Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun has a talent for grabbing headlines, and this latest stunt is a clever ruse to get clients (and press) interested ahead of the Cannes festival. It’s a short film which asks, “Have we gone too far?” in making overblown claims to clients in order to win business.
The film has elements of parody, with extreme examples of the industry “overpromising at scale” but at the same time the 80s synth-pop soundtrack that kicks in towards the end sets a very ponderous tone. Interestingly, Publicis doesn’t exclude itself from the charges, and Sadoun urges everyone to “reaffirm our value with the right promises,” by which he means proven business results.
Publicis is sending 40% fewer staff to Cannes this year, but is clearly looking to extract 100% of the value from a week on La Croisette, winning pitches the good old fashioned way.
