Publicis Groupe posted what the global advertising group described as a "remarkable" result for the June quarter and half year.
CEO Arthur Sadoun says the half year to June was an all-time high and "way beyond expectations".
Reported net revenue growth in the first half was up 19.1% and organic growth 10.4%, implying +11.3% versus pre-pandemic levels.
Organic growth ran at 10.1% in the US, 10.1% in Europe and 6.5% in Asia.
June quarter net revenue was up 21% and organic growth 10.3%.
Net revenue in Asia Pacific was 14.2% higher on a reported basis, with Australia and New Zealand up strongly, particularly thanks to media.
Publicis upgraded 2022 full year guidance to organic growth of 6% to 7%, up from 4% to 5%.
Another global holding group, Omnicom, this week also posted double digit -- 11.3% -- organic revenue growth in the June quarter.
Publicis' Sadoun: "There are three reasons behind this remarkable performance, which comes on top of +17.1% organic growth in Q2 last year.
"First, very solid growth across all regions, with the US and Europe at +10%, and Asia at +6.5%, with China remaining positive despite the lockdowns.
"Second, further acceleration at Publicis Sapient and Epsilon which grew +19.1% and +13.7% respectively, confirming our ability to capture the shift of client investment towards data, technology and digital business transformation.
"Last but not least, we benefitted from the ramp-up of our new business, after a record number of wins in 2021. Our momentum since the beginning of the year continues to place us at the top of the new business rankings for the past 12 months, in the latest broker reports.
"At the same time, our financial ratios reached new historic heights in the first half of the year thanks to the uniqueness of our operating model.
"Our margin came in at 17.3%, and headline EPS increased by close to 30%. This performance, combined with our better visibility on a solid H2 and the strength of our model, make us confident for the future.
"Looking ahead, we are ready to face the ongoing uncertainties caused by the macro-economic context, thanks to our unique capabilities to help our clients weather any potential challenges and by leveraging our agile platform organization to sustain industry-high financial ratios.
"I would like to thank our clients for their trust, and our people for their incredible efforts, which have led us to these extremely strong results.”
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