Publicis Groupe sees 6.4% organic growth in Q1

Publicis Groupe reported a steady start to the year, with revenue growth across all major regions and an outlook for 2026. The company said organic revenue rose 6.4% in the first quarter, leading to net revenue organic growth of 4.5 percent, in line with expectations.

Performance was positive across all key regions, with the US growing 4.7 percent, Europe up 3.9 percent, and Asia-Pacific increasing 5.9 percent.

The group said it expects a sequential improvement in net revenue organic growth in Q2 2026. It maintained its full-year guidance of 4 percent to 5 percent growth and expects a small rise in operating margin compared with FY25, with free cash flow of around €2.1 billion.

Publicis Groupe has underscored India’s growing importance as a key market driving its Asia-Pacific momentum, with the country delivering a strong double-digit organic growth of 11.7% in Q1 2026.

Highlighting the market’s performance during the Groupe’s Q1 earnings call, Loris Nold, Chief Financial Officer, Publicis Groupe, said, “India delivered a very high performance, with +11.7% organic growth in Q1,” positioning it among the top contributors in the region.

India’s growth comes as part of a broader strong showing from Asia-Pacific, which recorded +5.9% organic growth, led by Connected Media. The consistent performance further reinforces India’s strategic role in the Groupe’s growth journey, within the APAC region that contributes 8% to the Groupe’s overall net revenue.

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, shared in a statement:

“Publicis had a very strong start to the year, outperforming the industry for almost 20 quarters in a row despite the volatile macro environment.

Organic revenue growth reached 6.4%, leading to 4.5% in net and further increasing the gap with our peers.

All of our key regions performed well, with the U.S. at +4.7%, Europe at +4% and APAC at +6%.

In what remains an uncertain global context, we are committed to giving visibility into our performance for the rest of the year. We are confirming our industry-leading organic growth guidance of 4-5%, with the 4% rock solid, and a sequential organic growth acceleration in Q2 despite a higher comparable of 100 basis points.

At a time when our industry has seen more changes in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, we are confident that we will outperform again in 2026 and beyond, for three key reasons.

First, with our transformation well behind us, we are laser focused on our clients’ growth. This has enabled us to be #1 in the new business rankings once again, and for the 7th consecutive year, and means we are still #1 in the U.S. and China in 2026, even after the consolidation of the market

Second, we are further increasing our addressable market in a shrinking competitive landscape, investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the most value for our clients. This was the case again in Q1, with the acquisition of the content measurement platform AdgeAI, and 160over90, the global leader in sports marketing.

Last but far from least, AI continues to be a tailwind for Publicis, driving our growth, widening the gap with competition, and enabling us to expand our partnerships with some of the world’s most innovative companies like Microsoft.

I would like to thank all of our clients for their ongoing trust, and our people for their outstanding efforts."