Publicis Group has launched Leo, a creative entity that unites Leo Burnett, “the brand of Humankind”, and Publicis Worldwide, the network that stands for transformation.
Leo is led by the team that made Publicis Conseil the Cannes Lions 2024 Agency of the Year, Marco Venturelli, and Agathe Bousquet who will act as co-presidents, and chief strategy officer, Gareth Goodall. Together they are responsible for Leo’s global creative community and culture, that will be activated at the country level through the Power of One, ensuring the constellation’s creative thinkers and makers have direct access to the Groupe’s data, tech and media assets. Andrew Bruce, CEO Publicis Groupe Canada, will also take on the additional role of chairman, Leo North America.
The Leo constellation joins Publicis Groupe’s creative roster, alongside Saatchi & Saatchi, LePub and BBH, and creative hot shops such as Fallon and The Community, as well as Le Truc, the only creative collective operating at holding company level.
There will be no impact in Australia. The Publicis Worldwide brand name will remain and there will be no changes to the structures or general operations of Leo (previously Leo Burnett) and Publicis Worldwide.
The Leo Burnett logo has been expanded and redesigned to form Leo’s. It unites the firepower of Leo Burnett’s name and heritage with the roar of a lion and aims to underline Leo’s global creative force of 8,000 creative minds from Leo Burnett and 7,000 from PWW, with 8 agencies of the year across 90 countries, and over 400 major creative awards.
Carla Serrano, Global CSO Publicis Groupe, stated, “Through Leo we are doubling down on our strategy of strong creative brands, connected to the industry’s only data, media and tech ecosystem. With Publicis as the global group brand we all rally to, we are now accelerating on the Power of One, turning two networks into one constellation.”
“At Publicis, we have demonstrated time and again the power of the Power of One. Leo’s global spirit will live and breathe at the local level, with outstanding creative and strategic talent turbocharged by best-in-class data and technology through our country model, to create truly bespoke models for its clients,” added Agathe Bousquet, co-president of Leo and president of Publicis France.
Marco Venturelli, co-President and Chief Creative Officer of Leo, commented, “We’ve never had so many tools to better understand people and connect with them. Nevertheless creativity still is, and forever will be a messy human process. Leo will be a true global community of creative and strategic talents, connected together for a more human way of creating at scale.”
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, stated,“I have had the privilege of leading both Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnett. Since then, other iconic names have disappeared, but I have never believed that creative efficiency should mean fewer brands and fewer operations. It is about big ideas from creative minds that are nurtured by strong agency culture, to have an impact on our clients’ business. In today’s world it is also about more collaboration and more access to capabilities. That’s exactly what Leo stands for. By unifying the spirit and talent of these global creative communities, Leo will be bigger, stronger and on more doors than ever.”
