The case focuses on the response to the digital transformation of marketing by Publicis Groupe, a major advertising holding company. It traces over the course of a decade the rise of digital on the corporate agenda, the establishment of a specific unit, VivaKi, and its ongoing adaptation to organizational issues as well as shifting external conditions. While the main focus is on strategic issues, key leadership and organizational aspects are also discussed.
The prime objective is to learn how corporates achieve strategic agility. In response to major trends and shocks such as the digital transformation of the economy, firms must reconcile the desire to be steered in a clear strategic direction with the need to adapt to a dynamic environment, seizing opportunities and addressing threats along the way. Discussion focuses on achieving agility at the corporate level (rather than at the level of a business unit or line of business).
A second theme is how to sustain agility over an extended timeframe (roughly a decade). In this instance, the approach taken to new initiatives borrows from existing related efforts as well as bringing in novel capabilities. Agility is derived not from one or two isolated decisions but from a series of decisions that are directed as well as responsive to external conditions.
- Strategy
- Strategic agility
- Corporate Strategy
- Digital Transformation
- Advertising
- Marketing Services
- Communication Services
- M&A
- Capabilities
- Q41516
