Publicis Group CEO Maurice Levy has vowed to grow faster than rivals over the coming four years, thanks in part to its recent acquisition of digital business Sapient.

Speaking at an analyst conference in Paris yesterday (4 December), Levy attempted to woo investors disappointed by the group’s failed $35m merger with Omnicom, promising that, by 2018, its organic growth would reach two percentage points greater than the industry average.

The four-year ‘2018 Objectives’ plan argues that Publicis is “uniquely positioned” to assist clients who have never been as “uncertain, confused and worried about their brands”.

Levy claimed Publicis is benefiting from investments made since 2006, but needed to go further to handle with the “speed of innovation” and “leakage of digital into every economic sector”.

“We are experiencing radical changes in consumer behaviour and truly overturned business models under the impulse of digital,” said Levy.

“Beginning in 2006, we anticipated this transformation and heavily invested in order to best serve our clients and help them face these enormous changes.

“The speed of innovation and the leakage of digital in every economic sector are driving us to reposition Publicis Groupe in order to be able to bring our clients, a radically new model, of delivering all of the services they need in order to face this inescapable transformation of business models, in ways they can stay relevant in the minds of consumers and in their own industries.”