Publicis Groupe marks 100 years in new film and anniversary documentary via Publicis Conseil
Publicis Groupe has launched its annual ‘Wishes’ film, marking a significant milestone as it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2026. The film titled ‘A Lion Never Gives Up’, highlights a century of transformation – from the company’s beginnings as a creative hot shop in Montmartre in 1926 to its evolution into one of the industry’s largest holding companies.
Created by Publicis Conseil, the agency founded by Marcel Bleustein Blanchet, the film blends live action with extensive AI production, drawing on the Groupe’s proprietary platforms and tools. The result is a hybrid piece that revisits key moments from Publicis’ past, including the wars, fires, economic downturns, technological shifts and global pandemic that have shaped the business over the last hundred years.
Approximately a quarter of the film consists of newly shot live action footage, while the remainder has been generated using GenAI 2D and 3D imaging. Publicis’ archives played a central role, with more than 4,500 visual assets sourced, managed and catalogued to inform 150 individual shots. The hybrid production approach also enabled a reinvented editing process, with each shot able to be regenerated from scratch at any time.
The launch coincides with a broader retrospective on Publicis’ century-long journey, including an exclusive documentary (featured below) featuring Elizabeth Badinter, Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun.
Says Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO Publicis Groupe : “2026 will be a very special year for us, as we end our first century.
“A century where we have turned a small hot shop from Montmartre into the industry’s largest holding company over the last two years.
“A century that has seen the Groupe rise from the ashes – sometimes literally – three times and reinvented itself many more.
“It is this spirit of resilience that has defined us for 100 years and that is captured in our Wishes: a lion never gives up.
“2026 will also be the year where we enter our second century, the beginning of which will undoubtedly be defined by the rise of AI. This film is a human, historical and technological odyssey, that blends our best creative minds with our unmatched capabilities in AI production to embody our belief that the future of AI is our people.”
Publicis Conseil
Global CEO/CCO Leo – CEO/CCO Publicis Conseil – CCO Publicis Groupe France : Marco Venturelli
Agathe Bousquet – Présidente Publicis Groupe France et Présidente de Publicis Conseil
Alexis Ben Behe – Directeur de Création Executif / Executive Creative Director
Maud Robaglia – Directrice de Création / Creation Director
Gurvan Prioul – Creative & UX Design Director / Directeur Créatif et UX Design
Hamza Ben Maadoum – Directeur Artistique Junior
Production: Prodigious Paris
CEO Prodigious : Christopher Thiery
MD Prodigious : Caroline Petruccelli
Producteur Exécutif : Yann Dubois
Post producteur : Cédric Herbet
VFX creative Director : Nico Vogel
DOP : Nicolas LOIR
Chef opérateur son cinéma : Damien PERROLAZ
Directrice de production : Marie Caron
Son : Prodigious
Producteur son : Martin Sumeire
Mix, sound design : KOUZ
Le documentaire “L’avenir est l’affaire de Publicis »
Réalisation Stanislas Valroff
Production : Eddy Story
Tourné au Studio XR Prodigious
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