Publicis Worldwide came into 2024 ready to run through the pack. With a Queensland heart and national ambitions, the agency has proven it can do far more than defend its home turf—expanding its creative reputation across state lines and tackling some of the nation’s most complex social challenges.

As one would expect, the agency has a firm grasp on Queensland-based clients and deepened its relationship with Tourism & Events Queensland over the course of the season. But it has started growing its ambitions to the other states due to its growing reputation and requests for pitch. As such, it picked up work for the Australian Sports Commission in Canberra to increase sport participation nationally, for Nine Entertainment to reposition its major mastheads and for The Travel Corporation to reposition Contiki for global growth.

It also had a respectable showing at the Australian and New Zealand Effies, as well as its European instalment. In Brisbane, the agency won 16 Brisbane Advertising and Design Club Awards.

The agency’s HIxAI approach, which blends human insight with the speed and scale of technology, seemed to pay off. Campaigns such as ‘UNPLYBL’ for Transport and Main Roads tackling risky driving by redesigning a game controller to simulate drunk reflexes, while ‘Donated Subtitles’ for the Lady Musgrave Trust reached millions of young women with hidden messages about coercive control.

Internally, the club culture is strong. With a gender pay gap narrowed to 7.7 per cent (and 2.6 per cent by internal equity modelling), a 60/40 female-led leadership team, and initiatives like LeadHERship and First Nations partnership program Cultural Grounding, Publicis is building from the grassroots up.

There’s also a clear investment in the engine room, including AI tools, new social and digital teams, and pilot testing of dynamic creative platforms.