The news: Holding company Publicis Groupe reported a strong Q3 2025, growing organic net revenues 5.7% YoY, above analyst growth expectations of 5.19%. The company now expects 2025 revenues to grow between 5% to 5.5%, up from its previous forecast of 4% to 5%. Publicis cited customer demand for AI-led advertising as a key source of growth.

By the numbers:

• Net revenues for Q3 totaled €3.53 billion ($3.82 billion), a 3.1% YoY increase.
• Organic growth in the US increased 7.1% YoY, up from 5.3% growth in Q2. Other regions saw growth, including Europe (up 2.8%), the UK (up 10.7%), and APAC (up 6.5%).
• Publicis’ media services accounted for around 60% of its overall revenues.

The ad agency landscape: Publicis’ Q3 results stand out as a notable ad agency success amid general concerns caused by economic uncertainty. Broadly, ad agencies are struggling with planning in the current economic environment, with 79% of marketing decision-makers calling it more difficult in 2025 than 2024. Another 27% are cutting ad budgets because of tariffs and turbulence, while agency employment is dropping.

The AI advantage: Publicis increasing its growth outlook signals strong belief in its AI push as AI adoption among ad agencies flourishes, especially for general purpose tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

• 97.7% of US ad agencies alone currently use AI, with 90% of agency professionals using it weekly, per Basis Technologies.
• 81.3% see AI as the top agency trend for the next decade, while 80.2% see generative AI as having a somewhat or mostly positive impact on agencies.
• And 75.6% of agency leaders had plans to increase AI investments in the 12 months following April 2025.

Publicis’ AI strategy: Publicis’ AI strategy focuses on expanding its first-party data and AI capabilities.

• The agency has made key acquisitions, like data-management company Lotame, to strengthen its first-party targeting system and audience graph. This acquisition supports processes like AI-powered probabilistic modeling to help brands predict consumer behaviors—driving success for Publicis’ clients.
• Publicis is reinforcing its CoreAI platform, which leverages AI to improve targeting, media planning, and creative execution. The company is also deploying AI models within client-owned data environments to assist in privacy compliance.

Looking ahead: Publicis’ heavy AI push and performance-driven strategy means it is well-positioned to continue growing while rival agencies struggle to remain competitive amid economic turbulence. The company’s Q3 earnings underscore the importance of innovating to maintain client spending when many are becoming more conservative with their budgets—separating Publicis from the pack.