17533: Thank God It’s French Court Day.

 

MediaPost reported an appeals court in Paris ruled Vincent Bolloré did not control Vivendi when the company split into four separate enterprises. No, Bolloré probably delegated control to his sons and privileged kin.

 

French Court Rules Vivendi Not Controlled By Bollore

 

By Steve McClellan

 

Vincent Bollore dodged a $9 billion-plus bullet earlier this week when an appeals court in Paris ruled that he did not exercise control over media conglomerate Vivendi during the period when the company divided itself into four separate companies. They included a newly independent Havas, now publicly traded on the Euronext Amsterdam Exchange. 

 

The news was reported by several European outlets including Reuters. One investor group, CIAM, said it would appeal to the French Supreme Court, reports indicated. 

 

The issue of Bollore’s control of the company has been the subject of minority shareholder lawsuits and appeals to regulatory bodies since the company split apart in 2024. Each side has won a couple of rounds.  

 

It’s not clear when the legal battle will end, but if it is determined that Bollore did exercise control, French laws would require Bollore Group to make a tender offer for outstanding minority shares of Vivendi and its spin-off companies. Analysts peg the value of that tender at between $9 and $10 billion.  

 

Vivendi issued a statement confirming the Appeals Court decision, saying it “fully confirms” an earlier court analysis that Bollore did not control the company. Bollore did not issue a comment.

17498: Can’t Beat The Real Exclusivity.

Advertising Age reported The Coca-Cola Company is launching a global review for media, data, and technology, staging a France vs UK battle royale between Publicis Groupe and WPP.

 

The scenario underscores how serving global brands are closed affairs, exclusive privileges available only to a handful of White holding companies and a single White operating company.

 

In the US, Coca-Cola has a history of intentionally excluding Blacks from its marketing efforts.

 

Looks like the colorless campaign continues. Let them eat—and drink—crumbs.

 

Coca-Cola media, data and tech agency review pits WPP against Publicis

 

By E.J. Schultz, Brian Bonilla, and Ewan Larkin

 

Coca-Cola Co. will conduct a global agency review for media, data and technology needs, setting up a shootout between Publicis Groupe and WPP, the beverage giant confirmed.

 

The rival holding companies will compete for the business in Coca-Cola’s top global markets, excluding North America, where Publicis is the incumbent, and Japan and Korea, where it works with Dentsu, Coca-Cola confirmed to Ad Age. Mediasense will handle the review, which will begin in July with a decision expected in the fall.

 

The review is driven by Coca-Cola’s desire to evolve “its digital-first marketing operating system for future growth. This includes a shift in mindset from traditional media planning to the emerging ways we need to reach consumers through technology, including agentic tools,” the company stated.

 

Coca-Cola Co. reported $5.4 billion in ad expenses in 2025, up from $5.1 billion in 2024. Coca-Cola was the 19th-largest advertiser in the world and the 27th-largest advertiser in the U.S. based on 2024 spending, according to Ad Age Datacenter.

 

The review comes nearly five years after Coca-Cola hired WPP for creative, media, data and marketing technology across its 200 or so brands, setting up a bespoke unit called Open X. WPP in early 2025 lost its grip on a significant chunk of that business when Coca-Cola Co. hired Publicis Groupe for its North America media account. Now Publicis has an opportunity to significantly expand its remit with Coca-Cola, potentially at WPP’s expense. Publicis finished a close second during the 2021 review, but at that time, Manolo Arroyo, Coca-Cola’s global chief marketing officer, said WPP’s global reach tipped the scales in its favor.

 

The new review “coincides with a contract renewal cycle following the start of our five-year partnership with WPP Open X, which has helped to modernize our marketing approach and deliver significant business value,” Coke stated, adding that “global creative and PR disciplines are not in scope of this review and will remain with WPP Open X.”

 

“We are proud to serve as The Coca-Cola Company’s global network partner,” WPP shared in a statement. “The upcoming five-year contract renewal process coincides with Coca-Cola’s Next Chapter initiative, and we will continue to transform our capabilities in lockstep with them. We welcome the opportunity to showcase how our integrated media, data science, and agentic technology platform and solutions will continue to drive future growth across their key global markets.”

