Publicis Groupe bets big on sports, aims to make it the next addressable media frontier

New Delhi: Publicis Groupe is placing sports at the centre of its future growth strategy, with plans to make sports media “addressable,” similar to what the company has already achieved with influencer marketing, according to Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun.

According to Sadoun, the company sees strong potential in combining its data capabilities with sports to create measurable and targetable advertising opportunities. “We are going to do exactly the same thing with sports, as we believe that, again, adding our capabilities to our data, we are going to make sports addressable, which is not today,” he said. 

He cited the company’s experience with influencer marketing as a model for how it plans to approach sports. He noted, “Influencers are a great example of that. By building the biggest and the most accurate influencer media network, we are able to generate new kinds of revenue that we didn’t have.” 

Sadoun said that while it is too early to provide financial guidance for 2026, the company’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) pipeline remains very active. He added that Publicis will continue to double down on its bolt-on strategy, focusing on very specific capabilities such as identity resolution, data management, new media channels, production technology and business transformation.

“We will continue maintaining a very strict financial discipline when it comes to acquisitions going into 2026,” Sadoun said. 

“What is starting to be very powerful with our M&A strategy is that not only does it fit exactly with what our client wants, but by connecting new expertise to our data and technology, we are truly opening a new addressable market for us,” he stated further. 

Alongside influencer and sports, Sadoun also highlighted growing potential in the health sector, where regulatory changes are opening new business possibilities. “There is a lot to do in the health sector at the moment, as, as you know, things are changing in terms of regulation,” he added.

Sadoun made the remarks while discussing Publicis Groupe’s third-quarter results, where the company reported total net revenue of 3,529 million euros, up from 3,423 million euros in the corresponding quarter of 2024. Organic growth for the quarter stood at 5.7%, while the first nine months of 2025 saw organic growth of 5.5%.

Asia Pacific delivered 6.5% organic growth in the third quarter, with revenue rising to 316 million euros from 307 million euros in the same period last year. North America, the company’s largest market, grew 7.1%, and Latin America led regional growth with a 9.6% rise in the third quarter.