By Adria Calatayud

Publicis Groupe said market-share gains and demand for products and services powered by artificial intelligence lifted its top line in the fourth quarter, and forecast continued organic growth in the year ahead thanks to recent account wins.

The Paris-based advertising group said Tuesday that organic net revenue grew 5.9% in the fourth quarter compared with the year-earlier period, beating analysts' expectations of a 5.1% rise, according to consensus estimates provided by the company.

For 2026, Publicis forecast organic net revenue growth of between 4% and 5%. Organic growth is a common metric that strips out the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and asset sales.

The update from Publicis kicks off the ad industry's reporting season, at a time of uncertainty due to the rise of AI and changes within the sector, with the tie-up between U.S. peers Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group and a leadership change at London-based WPP. Some investors see ad agencies as potential losers from the shift to AI, a view that company executives are trying to challenge.

Generative AI has emerged as a strategic driver of growth and profitability for Publicis rather than a headwind, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Arthur Sadoun said, citing solid results in every region and sustained commercial momentum.

Publicis claimed the No. 1 spot in the industry in terms of account gains last year, with net new business wins estimated at $8.16 billion, while its big rivals lost more accounts than they won on balance, according to an analysis by J.P. Morgan. In the fourth quarter alone, however, WPP took the top spot ahead of Publicis, according to J.P. Morgan.

The company's connected media segment, which accounts for the majority of the group's revenue, was its main growth engine last quarter, with organic net revenue increasing by a high-single-percentage digit. Publicis attributed the segment's performance to market-share gains, rising demand for AI-powered products, and services and new markets.

Publicis said lasting tailwinds from account wins, a high retention rate and continued investments give it confidence in its outlook for the year ahead, in which it expects to improve profitability slightly.

For 2025 as a whole, Publicis' net profit edged lower to 1.65 billion euros ($1.95 billion) from 1.66 billion euros a year before. Total revenue rose 8.5% to 17.4 billion euros.

Write to Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 03, 2026 01:53 ET (06:53 GMT)

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