 

Publicis didn’t return requests for comment.

 

WPP has been building some much-needed momentum in the pitch room, with WPP Media raking in $1.5 billion in new client billings during the first quarter, according to COMvergence. There is, however, a lot riding on the Coca-Cola account. Marketing consultants previously told Ad Age that any further losses or missteps with the beverage giant could signal deeper systemic issues within WPP.

 

It is the latest test for Cindy Rose on the eve of her first time at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as WPP’s CEO.

 

Open X has seen leadership changes since losing the North America media account. When Laurent Ezekiel moved from Open X CEO to take the top post at Ogilvy in September, WPP handed the reins of the bespoke team to Floriane Tripolino, previously WPP’s client lead for Nestlé and a former Publicis executive, with Ezekiel staying on as executive sponsor.

 

In September, Ezekiel told Ad Age the Open X model was going “very well.” At the same time, Devika Bulchandani, WPP’s chief operating officer, made clear that WPP intended to reclaim Coca-Cola’s North America media account.

 

In April, Coca-Cola reported a 12% jump in first-quarter net revenue, to $12.5 billion. The company in part credited efforts to execute “locally relevant marketing at scale to drive enduring brand value,” citing programs such as an AI‑enabled campaign in China inspired by traditional Chinese paper art. WPP’s EssenceMediacom cited the effort on its website, suggesting it led to 8% year-over-year sales growth.

 

Coca-Cola, in recent years, has shifted much of its advertising to targeted digital channels and stepped back from big tentpole events such as the Super Bowl. However, it still spends big on the World Cup and Olympics.

17495: Bored By Publicis Groupe Board.

 

Mediapsssst reported Publicis Groupe added two White people to its board, one of whom is the son of the current vice chair of the Publicis board, as well as the grandson of corporate founder Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.

 

The other White holding company based in France—Havas—also features nepotism at the highest ranks.

 

Maybe it’s a cultural thang. C’est la vie.

 

Two New Members Added To Publicis Groupe Board

 

By Richard Whitman

 

At its annual meeting earlier this week Publicis Groupe shareholders voted to add two new members to the board including Microsoft Chief Scientist and Technical Fellow Jaime Teevan (as previously reported) and Benjamin Badinter. 

 

Badinter is the son of Élisabeth Badinter (current vice chair of the Publicis board) and grandson of company founder Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet. 

 

Badinter, 56, has spent most of his career at the holding company, which he joined in 1995. 

 

In 2002, he was appointed head of Mediavision and Jean Mineur, an agency specializing in advertising cinema. In 2011, he was appointed Chairman Médias et Régies Europe, a Publicis specialist in outdoor, print, radio, and cinema.  

 

In 2016 Badinter acquired the publisher of Tennis Magazine and created an agency dedicated to tennis, Tennis Team Agency. Badinter owns the publisher while Publicis owns the agency.  

 

On the board, he will serve as a member of the strategic, environmental and social committee. 

17364: Viva La Bullshit! Cannes Lions ‘Country Of The Year’ Honor Goes To France.

 

MediaPost reported the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will honor France as Country Of The Year.

 

The dubious award marks its second year, having gone to Brazil in the inaugural 2025 presentation.

 

Can’t help but wonder what revenue-generating scam Cannes Lions will cook up next. Hemisphere Of The Year? Planet Of The Year?

 

France Wins ‘Country Of The Year’ Honors At Cannes

 

By Steve McClellan

 

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has named France “Country Of The Year,” the annual accolade launched a year ago that recognizes a country’s “exceptional and enduring commitment to creativity.” Brazil was inaugural winner of the prize. 

 

As part of the recognition the 2026 Festival (June 22-26) will feature French creative showcases, celebratory events, dedicated stage talks and French-led activations. 

 

Also, the prize enables French delegates to gift one complimentary Festival pass to a French-based colleague who has never attended. 

