Arthur Sadoun: 'I have never won a pitch without a creative idea'

Publicis Groupe chief executive Arthur Sadoun has said that in 25 years of working in new business he has never won without a creative idea at the centre of the pitch.

Speaking at today's (1 October) Campaign Live conference, which is being held in the City of London, Sadoun said: “I win new business to make sure we progress all the time. Nothing hurts more than new business.”

In a fireside chat with Campaign editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier on selling creativity, Sadoun said the role of the CEO was to lead “from the centre and not from the top”, adding that he was “having a pitch a week”.

“I have been pitching for 25 years,” he said. “I have never won a pitch [whether creative or media] without a creative idea. This is where the value and differentiation is. You win it because you bring something no-one else can bring. It can only come from three areas: talent, capabilities and ideas.”

Investing in creativity

Sadoun said Publicis never forgets “we have to invest in creativity”. “I still believe today that a great idea can change the future of a company,” he said.

He went on: “The people I admire most in the industry are the strategy planners. The most important moment is the creative brief. You take creative constraints and turn them into a great idea.”

Sadoun said one of the biggest challenges facing creativity was personalised content.

“How do you deliver truly personalised content with impact? We have a lot to do in this area...

“Where is the great work in Cannes? Most of the time it is small projects.”

He said big campaigns from brands such as Adidas and Coke used to feature among Cannes winners.

“All this work was famous before it went to Cannes. Now you have to go to Cannes to be famous.”

'No silos, no solos, no bozos'

Sadoun added that Publicis’ success as the fastest-growing holding company (at about 5-6%) was based on three “strategy bets”. 

The first is personalisation (he cited the acquisition of Epsilon), while the second is the “erasing of P&L silos” under the “power of one”. “No silos, no solos, no bozos,” Sadoun said. “We let some people go. We have an organisation that works seamlessly.” The third area is people.

However, Sadoun said while he was competitive, he was happy to see rivals succeeding, such as when Omnicom’s share price recently hit a record high.

“I am very happy to see Omnicom doing well. I am very competitive – when I pitch I want to win – but I am very interested in seeing the industry grow well."

'We will never become an AI company'

Sadoun doubled down on Publicis’ mocking AI video, which drew criticism from some quarters when it was unveiled in June.

The “mash-up” film, released ahead of Cannes, mocked “adtech bros” such as Sam Altman, chief executive of Open AI, Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta, and Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google, alongside the leaders of “holding companies reinventing themselves”, such as Mark Read, chief executive of WPP, John Wren, chief executive of Omnicom, Philippe Krakowksy, chief executive of IPG, and Yannick Bolloré, chief executive of Havas.

“Some loved it, some lacked a sense of humour. I do believe there is BS in AI – it has become a distraction. We have the most capabilities in AI; we will never become an AI company.”

Hybrid working

On hybrid working, Sadoun was clear about the importance of people being in the office. A year ago Publicis tightened rules on working in the office, including mandating three days week.

“People need to come back to the office because culture matters. I do think if you are 25 or 35, staying at home, you will not progress. Should it be three, four or five days? It depends on the location, but people should be back.”

Asked about the impact of Brexit, Sadoun said it had "added 20 minutes" to his journey time from Paris to London.

“What I love about this country [the UK], it is the birthplace of creativity. I think it is the most competitive place when it comes to creativity.”