Provisions are funded when:
Contingent liabilities are not recognized but, if material, are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements, except in the case of business combinations where they constitute identifiable items for recognition.
These provisions concern identified risks related to litigation or claims of any kind: commercial, regulatory, tax (other than income taxes) or labor. The Group establishes a provision if it is likely that outflow will be necessary to eliminate this risk and it is possible to reliably estimate the cost related to this risk. In such cases, the amount of the provision (including any related penalties) is determined by the agencies and their experts, under the supervision of the Group’s head office teams, on the basis of their best estimate of the probable costs related to the litigation or the claim.
The total cost of restructuring is recognized in the financial year when these actions have been approved and announced.
In the context of an acquisition, restructuring plans that do not constitute liabilities for the acquired company on the date of the acquisition are recognized as expenses.
These costs consist primarily of severance and early retirement payments and notice periods that have not been worked, which are recognized in employee benefits expenses, and, in some cases, of write‑downs of property, plant and equipment and other assets.
If a property is vacant and is not intended to be used in the main activity, a provision is made including rental charges, taxes and any other costs. This provision does not include lease payments, which are recognized as an impairment of right‑of‑use assets relating to leases.
In the context of business combinations, provisions are also recorded when the acquired company has property rental contracts with less favorable terms than those prevailing on the market as of the acquisition date.
The Group recognizes obligations relating to pensions and other post‑employment benefits based on the type of plan in question:
This line item includes all operating payables (including notes payable and accrued supplier invoices) related to the purchase of goods and services including those related to media buying where the Company acts as agent. These payables are generally due within less than one year.
Contract liabilities correspond to deferred income. These are considerations received or invoiced to clients for which the Group has an obligation to provide goods or services.
Contract liabilities do not include client advances for external costs incurred on behalf of clients and that are directly passed through to the clients when the Group acts as “Agent.” Such advances are recorded under "Trade payables."
Group revenue mainly stems from creative and production services, direct and digital marketing, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), sales promotion and point of sale marketing, public relations, event management, institutional and financial communication, strategic media planning and media buying as well as digital business transformation consulting. The Group has also strengthened its data offering by providing customized platforms solutions and targeted data to clients
Client contracts are mainly compensated by fees, commissions, cost per thousand, performance‑based bonuses and reimbursement of third‑party costs incurred on behalf of the clients or a combination of the five.