 

Cannes Lions CEO Simon Cook noted that since 2020, the French government has invested nearly $12 billion in funding to creative businesses, and that the country’s cultural and creative industries generate close to $109 billion in annual revenue.  

 

“On the global stage at Cannes Lions, France has consistently ranked in the top 10 performing countries, and last year ranked 4th,” noted Cook. 

 

Cannes, France has been the Festival’s permanent home since 1984.  

 

This year Creative Country of the Year festival events are being supported by Publicis, Havas, the IAA and Le Club des Directeurs Artistiques and other groups. 

16658: French Fries & Friends.

 

Tubi is more popular than being French…? Okay, but being French is more popular—and probably required—if you’re seeking an executive position or board appointment at Havas or Publicis Groupe, respectively.

16563: French Fatphobia Fest.

The French Obese National Associations Collective (CNAO) and White advertising agency BETC Paris created this campaign to fight fatphobia during World’s Obesity Day, which will be marked on March 4. Expect World’s Obesity Day to get tons of attention versus Black History Month.

16478: Breaking Up The Family Empire…?

Adweek reported on the possibilities posed by a sale of Havas and other enterprises in the Vivendi outhouse empire, including critical commentary on the currently connected companies.

 

“[Havas] is also a relatively unprofitable, complicated and unwieldy part of the group. They are undersize in the U.S. and in media,” according to an anonymous former Havas executive. “And, despite what the release says, they have been very reluctant to make big acquisitions—Havas and [Vivendi] will never get scale without that.”

 

Hmmm. The critic clearly does not have blood ties to the Bolloré Billionaire Boys Club.

 

An Independent Havas Could Lead to Structural Changes and Acquisitions

 

Owner Vivendi will consider spinning off the agency network to drive growth

 

By Stephen Lepitak

 

French media company Vivendi’s announcement that it’s exploring a sale of Havas—as well as sister company Canal+ Group and stakes in publisher Lagardère and Telecom Italia—could unlock more value for the agency, making it attractive to potential buyers, sources tell Adweek.

 

The potential sale follows the partial sale of record label Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2020, when 10% was acquired by a consortium led by Chinese media company Tencent. Since the listing of UMG, Vivendi has seen a substantially reduced valuation, meaning growth for its subsidiary companies has been limited.

 

“In 2020, Havas was a mere 15% of Vivendi’s revenues, with UMG and Canal+ dominating the numbers and holding center stage,” said Green Square partner Barry Dudley. “When Universal was spun out in 2021, Havas shifted toward the limelight at just under 30% of revenues. If the next step is a stock exchange listing all to itself, Havas will suddenly be putting on its own show.”

 

In the six years since Vivendi acquired the remaining 59.2% stake in the advertising agency held by the Bolloré Group, the ad industry has gone through a fairly tumultuous period of change, as client demand for digital transformation strategies and the advancement of artificial intelligence have disrupted the commercial creative sector.

 

Unlocking value for future owners

 

Havas is the fifth-largest communications agency network globally and has been led by chairman and chief executive Yannick Bolloré for the last decade. He also serves as chairman of the board at Vivendi.

 

“If it is to unlock the additional value that is being held back within Vivendi, it is going to need to be quickly communicating a very clear and purposeful strategy,” Dudley explained.

 

Adweek understands that on Friday, a meeting was held with leadership within Havas to reassure them over concerns that arose from the surprise company announcement.

 

Further speculation has indicated that Havas could become a takeover target to merge with a rival agency network group, or potentially a consultancy such as Deloitte or Accenture looking to improve its creative and media credentials.

 

According to Vivendi’s third-quarter results, released in October, Havas’ net revenue was $714 million (654 million euros), with organic growth year-over-year of 4.5%. That followed second-quarter organic growth of 6.3%.

 

“[Havas] is also a relatively unprofitable, complicated and unwieldy part of the group. They are undersize in the U.S. and in media,” said one former Havas executive who requested anonymity. “And, despite what the release says, they have been very reluctant to make big acquisitions—Havas and [Vivendi] will never get scale without that.”

