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Acquisitions help Publicis report robust revenue growth
MUMBAI: Paris-based global media communications group, Publicis Groupe, has reported a 19 per cent rise in profit to 275 million euro in the six months ended June 30, 2012 from 231 million a year earlier.
Publicis‘ revenue grew by 14.3 per cent to 3.08 billion euro in the first half of 2012 from 2.69 billion euro a year earlier. The robust growth in revenues was despite the impact of the slowing down of the global economy, especially in the second quarter.
The growth in organic revenues (excluding revenues from businesses acquired during the six months) was just 2.8 per cent, which was also lower than in the first half of 2011.
During the first six months of 2012, digital services accounted for 33 per cent of total revenues (up from 29 per cent in 2011), while advertising contributed 30 per cent (31 per cent in 2011), 19 per cent came from the SAMS (20 per cent in 2011) and 18 per cent from media (20 per cent in 2011).
Publicis Groupe saw the highest organic growth in the BRIC+MISSAT countries at 8.9 per cent, where India grew by 15.1 per cent, second only to South Africa where organic revenue grew by 20.8 per cent. Organic revenue in Brazil grew by 12.5 per cent, in Russia by 5.9 per cent, in China 7.8 per cent and in Mexico 8.9 per cent.
In the European region, the growth in organic revenue in the UK was 4.1 per cent, while the growth was flat at 0.9 per cent in France. The other western European countries (Germany, Italy and Spain) too slowed down resulting in the overall growth in the region falling to 0.6 per cent.
North America recorded an aggregate growth of 2.6 per cent in organic revenue, thus continuing to show resilience despite the loss of the GM Media and Search account and the sluggishness in the healthcare sector. Organic revenue in the the rest of the world, which includes Australia and Japan, grew by 3.9 per cent, Publicis said.
The group‘s inorganic growth was fueled by a spate of acquisitions around the world including full-service Indian agency Indigo Consulting. Another notable acquisition by Publicis was that of Britain based global independent BBH and Brazilian agency Neogama/BBH. Other agencies/entities acquired by the French communications giant include BBR Group in Israel, Beijing based Longtuo, Flip Media in the Middle East and the Creative Factory in Russia.
For the second quarter of 2012 ended 30 June 2012, the Publicis Groupe reported revenue of 1.63 billion euro, a 15.5 per cent rise from 1.41 billion euro a year earlier. As in the case with the half yearly revenues, the BRIC+MISSAT economies witnessed maximum organic growth at 7.8 per cent. Organic revenue in Europe on the other hand shrunk by 1.7 per cent. In North America, the organic revenue growth was 1.8 per cent in the first six months. The rest of the world organic revenue grew by 3.9 per cent.
In a statement, Publicis Groupe Chairman and CEO Maurice Lévy said, “Just as we announced in our February forecast, organic growth has leveled off in the second quarter. This standstill results essentially from non-recurring events. Our third quarter should see a return to much higher growth, at rates far closer to our usual performance.”
At 13,5 per cent, Publicis‘ margin is the same as last year‘s, notwithstanding weak growth in the second quarter. “This performance confirms our forecast for the year. The world economic situation is both volatile and uncertain. We need to maintain the greatest possible vigilance regarding our costs and investments,” said Levy.
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Schneider Electric launches One Unit Mission for Women’s Day
Green Yodha 2.0 urges every Indian household to save one unit of electricity daily.
MUMBAI: Schneider Electric just flipped the switch on savings because this Women’s Day the brightest idea isn’t a new bulb, it’s turning one unit off. Schneider Electric launched the second phase of its Green Yodha initiative, ‘One Unit Mission’, on International Women’s Day 2026, calling on every Indian household to save at least one unit of electricity daily. The campaign was flagged off in Delhi by chief minister Rekha Gupta, actor and sustainability advocate Bhumi Pednekar, and other dignitaries.
Rekha Gupta said, “Delhi’s journey towards clean, resilient growth begins with how efficiently we use the energy we already have. Green Yodha 2.0 reminds us that every citizen is a stakeholder in India’s energy future, and saving one unit of power today is an act of nation-building for tomorrow.”
Schneider Electric India zone president, MD & CEO Deepak Sharma added, “India is entering a decade of unprecedented growth, and that growth will require enormous amounts of energy. The real challenge is not just how much power we produce, but how intelligently we use it. If every Indian household saves just one unit of electricity a day, the impact would be equivalent to planting billions of trees or taking millions of cars off the road.”
Schneider Electric India, vice president of marketing Rajat Abbi noted, “Sustainability becomes real when it is simple and measurable. The One Unit Mission is about turning awareness into everyday action.”
In FY 2023–24, India’s energy-efficiency programmes (PAT, UJALA, S&L, SLNP, CAFÉ) collectively saved 53.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent, avoided 321 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and reduced energy expenditure by Rs 2 lakh crore equivalent to nearly 6 per cent of national primary energy supply.
The initiative aligns with government efforts on efficient cooling, appliance standards and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s state-level SEEI FY 2024 framework, emphasising demand-side efficiency as a cost-effective complement to new generation capacity.
In a nation sprinting toward brighter, bigger tomorrows, Schneider isn’t selling more power, it’s quietly handing every household a daily superpower: the ability to save one unit and help light up a cleaner, more efficient future, one thoughtful switch at a time.
