Publicis Groupe Builds the First Professional Assistant Platform Powered by AI and Machine Learning

Publicis Groupe Chairman & CEO, Arthur Sadoun, today announces the next step of The Power of One, initiated in 2015 by Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Publicis Groupe. After the acquisition of Sapient with its world-class technology expertise, and after having broken the barriers between our different entities to form Solution hubs, Publicis Groupe builds the platform of the future:  Marcel. Marcel will be the first-ever professional assistant platform powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, that connects 80,000 employees across 200 disciplines in 130 countries. Marcel draws on the predictive nature of AI to identify opportunities, anticipate clients’ needs, connect people, and unleash creativity while harnessing the power of the Groupe’s data spine to drive business solutions.

Marcel's features are inspired by the results of Publicis Groupe’s global talent survey conducted in 2017, revealing authentic insight about how the people within our company want to work in the future.

Marcel will give Publicis Groupe newfound opportunities to connect diverse and extreme skillsets seamlessly -- designers with data scientists, robotics with retail specialists, consultants with creators, the possibilities are endless, business solutions infinite, all at the service of our clients. 

In order to develop and deploy the platform, Publicis Groupe will shift its promotional budget from industry events to focus its investment. In June 2018, Publicis Groupe plans to launch Marcel exclusively at Viva Technology, the world’s leading event for technology and innovation, in Paris. Publicis Groupe will resume its participation in industry events in September 2018.

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO: “Marcel is another milestone in our ambition to become a platform at the service of our clients. Make no mistake, it is an operational transformation. We are one of the last industries that has yet to unleash the power of every individual thanks to technology. It’s time to draw a line in the sand for our people.”

Carla Serrano, Chief Strategy Officer: “We are applying the strategy we recommend to our clients to ourselves – future-proof your business by delivering valued experiences to your clients, your partners and especially your employees. With Marcel, every person that works at Publicis will come face to face with their best work.”

Mark Tutssel, Creative Chairman of Publicis Communications: “Marcel is a platform for talent and creativity without borders. It unleashes the collective creative firepower of the Groupe, and is a springboard for the infinite potential of ideas."

Named after Marcel Bleustein Blanchet, the founder of Publicis and a creative visionary who once said “An entrepreneur is a person who leaves the least amount of time between an idea and its execution.” Marcel will allow just that.