Welcome in, today is Friday, July seventeenth, and we begin with Publicis, where management has pinned a raised full-year outlook squarely on artificial intelligence. Publicis Groupe grew organic net revenue four point eight percent in the second quarter, to three point eight billion euros, or roughly four point three billion dollars, according to its earnings statement. The company lifted the low end of its full-year growth forecast to four point five percent, from four percent, while holding the top end at five percent. Per the filing, every major region except the Middle East and Africa grew, with the United States up five point five percent and Europe up five percent. Publicis framed the quarter around artificial intelligence, and tied the raised guidance to that work. The company reports that AI-powered marketing services now account for eighty-seven percent of net revenue, and that the practice, spanning its intelligent creative and connected media work, grew organic net revenue six point five percent in the quarter. On the same call, executives said the larger prize is still deferred. Per the company, clients are embracing AI while holding back on bigger transformation spend. Sapient, the group's transformation consultancy and about thirteen percent of the business, declined in the mid-single digits as clients turned cautious, according to the filing. Chief executive Arthur Sadoun told investors that capital will eventually flow into client data and technology, saying, in his words, it will happen, but when, he does not know. On the two-point-two-billion-dollar LiveRamp acquisition, which trade press reports say has drawn concern over the platform's neutrality and, per those reports, prompted rival WPP to say it would stop using it, Sadoun called the deal a non-event and the technology neutral by design. Now, an account move that speaks to where brands see their growth. Skechers is shifting a significant portion of its global media business to Horizon, Marketing Dive reports. The trigger, per the report, is international: overseas markets have become the footwear brand's primary growth engine, and the company wants to strengthen its omnichannel capabilities as it consolidates that work. The through-line for the trade is how much roster reshuffling is now driven by cross-border ambition rather than a single home market, with competitive reviews continuing to move sizable media mandates between shops. This one is single-sourced at the moment, and the financial terms and full scope of the account were not detailed. Now, a few more headlines moving the trade today. Building on our earlier report on John Wren's pay, Everything PR's twenty twenty-six ranking of the highest-paid PR and holding-company chiefs puts Wren first, ahead of Sadoun, Penn, and Rose. In pitch news, Michael Hill has appointed WPP Media's EssenceMediacom across Australia, New Zealand and Canada after a competitive review, according to AdNews. M plus C Saatchi North America has launched an entertainment arm led by former WME executive Jen Bacchus, aimed at branded content and deeper cultural relevance, Marketing Dive reports. A commentary in Indian Television argues the agency business is optimizing for scale through consolidation and automation, even as thinning margins and a market that rewards speed test that bet. And finally, a Trefis analysis makes an investor's case that Omnicom's cash generation is outrunning market expectations, likening its yield to government bonds.