AD Agencies
‘Ad sector will see a double digit growth this year’ : Havas Media India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar
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As the advertising industry prepares to come out of the slowdown clutter, Havas Media has found proper representation in India‘s two high-growth sectors: telecom and automobiles.
While Maxx Mobiles came into the fold in 2009, the big catch this year has been Hyundai. 
Havas has almost 50 per cent of its revenues coming from the top five clients – Reckitt Benckiser, Jockey, Bank of Baroda, Max Mobiles and MTS. With Hyundai falling into the net, the top six are in a position to power the media agency‘s growth story in India.
Havas will stay Delhi and Mumbai focussed while posting slow growth from its three southern offices – Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The big push will come from its integrated funtions – sports, digital and out-of-home.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Anindita Sarkar, Havas Media India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar speaks about her company‘s growth plans at large.
Excerpts:
We are on track as far as revenues and billings are concerned. On a percentage basis, we have met out targets quite in line with last year and the growth has come from both existing and new businesses. While our existing clients have fared better for us this year, the new businesses have also helped in pumping up the growth.
Yes. We won MTS and Maxx Mobiles last year and Hyundai this year, all large and prestigious clients. And both telecom/handsets and automobiles are considered as categories doing well with minimal recessionary impact. We also won Dixcy, News X and M3M this year.
We have a client list that is upwards of 50 and across categories which include FMCG, telecom, automobiles, banking, mobile hand sets, beauty and wellness, media and real estate. About 40-50 per cent of our revenues come from our top five clients – Reckitt Benckiser, Jockey, Bank of Baroda, Maxx Mobiles and MTS.
We foresee a decent growth in 2010, given that 2009 was a recessionary year. Percentage growth in our integrated functions – sports, digital, and out-of-home – will be better as margins in offline business is pretty low. I don‘t think so. In fact, out-of-home has been doing very well for our clients and though it has not increased dramatically, it has surely not taken a dip.
As far as we are concerned, we have five offices across India – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai and we expect our growth to come in primarily from Delhi and Mumbai. Growth from the southern market is slow for us. Overall, from the consumer‘s point of view, the potential surely lies in the semi-urban and rural areas.
All three are doing well and on an upswing. Havas Sports took up interesting projects during IPL like the strategic sponsorship deal and the Dhoni endorsement with Max. We are in the process of finalising some more deals. Digital is seeing an interesting growth and Media Contacts is encashing on the situation. MPG Active has been in the news for executing interesting campaigns including the one on INQ Mobiles where they executed the country‘s tallest billboard.
We should hit double digit growth in 2010. It should be somewhere in the region of 10-12 per cent, though the pace is a bit slow.
There is too much of a fragmentation today and this is making it difficult to attract the consumer. There are multiple touch points today to capture consumer attention and you never know when and where the consumer will spot the advertisement. And though the ad volumes are increasing, we are not seeing much increase in ad rates.
When recession‘s not around, we tend to work more liberally. However, recession always teaches businesses to get more from less and our business is no exception. This time around, it taught us to keep a tight watch on our purse string. It told us that we can do with lesser inputs, work, people and resources. Also, while there was a bit of retrenchment as far as our industry is concerned, it was more about not giving increments during the period.
Digital for sure. This is because the medium is progressing towards accountability and efficiency. The platform is seeing about 40 per cent growth year-on-year as advertisers are increasingly getting into the digital and media space. |
AD Agencies
Publicis posts €4.19bn Q1 revenue, 6.4 per cent growth; backs FY outlook
Ad giant signals Q2 acceleration as AI and new deals power momentum
PARIS: Publicis Groupe continues to outperform the industry, delivering a strong start to 2026 under Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun. Despite a volatile global macro environment, the company has now outpaced the industry for nearly 20 consecutive quarters.
For Q1 2026, total revenue reached €4,191 million, up from €4,161 million last year, with organic growth of 6.4 per cent. Net revenue, which excludes pass-through costs, stood at €3,460 million, reflecting organic growth of 4.5 per cent.
Exchange rates had a negative impact of €268 million, mainly due to a weaker US dollar and pound sterling. Acquisitions, including Adge.AI and 160over90, contributed an additional €46 million.
Performance across regions was largely positive, with some variation:
- North America, accounting for 59 per cent of net revenue, grew 4.7 per cent
- Europe recorded growth of 3.9 per cent, led by the UK at 6.2 per cent, while France grew 1.6 per cent
- Asia Pacific posted 5.9 per cent growth, driven by China at 11.7 per cent
- Latin America grew 13.3 per cent
- Middle East and Africa declined 5.1 per cent due to geopolitical challenges
AI-powered marketing services, which now make up 86 per cent of the business, grew 5.6 per cent. However, the technology segment, representing 14 per cent of revenue, declined slightly as clients reduced spending on large-scale transformation projects.
Sharing his outlook, Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun said, “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.” He added that the company remains confident of delivering industry-leading performance. “We are confirming our industry-leading organic growth guidance of 4 to 5%, with the 4% rock solid, and a sequential organic growth acceleration in Q2 despite a higher comparable.”
Publicis continued its expansion with the acquisition of Adge.AI in March, followed by 160over90 in April to strengthen its sports and culture marketing capabilities.
Net financial debt stood at €1,156 million at the end of March, reflecting a seasonal shift from the net cash position at the end of 2025. Average net debt over the past twelve months was €1,035 million.
The company has reaffirmed its full-year guidance, expecting net revenue organic growth of 4 to 5 per cent in 2026. It also anticipates an operating margin slightly above 18.2 per cent and free cash flow of approximately €2.1 billion.
With expectations of stronger performance in the second quarter, Publicis remains well positioned to sustain its growth momentum.
