Publicis Groupe CEOs to hold regional meeting in Manila starting today

CEOs in the Asia-Pacific region of Paris-based Publicis Groupe, a global top five marketing communications network and Europe’s largest, will hold a meeting in Manila from Feb. 23 to 25, 2001 to be led by Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO.

They will be joined by Bertrand Siguier, executive vice president of Publicis Worldwide; Patrick Pitcher, chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi for Asia and Africa; and Patrick Brett, chief operating officer of Saatchi & Saatchi for Southeast Asia and Africa.

The Publicis executives will review clients’ needs and the network’s structures, organizations and budgets in the region.

Publicis Groupe now has the largest share of the marketing communications business in the Philippines through its three independently operated affiliates.

These affiliates, which rank among the country’s top 10 marketing communications agencies, are Publicis•AMA and its specialist subsidiaries Publicis Dialog (direct marketing), Publicis Interbrand (alternative trade channels development) and Publicis Spark (field marketing); Ace Saatchi & Saatchi; and Basic Advertising.

For Publicis, Levy said 2000 was "a year of transformation the likes of which perhaps no other group has experienced in such a short span of time." In the past year, the network moved into the number five spot among agency groups worldwide, after its acquisition of Saatchi & Saatchi. It also assumed the role of a major player in the US after its acquisition of Fallon, a Minneapolis-based ad agency with an outstanding reputation for creativity, and Frankel, a leading Chicago-based marketing services agency. Furthermore, Publicis became the world’s largest healthcare marketing and communications group after its acquisition of Nelson Communications.

He said Publicis Groupe has recently won several major accounts and its financial results are strong.

Founded in 1926 by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, the father of French modern advertising, Publicis has a client roster that includes Nestle, L’Oreal, Perrier-Vittel, Siemens, Renault, Coca-Cola and British Airways. The network operates in 76 countries and 130 cities.

"Globalization is having a profound impact on brand management, consumer behavior and business organization, and literally rewriting the rules in terms of investment," said Levy about the marketing communications environment.

Today, he said, there are almost as many business models as there are markets or companies. Levy cited companies whose success lies in building a strong brand through highly centralized communications and brand strategies. On the other hand, he said, there are companies whose success, while due to a strong brand, is also the result of a decentralized approach.

"We are the brand experts, and it is up to us to anticipate consumer behavior and trends in markets around the world, so that we can recommend the best possible strategy for each one of our advertisers – the strategy that fits that advertiser and no one else," he said. Fittingly, the Publicis philosophy is stated as "La Difference."

Levy said integrated communications is key to Publicis, and the group, having already taken major steps in this regard, will continue to build its position as recognized and indispensable experts in a global environment.

He said that in a changing economic order, "he who is wrong is he who continues to do business according to the old rules and methods. It is pointless to complain about inevitable changes. To get ahead and to win, we need to embrace change and anticipate it."