MAM
Publicis reports increased 3Q revenues courtesy US, Asia
PARIS: Publicis the world’s fourth largest communications group has announced that consolidated revenues reached 2.79 billion euros for the quarter ended 30 September 2003. For the corresponding period last year the figure stood at 1.77 billion euros. This signifies an increase of 58 per cent.
In addition to new business won, Publicis Group effectively benefited from the improvement in the global advertising market, powered by the recovery evident for the past several months in North America and in the Asia-Pacific region. There are also encouraging signs in the European market, with relative improvement in Spain and of stabilisation in Germany.
However the European marketplace as a whole remains in negative in terms of organic growth, notably in France. In Latin America, the noticeable improvement in several markets during the third quarter made up for a decrease in Brazil.
Publicis CEO Maurice Levy admitted that while the global advertising market continued to improve the situation in Europe remains a concern. “If the German market seems to be stabilising, several significant European markets still remain difficult. The year 2003 should nevertheless provide us with the first year of growth in the advertising market for three years,” he said.
Publicis is hopeful about the ad market for next year since the biggest sporting spectacle the Olympics takes place in Athens in August. In addition the Euro 2004 soccer tournament should also give the depressed European environment a boost.
In the third quarter the amount of net new business won by all networks of Publicis rose to $600 million (515 million euros), This figure includes the loss of the global Philips account and of Carrefour in France. This brings to $2.7 billion (2.3 billion euros) the total net new business won during the first three quarters of the year. Out of this nearly 60 per cent is in advertising. In India Publicis Worldwide acquired the account of L’Oreal/Garnier. Actresses Andie McDowell and Aishwarya Rai are two of the fragrances well known faces.
Another unit Saatchi & Saatchi won the International Olympic Committee worldwide account outside of the US. It also won Emirates Airlines in Europe, Danone in Asia, several Toyota accounts in the US. The Leo Burnett agency bagged Canon in Australia, Mobinil in Egypt, McDonald’s in Indonesia, Petronas Dagang in Malaysia and Uni/President in Taiwan.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
