The fees agreed with clients are for the most part calculated on the basis of an hourly rate plus overheads and a margin.
Commission-based contracts are calculated on the basis of a percentage of the total sum of costs paid to third parties (repaid by the client) to carry out the contract. Commission-based contracts mainly involve: media services on the basis of media space bought on behalf of the clients and supervision of productions done by third parties.
Virtually all our contracts are short-term, and the Groupe typically has right to payment to the end of the contract or at least for the work performed to date.
The Groupe recognizes revenue when (or as) the control of the promised goods or services (identified as performance obligations) is transferred to the client, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Groupe expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
For each contract, the promised services (called performance obligations) are distinct only if the client can benefit from the services on its own and if the agency’s promise to transfer these services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract.
Outside of media services, performance obligations generally correspond to the various compensation set out in the contracts. In creative advertising, the Groupe typically considers two performance obligations, one for creative advisory services and the second for productions, which generally corresponds to the various compensation set out in the contracts.
In media services, the transaction price generally covers strategic media planning services as well as media buying. In these contracts, we consider that these two groups of services are separate and the transaction price is allocated on the basis of the employees assigned to these services.
Some contracts include incentives that are subject to qualitative or quantitative performance criteria. These variable components are only included in the transaction price when it is highly probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur.
Performance-based incentives are typically only recognized when they are confirmed by the client.
The Groupe also receives volume rebates from suppliers on transactions carried out on behalf of clients. These rebates are either remitted to clients based on contractual terms or local laws, or retained by the Groupe. The portion paid back to clients is recognized under liabilities and the portion retained is typically recognized under revenue when the media is broadcast, if a contract exists with the media vendor and we anticipate exceeding volume criteria.
When third party suppliers are involved in providing services to clients, the Groupe considers that it is acting as “Principal” if at least one of the following criteria is satisfied:
The Groupe acts as “Principal” in most of its activities except for media buying services performed on behalf of clients and supervision of productions done by third parties.
With respect to productions, the Groupe acts as “Agent” only on contracts for which it only performs production supervision that is wholly done by an external third party. If the agency incorporates or significantly transforms the work done by a third party, the Groupe considers that this involves a single performance obligation for which it acts as “Principal.”
When the Groupe acts as “Principal,” the revenue is recognized for the gross amount invoiced to the client. When the Groupe acts as “Agent,” revenue is recognized net of the costs pass through to clients, which means that revenue recorded is solely comprised of fees or commission.
In any case, travel expenses reimbursed by clients (transport, hotels, meals, etc.) are always recognized in revenue.
Almost all of the Groupe’s revenue is recognized overtime because the Groupe’s services benefit the client as they are performed or generate an asset with no alternative use and for which we are entitled to payment for the work done to date in the event of termination by the client.
For fixed-price projects, revenue is recognized overtime on the basis of costs incurred usually based on the hours worked and direct external costs incurred on the project.
For retainer arrangements with a dedicated team, generally involving annual contracts, the Groupe considers that its performance obligation is to be ready at all times to make resources available to our client. In this instance, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract.
For commission-based media contracts, we recognize revenue when the media is broadcast.
On occasion, the client may ask for changes to the scope of the services in the course of the contract. These changes are generally negotiated as new contracts encompassing the additional needs with the related compensation.