 

Ownership, acquisitions and agency structure

 

It is thought that even with going public, the Bolloré family would continue to run the businesses outside of Vivendi’s direct ownership.Dudley explained that the agency network’s strength was its creative business with Havas owning 148 agencies worldwide, including agency network BETC. These are based across its 73 “villages.”

 

This could lead to Havas following the WPP strategy of consolidating agencies to simplify the structure for clients.

 

Former Dentsu International and WPP executive Euan Jarvie, who now acts as chairman, investor and adviser for companies, believes that the major holding companies still have transformational challenges in their structures with the rise of consultancies entering the ad market, making driving scale even tougher.

 

“The next few years will [see] a rise of more indies and much more of a struggle for large corporates in and outside the ad market,” Jarvie said. “There is still lots of money in the markets for equity of capital investors to get into this space.

 

“All industries disrupt themselves generationally or evolutionary from time to time,” Jarvie added. “Advertising is doing both, so now might be a great time for Vivendi to consolidate and get value back in from some of its assets.”

 

Dudley added that the business will already be looking for its next high-profile acquisition deal following that of creative agency Uncommon earlier this year, with an eye on either Asia or the Americas.

 

“One thing is for sure: Doing deals is going to be fundamental in the mid-term,” Dudley said.

16474: Minding The Family Business…

MediaPost published commentary on the possibility that Vivendi, Havas, and Bolloré Group might split into three separate public companies. It will probably happen once Vincent Bolloré decides which of his kids can be anointed to run each company. There are undoubtedly heated discussions happening over the Bolloré dinner table.

 

Will Havas Become A Separate Public Company Again?

 

By Richard Whitman, Columnist

 

Entertainment conglomerate Vivendi, which owns Havas Group and is controlled by France’s Bollore Group is considering a plan to split into three separate public companies.

 

The rationale, according to the firm is that as a single conglomerate its shares are trading at a “discount,” limiting its ability to execute its desired growth strategy. Splitting into the three companies would maximize the value of the different entities, the firm believes.

 

The firm spun off Universal Music Group in 2021. Now the board has been authorized to explore a plan to split into three companies.

 

If the plan is approved it would once again make ad holding company Havas Group an independent publicly traded firm, which it had been until Vivendi acquired it in 2017.

 

Yannick Bollore is CEO of Havas and Chairman of Vivendi’s Supervisory Board. His father Vincent oversees Bollore Group.

 

In addition to Havas, media company Canal+ would be spun off into its own unit as would a third “investment company” whose initial assets would include book publisher Lagardère. It would have a portfolio of companies in media, entertainment and other culturally focused companies.

 

Vivendi said it would work with banks and other advisors to assess the feasibility of the proposed split including the tax consequences to shareholders. No timetable was issued for completing the assessment, but an update will be provided in “due course.”

16307: Scorn On The Fourth Of July.

 

Adland gleefully celebrates the 4th of July—despite the fact that four of the big six holding companies are not American enterprises, hailing from Japan, France, and the UK.

 

Does this reality impact true dedication to DE&I initiatives? Do the majority of holding company leaders view such nettlesome matters as primarily US concerns—local nuisances to check off from to-do lists preceded by more pressing priorities like quarterly earnings, mergers, award pursuits, digital capabilities, and AI? And it doesn’t help that holding companies take a colonizing approach to growth.

 

Are most of the men in charge—by virtue of their geopolitical perspectives and foreign interests—further levels removed from those seeking equality and justice?

 

16285: Eye Rolling For Popeyes Campaign.

 

Change, a White advertising agency in the FCB network located in France, is responsible for this Popeyes campaign featuring bug-eyed customers—which warrants some side-eye reactions, especially upon eyeing the exclusive makeup of the firm.

 

16201: Black Lives Do Matter To Adidas…

 

In France, adidas and White advertising agency MNSTR created the Club Originals campaign, embracing club culture. Gee, who’s ripping off whom?

 

15454: Record-Breaking Cultural Cluelessness.

 

MullenLowe Group is responsible for this France.TV promotion hyping the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo. The spot deserves a gold medal for stereotypes.