On an organic basis, the holding group recorded a 6.3 per cent decline in revenues. Consolidated revenues dipped 1.6 per cent. A release from the company said it had been “strongly penalised” by its performance in Australia, Japan and Korea.
Overall, Publicis Groupe reported a 4.4 per cent decline in global revenues on an organic basis, and a 1.3 per cent rise in consolidated revenue to €1.08 billion (US$1.42 billion).
“Although I cannot be satisfied with the decrease in our organic growth, all available indicators seem to point in the same direction: market deterioration is much worse than anticipated. Our main competitors have published numbers with a decline between 5.6 per cent and 6.6 per cent, clearly showing that Publicis Groupe is gaining market share,” said Maurice Lévy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe.
Among the company’s highlights was its advancement in digital, which accounted for 20.5 per cent of its total revenue compared to 17.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008.
Overall, Publicis reported winning $1.7 billion worth of new business in the first quarter.
