{
  "id": 14191972,
  "title": "Publicis is selling directly to AI-anxious CEOs as it steps away from traditional pitches",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/publicis-is-selling-directly-to-ai-anxious-ceos-as-it-steps-away-from",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-13T11:54:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Digiday",
    "slug": "digiday",
    "url": "https://digiday.com/media-buying/publicis-is-selling-directly-to-ai-anxious-ceos-as-it-steps-away-from-traditional-pitches/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Publicis Groupe has shifted its sales strategy, bypassing traditional marketing and communications executives to directly engage with CEOs concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their businesses, according to the company's chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun. During the holding company's third quarter results call, Sadoun revealed that they are increasingly seeing CEOs playing a more active role in their agencies' operations. According to Sadoun, CEOs are showing a strong interest in AI, recognizing that staying ahead in the industry requires a deep understanding of the technology. This CEO focus has driven client spending and resulted in new business acquisitions for Publicis in the recent quarter. Notably, the agency won a significant account from PepsiCo without a conventional pitch and decided to abstain from competing for Coca-Cola's media business.",
  "summary": "Publicis boss Sadoun says agency group is skipping CMOs in more new business pitches, as Groupe notches up new business wins.",
  "key_points": [
    "Publicis Groupe shifts sales strategy to directly engage CEOs concerned about AI impact",
    "CEOs increasingly playing active role in agencies' operations, showing strong interest in AI",
    "Publicis wins significant PepsiCo account without conventional pitch, abstains from Coca-Cola bid"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}