From its beginnings in 1926 as a creative workshop in Montmartre, through international expansion, innovation in data analytics and technology, to its current position as an industry-leading holding company, Publicis Groupe has undergone several major transformations in its 100-year rich history.
But one thing remains the same: the annual Christmas card. And behind this year's, which will also see the company enter its second century of existence, is none other than Publicis Conseil, the agency founded by founder Marcel Bleustein Blanchet.
This year's card combines live action, real actors, as well as AI technologies that come from the group's own platforms and tools. Christmas Wishes tells the story of the pioneering spirit, endless innovation and resilience that has enabled Publicis Group to weather wars, fires, economic crises, technological revolutions and global pandemics. It is this that, after 100 years of existence, has put Publicis Groupe in a position to continue to lead and transform the industry.
See the story of the lion that never gives up:
Video: Publicis - New Year. New century. New wishes.
And here you can watch an exclusive documentary about Publicis' 100 years with Elizabeth Badinter, Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun:
Video: Publicis: 100 years of looking to the future
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, said.It will be our first century, a century in which we have transformed a small agency from Montmartre into the largest holding company in the industry. A century in which the Groupe has risen from the ashes three times - sometimes literally - and transformed itself many times. It is this spirit of resilience that has defined us for 100 years and is captured in our motto: the lion never gives up."
The year 2026 will also mark the entry into the Group's second century, the beginning of which will undoubtedly be defined by the development of artificial intelligence. This film is a human, historical and technological pilgrimage that brings together the Group's best creative minds with its unique AI and creative capabilities. The result reflects Publicis Groupe's fundamental belief: "the future of AI is our people."
About "A Lion Never Gives Up":
A unique "hybrid" project
"A Lion Never Gives Up" combines live footage, 2D and 3D imagery using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to reconstruct scenes from the group's past, reducing the cost of scene reconstruction and opening up new creative possibilities.
A quarter of the film is made up of live footage, with the remainder created using AI based on photographs, films and documents from the company's own archives.
A huge amount of visual material
AI artists and archivists managed, collected and catalogued around 4,500 real images for the 150 individual shots needed for a project of this size, which were supplemented with AI-generated images.
The redesigned editing process
In the traditional process, once the editing stage is reached, everything is locked down. Here, however, everything was left open so that each shot could be re-generated from scratch.
Source: Publicis Groupe