Publicis Groupe has delivered its 2021 full year 2021 financial results, with “strong organic growth” according to the French holding company, with a net revenue of €11.73 billion (A$18.81 billion).
Global CEO and chairman, Arthur Sadoun said: “In 2021, Publicis published record numbers and exceeded 2019 levels across all of its KPIs. We delivered 10% full year organic growth, with Q4 at 9.3%, above expectations, and a strong performance across all of our regions.
“Both Epsilon and Publicis Sapient were accretive to our full year growth, at 12.8% and 13.8% respectively, as we were in a position to capture the structural shifts in the industry towards first-party data management, digital media, commerce, and business transformation.
“Looking at our performance on a two-year basis, we exceeded 2019 levels faster and more strongly than expected, at 3% growth for the full year that accelerated to 5% in the second half. The US, where our model is the most advanced, was a strong contributor to this performance, growing 8% versus 2019.”
In the reporting period, Organic growth was 10.0% in FY 2021 compared to 2020. Compared to 2019, this implies organic growth of 3%, accelerating in H2 at 5% after 1% in H1. All regions continued to recover and posted strong growth.
Asia Pacific grew 11.4% on a reported basis and 10.3% on an organic basis (+3% compared to 2019). China organic growth was 10.3%
In APAC, Publicis Groupe saw a net revenue of 1.038 billion (A$1.665 billion). In Q4, total revenue in APAC was €266 million (A$415.7 million) in Q3, and year-to-date totals €736 (A$1.15 billion) with organic growth up 4% on 2019 figures for the first nine months.
Sadoun added: “2021 was a record year not just financially, but also commercially. For the third time in the past four years, we topped the New Business rankings as league tables placed us well-ahead of the pack, with landmark wins including Stellantis, Walmart, and Meta, to name just a few. We also started 2022 on a high note, with the win of McDonald’s US.
“We are emerging from the pandemic as a stronger company, and a better one. The progress we have made across our Environmental, Social and Governance strategy is setting a clear industry standard. Our combined efforts on this front have led to Publicis topping the rankings for our sector with 8 out of 10 leading ESG ratings agencies.”