AD Agencies
Effie Awards: It’s a honey-bunny win for Lowe Lintas
MUMBAI: It was a night of many firsts for the Effie Awards, 2013. The Awards, organised by the Ad Club, that honours the advertising agencies and the clients just didn’t get the highest number of entries this time – which rose up to 415 from last year’s 315, it was also webcast live on the Advertising Club website while the award ceremony was in progress on Friday night.
Moreover, the year also witnessed the highest number of attendees at the event with more than 12,000 passes sold. Plus, two new categories – Effie for Good and Effie for Experiential Marketing – were added this year.
Lowe Lintas & Partners and Ogilvy & Mather that were leading the list of the shortlisted case studies with 51 and 31 shortlisted entries respectively, were in for a close competition at the award ceremony. While the former took home the Agency of the Year Award for the second time (earlier one being in 2006), the men in black – Ogilvy & Mather – bagged the Grand Effie to stand at the second position.
Lowe Lintas bagged 16 awards in total including six Gold to lead the chart with 160 points for clients including Idea (Honey Bunny, Telephone Exchange), Lifebuoy (Help a child reach five), Tanishq (Tanishq and Sridevi – Coming Back Home), Hindustan Unilever (Kissan 100 per cent natural seeded).
O&M also managed 130 points and three Gold Effies for clients including Vodafone (Made for you, Earmuffs) and Bournvita (Aadat).
Lowe Lintas’ chairman and chief creative officer R Balki along with his team couldn’t stop smiling after the grand victory. The agency that is not really known for participating in award shows looked delighted with its performance. “My team is happy and they are here to party,” says Balki as he remarks that he personally doesn’t believe in awards and it is his teams’ happiness and hard work that matters to him the most.
And though the men in black lagged behind with few points, their enthusiasm at the ceremony was infectious. The close competition with the rivals and the hunger to do better is what keeps the industry motivated year after year, thinks O&M’s executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey. “For a long time now, there hasn’t been a close fight and I wish Lowe Lintas the very best. It is their night tonight,” he says.
However, the third spot in the list of winners was taken by McCann Erikson that bagged one gold and 60 points. The Gold came in for Coca Cola (how Coca Cola won the battle for Indian teens).
And it was Hindustan Unilever (HUL) that was credited with the Client of the Year award. HUL executive editor, home and personal care was happy to have won the award, he says, “These awards are about industry recognition and effectiveness.”
The nip in the air didn’t bother the ad world much as they all came in to become a witness to the grand ceremony that was opened by MC Brian Tellis. Pratap Bose took the stage for the first time after official taking the charge of the Ad Club as the president and proclaimed that the country has some of the best advertisements/campaigns in the Asia Pacific. “The quality of our work is only improving with every coming year and we have only bettered our standards set last year,” Bose remarked in his opening speech.
However, this year, few categories didn’t see a Silver or Gold Effie being handed over. All India Bakchod’s Rohan Joshi didn’t take much time to take a pot shot at the situation by sharing a joke on Hussain Bolt coming third even when nobody claimed the second or first position!
But still the event ended on a “high” note with lots of fireworks to celebrate the victory as the attendees whispered that the Lintas’ win was well-deserved.
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.
