French multinational agency Publicis Group posted a 5.4% organic growth for the first half of 2024.

The holding company, which owns global agencies such as Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and Starcom, reported that its total net revenue in the first six months of the year was $6.688 million euros, up 5.9% from $6.318 million euros in 2023. Publicis also reported second-quarter organic revenue of $3.458 million, up 6.8% from the $3.239 million last year.

In North America, its largest market, the company saw 7.6% growth on a reported basis in the second quarter. On an organic basis, the region grew by 5.2% compared to the second quarter of 2023. The U.S. segment of the business increased by 5.3% and Canada by 2.9%.

All activities posted good results in the region during Q2, with media and Epsilon growing strongly in the quarter, Publicis said in its earnings call.

Media grew double-digits, on top of double-digit growth over the last two years, due to new business acquisition and expanded reach, particularly in the healthcare, financial services and TMT sectors, according to the company. Epsilon posted mid-single-digit growth mostly due to a strong contribution from digital media, driven by continued demand for first-party data solutions.

Publicis Sapient, however, posted a slight decline in a context of continued “wait and see” attitude from clients. Creative activities were broadly stable.

“We have taken the leadership of personalization at scale, demonstrated by our combined data and media offering’s double-digit growth this quarter, for the third year in a row. And thanks to Publicis Sapient, we are uniquely positioned to partner with our clients in their AI-led transformation,” said Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe.

For the first half, net revenues in North America increased 5.0 % in organic terms (5.6 % in reported terms). The U.S. performed solidly with organic growth of 5.2 %.

By sector, in the first half of the year, the company saw a 6% increase in the automotive group, a 26% increase in healthcare, 6% in food and beverage, 11% in TMT, 3% in non-food consumer products, 18% in leisure and travel, and 3% in energy and manufacturer. Meanwhile, decreases of 5% were recorded in the the financial sector and 4% in the retail and public sectors.

The Group is now forecasting organic growth of 5% to 6% for the full year.