Key Takeaways
- Publicis calls out WPP CEO Cindy Rose's 'CEO handshake' criticism as 'an insult to clients’ intelligence.'
- Publicis won major wins like PepsiCo’s global media business and LVMH’s Asia-Pacific account without a pitch.
- Publicis argues bypassing traditional pitches is about rigorous client testing, not skipping due diligence.
Publicis Groupe is firing back at comments made from WPP CEO Cindy Rose during its Q3 earnings call in October, in which she openly criticized a growing trend of the pitchless “CEO handshake” during the holdco’s earnings call with investors.
While she didn’t address Publicis directly, Rose told investors on Oct. 29 that “I do not think we do ourselves any favor as an industry of professionals by encouraging clients to bypass proper due diligence. I think I will leave it at that.”
Now, in an open letter obtained by ADWEEK, Publicis Groupe has now defended its methods for winning new business, calling out Rose’s “theory” on its process.
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