up call in time for World Cancer Day. It is anchored in the stark reality that half of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime, so all of us have a responsibility to support cancer patients at work. Central to this call is a campaign film, ”Monday” directed by Elena Petitti Di Roreto and Martin de Thurah, which depicts the often harrowing journey of cancer patients and the vital importance of workplace support. Many of the crew behind “Monday” are cancer survivors and caregivers themselves, bringing personal and authentic resonance to a film that highlights a universal issue.
Because driving social change in the workplace can often take years, Publicis is harnessing the power of creativity and mass media to accelerate momentum and adoption. A fully integrated campaign supported by $100 million in media generously donated by partners like Disney/ABC, NBCU, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, Fox, Roku, Snap, iHeart, Tiktok, YouTube, NCM, Screenvision, Clear Channel, Lamar, Zeta and Meta, who are contributing one billion impressions, will ensure this wake-up call is heard by all. Publicis Groupe will also contribute by becoming the first holding company to purchase and invest in a Super Bowl spot.
Publicis Groupe chairman & CEO Arthur Sadoun said, “Thanks to the coalition of our partners and the support of the World Economic Forum, Working with Cancer is already positively impacting the lives of 20 million people. Of course, we will continue to rally more companies to the movement. But just as vital is the role all of us can play by standing with our colleagues with cancer. That is why we are launching a call not only for awareness, but for action from everyone, to create a real cultural shift in the workplace.”
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
