Within the France Executive Committee, an Engagement Department was created in 2019, as well as the CSR function and department at country level. A community of 40 CSR ambassadors was set up, meeting every month to share, learn and disseminate common actions within the agencies. In 2020, Publicis France became the leading network by number of agencies with the RSE Agences Actives (Active CSR Agencies) in partnership with Afnor Certification and, at the end of 2021, 12 out of 13 agencies eligible for the label obtained it, including eight with a three star level. Publicis France is also the leading communication group in France in terms of employees trained and certified in digital eco-design by the Green-IT collective.
In 2021, Publicis France continued to make CSR transformation a major strategic challenge, both with its responsible communication program No Impact for Big Impact (#NIBI), including the Positive Media Project think tank, the Positive by Publicis CSR content platform, the Positive for You internal conferences or the inspiring Positive Talks. Around fifteen brands have adopted the #NIBI approach.
The number of eco-socio-produced productions has accelerated sharply thanks to Prodigious processes and tools. More than 60 client meetings were held in 2021 to present #NIBI, A.L.I.C.E and set up KPIs and responsible communication objectives. 2021 was also a rich year for innovation and new commitments, particularly around climate issues: eight entities became members of the French Business Climate Pledge.
In February, Publicis France launched in partnership with MySezame ("impact business" training expert) and WeDemain (media) the Make it Positive LAB, a tailor-made support programme to help companies in their positive transformation move from purpose to action by relying on their employees. At the request of one of the Groupe’s long-standing clients, a specific responsible communication training course was created for their 1,600 communicators.
Publicis France continued to pay particular attention to the fight against sexism and moral and sexual harassment, with the implementation of a more comprehensive process: training employees on a reporting platform, appointment of harassment officers (duly trained), a 24/7 crisis line. 2021 is the year in which the role of Head of D&I France was created, who successfully launched new initiatives such as Publicis Track, raising awareness of violence against women via 1in3 Women on November 25, participation in the Talent Handicap Forum, at Inclusiv’day… For the 4th consecutive year, the debate on the fight against stereotypes was held, with the ARPP and the Chiennes de Garde, by opening it more broadly to the representation of diversity in communication with the place of disability and origins in advertising. A Commitment Charter for Diversity in Communication co-developed with employees and external stakeholders (ARPP, France Télévisions and the Collectif 50:50). Employees received training on unconscious bias and were invited to watch the “But why do they hate us?” documentary series.
In November 2021, Publicis France launched its internal business transformation program: We Are Positivers for all its 4,500 employees. Organized in two stages, it is based on an e-learning phase to learn about responsible communication and workshops to move from theory to practice, with the development of a roadmap for each employee.
Lastly, Publicis France continued to actively participate in the industry’s collective actions with the AACC, Udecam, the CPP, the UDM and also by getting involved in the discussions initiated by the government to change the sector (see Bousquet-Leroy report under the Climate & Resilience Act). Lastly, the Groupe is a member of organizations such as EpE (“Entreprises pour l’Environnement”) that works to mobilize stakeholders to transform lifestyles and consumption.
Publicis Conseil has published its 2nd CSR report and set up an Expert Stakeholder Committee (including four clients, one representative of the ARPP, two representatives of NGOs, one representative of an Inclusion & Diversité association, one representative of Responsible Digital Services, two representatives of Media and a representative of a student association) which meets twice a year.
The CSR and DEI program (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) of Publicis Health is built holistically and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The agency has adopted strong positions to defend the right of access to health for all, particularly for women, by encouraging each employee to take care of themselves and their loved ones. The Growth & Development of Women initiative is intended to strengthen the place of women in agencies, to support their professional development, an approach extended to all employees from “diverse” groups, so that everyone can fully benefit from all professional opportunities.
As part of partnerships with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Skin Care Foundation (SCF) or with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), the agency’s commitment covers a wide range of activities: responsible marketing, pro bono information campaigns for the general public, volunteering, fundraising – and involves key stakeholders: employees, clients, NGOs, ongoing efforts widely recognized by NAMI with the “Outstanding Leader in Workplace Mental Health” award.
