AD Agencies
Maurice Lévy’s office now on Airbnb
MUMBAI: Maurice Lévy, the eccentric creative genius and Publicis Groupe’s chief executive officer is at it again! Going viral with his traditional ‘end-of-year’ address to everyone at the media agency, and the advertising community at large. Except, this will be his last such address. Maurice Lévy is set to retire by May 2017.
Anyone familiar with Lévy’s festive videos in the past eight years knows that they are anything but a dull monologue on business and growth. Just last year, Lévy surprised everyone by donning a wig and posing for shampoo ad!
But, before anyone could get their hopes up for something similar, Lévy starts the 2016 video in his heavy French accent, by quickly putting the overzealous viewers at bay with “No wigs, no tricks this year.”
Lévy plans to sign off in ‘good old fashion style.”
Touching up on the good and bads of 2016, Lévy admits that the agency’s numbers were seriously impacted by account losses. A reference to the US media accounts of Procter and Gamble and Walmart.
“Never take your eye off the board,” was the tough lesson the agency learned.
On the pros side of 2016, Lévy mentions winning Asda’s UK creative and media business, HP Enterprise’s global account and Coty. Referring to the major structural re-haul that the group undertook in 2016, Lévy adds that implementing ‘Power Of One’ may have been challenging for those who took on new roles, but it is working for the agency. “No Silo, No Solo, No bojo,” he reiterates.
As Lévy goes on share a few tips on client retention, viewers are immediately made aware of some overzealous movers and packers clearing out his cabin. However, he was able to point to winning GSK, Asda’s UK creative and media business, as well as HP Enterprise’s global account and Coty.
Investing in 90 different start-ups to mark its 90th anniversary was the most adventurous thing, Lévy admits in the video. Lévy’s delivery of these hard-hitting facts with a poker face, as one of the removal man tries hard to take off his signature ‘I am the boss’ coffee mug off the table in vain is a comic masterpiece. One can’t miss the fact that only Lévy is able to lift the mug with ease. Is that a hint?
As a truckload worth of ‘chocolate jars’ is retrieved from his locker, Lévy makes a few forward-looking statements. “Now, we must more than ever act as one, think as one and work for our clients as one in order to win and succeed. The group needs you, clients need you and, as always, I’m counting on you. So what’s next? ”
Being optimistic about the group’s future he adds, “We have built an incredibly strong foundation both, in culture and expertise, that runs deep through the foundation of the group. The founder of Publicis Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, whom I admire enormously, once said: ‘The trick to realising your dreams is to remain a child your whole life.’
“I have applied this to my Publicis dreams and that is my wish for you this year. May 2017 bring you and your families happiness, health and plenty of dreams. Plenty!” he says before walking off the empty room.
The video concludes with his empty room being rented off on Airbnb. For real! Click on the ‘Book Now’ button and you’d be taken to Airbnb’s promotions page where they are away a day in the office of Maurice Lévy as part of the Airbnb Night At program.
The prize is packaged as an Airbnb ad for two guests to stay at an apartment in Paris. Now isn’t that a fine parting gift to an esteemed client?
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
