The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Author

By Imogen Watson | Senior reporter

December 19, 2019 | 3 min read

As 2019 nears its end and the next decade looms nearer, it's the time of year when Publicis Groupe releases its annual wishes.

A time when the agency network likes to show its humorous side, based on an original idea by chief executive Arthur Sadoun and chairman Maurice Lévy, the pair have decided to keep it low key this year.

"We've been asking you to do so much for the past 12 months... I know how exhausted you are and I didn't dare to ask for any more additional help from anyone, just before Christmas," Sadoun tells a shaky camera, that struggles to stay in focus.

"So this year it's just me, my smartphone and my assistant," he continues, before the sound becomes muffled by the cameraperson who appears a tad inept at recording videos.

As Sadoun goes on to detail how Publicis Groupe has turned its organisation upside down this in 2019, "to break the silos between creativity, data, media and technology," the video skills undermine what he says.

As he continues to round up the year, the shaky video gets progressively worse, zooming in and out from Sadoun's face, turning horizontal and flickering between bright and dark. Even worse, Sadoun's face keeps getting blocked out by the 'assistants' clumsy fingers.

As the 'assistant' fails to cut the video, he accidentally turns the camera on his face and we see that it is, in fact, Lévy who is the unskilled cameraman.

screen_shot_2019-12-19_at_15.34.47.png
Loading...

For its 2019 annual wishes, Publicis Groupe mocked its AI helper - Marcel - and presented him as an unpopular character at the workplace because he took up all the Cannes budget one year. As he rolls around with a piece of loo paper stuff to his wheel, the staff shout "loser."

Loading...

And for its 2018 wishes - Sadoun's first - he took the piss out of the stress of the role by showing how much he had 'aged'. Grey-haired, and wrinkled he appears tired and worn by the job, while Lévy - who had recently retired to chairman - walks in dark-haired and young-looking.

Creative Publicis Groupe

More from Creative

View all