Publicis Groupe is a global leader in marketing, communication, and digital transformation. Led by group CEO Michael Rebelo, Publicis has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington and employs 1,600 professionals. The Groupe is home to award-winning agencies and brands, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Digitas and more. Publicis Groupe’s Connected Platform Under Mr Rebelo’s leadership, Publicis has transformed from a traditional holding company to create a ‘Connected Platform’ of companies and capabilities. This has meant removing all agency brand silos and breaking away from the traditional holding company model and anti-collaborative mindset. The company’s Connected Platform approach is made possible by its unique commercial structure – having one Groupe P&L, one Groupe CEO and one Groupe agenda. This is unlike other competing holding companies, which must contend with multiple P&Ls in each market. This is a key competitive advantage that sets Publicis apart, as it removes all barriers between the group’s various agency businesses to ensure there is a true collaboration between them. Consistently strong evidence of success, winning new clients and retaining existing ones are critical indicators of success in the advertising and communications sector.

Inspiring a connected culture Publicis ANZ has undergone a significant operational and cultural transformation since 2016, transforming its business to become a Connected Platform of agency businesses, capabilities, and talent. In the last two years, Publicis has built a connected culture that brings its 20 businesses, people, and clients together as part of the Publicis Connected Platform. This seamless access ignites the multiplier effect, where its clients and people see supercharged benefits around growth, creativity, and capability when they work with two or more Publicis businesses. In an industry with a high turnover rate, the company encourages employees to find new ways to diversify their skills and grow their careers within the Publicis network, which may mean moving from one agency business to another, or another market.

Publicis’ unique single-country P&L model means that connection within its business is encouraged and rewarded because leaders are not financially or operationally penalised for sharing clients or talent. This allows the company to create careers, not just jobs, retain the best talent in the market, and grow people to develop their best work and deliver impactful solutions for clients. Publicis believes that there needs to be a blend of both policies and behaviour-based approaches that align, empower, and enhance its strategic people objectives around ‘Growth, Magic and Connection’. This includes industry-leading paid leave policies such as parental leave and entitlements that reflect the company’s diverse workforce and varied lived experiences. Operationally, Publicis has policies in place that enhance internal mobility to support the growth of its people and add magic through the diversity of thought while also streamlining resources and capability management by connecting teams both globally and locally. Furthermore, Publicis has progressive policies around mental health to ensure people are empowered.

Beyond formal classroom learning, creating meaningful connections amongst its people is a core component of Publicis’ L&D program. The ANZ Buddy Up mentor program has been designed to match mentors with mentees across the organisation beyond their field of work. This program gives Publicis employees the opportunity to learn from those outside their agency business and craft specialism. These connections help drive individual growth and mobility, as well as facilitate improved awareness of organisation-wide expertise. Last year, 54 employees were successfully matched with mentees, with 93% of mentees surveyed confirming the program to be effective (survey, June 2021). Additionally, Publicis has a rigorous compensation framework based on the proactive and rational management of compensation and benefits. In other remuneration measures, Groupe ensures its workforce is paid in line with the market and modern award coverage. Publicis does this by undertaking several reviews, such as a bi-annual salary review using internal and external data to benchmark its workforce, and it engages with external employment relations advisors to review award and visa coverage, updating entitlement and employment terms accordingly. Publicis also ensures that its talent is developed to achieve its full potential by understanding its wants and needs through regular manager meetings and check-ins. Employee reviews are undertaken annually, and eligibility for salary increases is based on factors including performance, employee mapping, external benchmarking, salary guide ranges, growth ranges and the last time of increase.

Additionally, the company’s feedback and performance platform ‘Career Conversations’ allows for ongoing dialogue throughout the year, resulting in more relevant and meaningful high-performance outcomes for talent and clients, keeping their development agile. Publicis recognises that autonomy and challenging work are critical drivers of employee satisfaction. In a staff survey, 87% said they have the autonomy to carry out their job effectively, while 76% said their job provides challenging and interesting work (June 2021).

For information about Publicis Groupe, visit www.publicisgroupe.com