AD Agencies
O&M inks JV with Hogarth Worldwide to form global production house
MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather has joined forces with Hogarth Worldwide, a sister WPP company, to launch H&O (Hogarth & Ogilvy) – a new company that will bring the resources and technology of the two companies together.
Headquartered in London, H&O will stand alongside Hogarth with a presence in 48 Ogilvy offices. This will create the largest marketing implementation group in the world.
Through this venture, Ogilvy’s production unit, RedWorks, will be consolidated into this new entity, giving clients access to the traditional strengths and global network of RedWorks in addition to Hogarth’s unique offerings – full broadcast and moving image capability, a market leading language and transcreation service and proprietary technology solutions.
Ogilvy & Mather worldwide chairman and CEO Miles Young said, “I have always believed that to be a truly integrated world-class communications agency, we need to be best-in-class in each and every one of our specialist disciplines. Marketing implementation is no exception especially in this new age of marketing and branding. H&O is our response to the ever-changing needs of our clients, and our growing role as content producers and distributors. It will be an ideas-delivery engine sitting at the heart of Ogilvy that will change the conversation about how brands are brought to the market dynamically.”
Explaining his reasons for choosing to partner with O&M, Hogarth Worldwide CEO Barry Jones added, “H&O is a new concept. It puts a creative realization engine at the heart of a creative powerhouse. With Hogarth going from strength to strength, having H&O in parallel gives us the opportunity to bring all of our capabilities directly to Ogilvy’s clients.”
Jonathan Adler will join the group to serve as H&O global CEO. Ginny Maycox, currently COO of O&M West will be global CFO. Duncan Stokes, who is global CEO of RedWorks will lead H&O in EAME as well as taking global responsibility with Adler for the change management. RedWorks veterans Xavier Carou and Michael Burgess will be CEO in Latina America and Asia Pacific respectively. While in North America, Matt Bonin will be chief production officer and Jonathan Parker will be chief operations officer.
Adler said, “I have spent my career working in advertising and marketing services, essentially bringing great ideas to life. I don’t think there is a sector or discipline I’ve not touched and I truly love the creative process. The opportunity to combine two great global companies was irresistible, and I am extremely excited about what the future holds for H&O, helping deliver Ogilvy’s vision of the future.”
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.
