Founded in 1926 by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, the Company’s name originates from the combination of Publi, for “Publicité”, which means advertising in French, and “six” for 1926. The founder’s ambition was to transform advertising into a true profession with social value, applying a rigorous methodology and ethics, and to make Publicis a “pioneer of modern advertising”. The Company quickly won widespread recognition. In the early 1930s, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet was the first to recognize the power of radio broadcasting, a new form of media at the time, to establish brands. Publicis became the exclusive representative for the sale of advertising time on the government-owned public broadcasting system in France. However, in 1934, the French government banned advertising on state radio; Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet thus decided to set up his own station, “Radio Cité”, the first private radio station in France. In 1935, he joined forces with Havas to form a company named “Cinéma et Publicité”, which was the first French company specialized in the sale of advertising time in movie theaters. Three years later he launched “Régie Presse”, an independent subsidiary dedicated to the sale of advertising space in newspapers and magazines. After suspending operations during the Second World War, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet reopened Publicis in 1946, and not only renewed his relationships with pre-war clients but went on to win major new accounts: Colgate-Palmolive, Shell and Sopad- Nestlé. Recognizing the value of qualitative research, in 1948 he made Publicis the first French advertising agency to conclude an agreement with the survey specialist IFOP. Later, he created an in-house market research unit. At the end of 1957, Publicis relocated its offices to the former Hotel Astoria at the top of the Champs-Élysées. In 1958, it opened the Drugstore on the first floor, which has since become a Paris landmark. In 1959, Publicis set up its department of “Industrial Information”, a forerunner of modern corporate communications.
From 1960 to 1975, Publicis grew rapidly, benefiting in particular from the beginnings of advertising on French television in 1968. The Boursin campaign inaugurated this new media: this was the first TV-based market launch in France, and the slogan soon became familiar to everyone in the country: “Du pain, du vin, du Boursin” (“Bread, wine and Boursin”). Several months later, Publicis innovated again by siding with one of its clients in a new kind of battle: the defense of Saint-Gobain for which BSN had launched the first-ever hostile takeover bid in France. In June 1970, 44 years after its creation, Publicis became a listed company on the Paris Stock Exchange.
However, on September 27, 1972, Publicis’ head offices were entirely destroyed by fire. A new building was built on the same site and the Company set about pursuing a strategy of expansion in Europe through acquisitions the same year, taking over the Intermarco network in the Netherlands (1972), followed by the Farner network in Switzerland in 1973; this resulted in the creation of the Intermarco-Farner network to support the expansion of major French advertisers in other parts of Europe. In 1977, Maurice Lévy was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Conseil, the Group’s main French business, after joining Publicis in 1971.
In 1978, Publicis set up operations in the United Kingdom after acquiring the McCormick advertising agency. In 1984, Publicis had operations in 23 countries across Europe. In 1981, Publicis opened a small agency in New York, which would be called a start-up nowadays.
In 1987, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet decided to reorganize Publicis as a company with Supervisory and Management Boards. He became Chair of the Supervisory Board, and Maurice Lévy was appointed Chair of the Management Board. Since then, the strategy for Publicis has been defined by the Management Board and submitted to the Supervisory Board for approval; all operational decisions are made at the Management Board level.
In 1988, Publicis concluded a global alliance with the American firm Foote, Cone & Belding Communications (FCB) and the two European networks of the two partners merged. Publicis thus expanded its global presence with the help of its ally’s network. Growth accelerated in the 1990s. France’s number four communications network, FCA!, was acquired in 1993, followed by the merger of FCA! with BMZ to form a second European network under the name FCA!/BMZ. In 1995, Publicis terminated its alliance with FCB.
On April 11, 1996, Publicis’ founder died. His daughter, Élisabeth Badinter, replaced him as Chair of the Supervisory Board. Maurice Lévy stepped up the Company’s drive to build an international network and offer clients a presence in markets around the world. The acquisitions drive intensified and has become global: first Latin America and Canada, then Asia and the Pacific, India, the Middle East and Africa.
The United States was the scene of large-scale projects from 1998 onwards: as Publicis looked to significantly expand its presence in the world’s largest market. Acquisitions included Hal Riney, then Evans Group, Frankel & Co. (relationship marketing), Fallon McElligott (advertising and new media), and DeWitt Media (media buying). In 2000, Publicis acquired Saatchi & Saatchi, a business with a global reputation for talent and creativity.
This acquisition was a milestone in the development of the Group in Europe and the United States. In September, Publicis Groupe was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This same year, Publicis acquired Winner & Associates (public relations) and Nelson Communications (healthcare communication). In 2001, Publicis Groupe formed ZenithOptimedia, a major international player in media buying and planning, by merging its Optimedia subsidiary with Zenith Media, which had previously been owned 50/50 by Saatchi & Saatchi and the Cordiant Group. In March 2002, Publicis Groupe announced its acquisition of the US group Bcom3, which controlled Leo Burnett, D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Manning Selvage & Lee, Starcom MediaVest Group and Medicus, and held a 49% interest in Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
At the same time, Publicis Groupe established a strategic partnership with Dentsu, the leading communications group in the Japanese market and a founding shareholder of Bcom3. The acquisition established Publicis Groupe in the top tier of the advertising and communications industry, making it the fourth largest advertising group worldwide, with operations in more than 100 countries and five continents.
