Rebellion: Publicis opens its content vertical and goes in search of IPs

Publicis Groupe, one of the largest communication companies in the world, with 80,000 employees in 110 countries, decided to open its content vertical and recruited an experienced producer like the Mexican Iván Aranda to lead it.

With more than 35 years in content creation, in which he has produced telenovelas, movies, and reality shows ranging from Big Brother to Acapulco Shore, Andara went to MIPCOM to present for the first time Rebellion, Publicis area that will be dedicated to providing services to the content. From Cannes, Ríchard Izarra, Chief Editor of PRODU, interviewed him.

“From this vertical, Publicis aims to be an important player in the industry that can support different entities, including writers, production houses, platforms or channels, open TV or pay TV platforms,” Andara said. “The way to participate is different, I’m not just talking about the main groups that have been our clients like P&G or Toyota, but about Netflix, Amazon, Caracol, TV Azteca, and Televisa.”

When Andara joined this project, the first thing he did was delve into the company to see what advertising services and tools could be at the service of the audiovisual industry. “We seek to support the content, with data, and technological tools such as social listening, to find the clearest path for a project and to know in detail where people’s tastes go. We are here to see what you need and how we can help you”. It is what he calls being from a “different species”.

Among the services offered are the curation and creation of content; financing backed by the important muscle that implies having 22% of the communication market in the world; co-production and amplification of these contents with promotional campaigns. “We want to be a true partner. Publicis has content and creative that can be put at the service of clients and in the development of ideas. We have data and digital and social media strategy”.

Andara went on an IP hunt. They have already bought a book, and in Spain, they have a couple of projects with Mediaset and others with Dopamine in Mexico. The Stellantis Group of Argentina has also knocked on Publicis’ door for a specific project. “We are starting, but we already have projects that we are working on and we are open to receiving others to curate them. Every 15 days a creative committee of the agency meets to evaluate proposals”.

The strategy that Andara has designed is based on what they have called the five D’s: “Work from Defining a need for a platform or a television station that may come with a specific approach, such as reaching a certain audience in a time slot, for which we Dive, that is, we immerse ourselves to investigate ideas and content, to then Defend them with Data, and finally make the Delivery,” he explains. “We want to be a player in this industry. We are not born producers, but as co-producers who go out to find alliances so that this can grow and begin to develop IP”.

Watch EN VIVO with Iván Aranda of Rebellion