The world’s largest ad agency is betting big on graduates and it fills my heart with joy.
It’s been over 30 years since I was a fresh graduate hunting for my first comms job. Back then, the industry was a mystery to many, and unfortunately I think that still holds true today.
Advertising and media planning offer some of the most exciting, fast-paced careers out there, so why is there a growing sense of panic among job-seeking graduates?
The simple answer is the rise of AI.
Across the professional services landscape, from the Big Four accountancies to City law firms, a common trend has emerged: slashing junior roles.
Companies are betting on AI to handle the drudge work that graduates once did, such as administrative tasks, reporting and meeting minutes. This has created a brutal market for Gen Z jobseekers.
But what if a major industry player is taking a completely different, and far more encouraging, path?
Bucking the Grad Hiring Slowdown
The world’s largest advertising group, Publicis, is defying this trend. Instead of cutting back, its UK media division is hiring the same number of junior staff as before the AI explosion.
Niel Bornman, UK Chief Executive of Publicis Media, highlighted a core conflict facing the industry. The people-first nature of advertising versus the rapid ascent of technology.
In a recent interview with City AM, he said: “We’re 100 per cent employing the same number of junior people as before. We’re a people-based business. We have to train the next generation of media planners. We’ve got to educate them.”
This commitment to future talent is clear. Publicis has hired over 1,500 graduates and apprentices in the UK, while globally, the company has pledged to invest over €300m into AI. They’re not avoiding the technology; they’re integrating it with a long-term human strategy.
People Over Process
If AI is taking over the clerical tasks, what are graduates being hired to do? The answer is simple. The work that machines can’t do.
Publicis Media is dramatically shifting its training programmes away from purely procedural tasks. Bornman notes that the focus is no longer on ‘push these 17 buttons’. Instead, junior training is being tailored toward client relations and the effective use of AI tools.
The future of a graduate role in advertising is built on distinctly human skills:
- Learning “how to engage with clients, with people.”
- Using AI as a tool to gain insights, not just process data.
- Finding new ways to use technology to solve client problems.
This view transforms the narrative from AI replacing jobs to AI demanding better, more human-centric talent.
Why Publicis Can Afford to Be Optimistic
Publicis’s confidence in its graduate strategy is rooted in its forward-thinking technological infrastructure, which has seen it defy a sector-wide downturn that has impacted rivals like WPP and Omnicom.
Bornman asserts that Publicis’s competitors are ‘five to 10 years behind’ in their adoption of data and AI. This is largely thanks to strategic investments, chief among them the $4.4bn acquisition of Epsilon, a data giant. This move gave Publicis access to powerful “identity-based data”—a core competitive advantage.
Bornman points out that while Google and Meta have superior data, no other agency holds data assets comparable to Publicis’s.
The result of this early, sustained investment is that Publicis is no longer focused on its own transformation; it’s already running ahead. As Bornman puts it, “What’s happening a little bit right now is our competitors are looking for guinea pig clients for their own transformations, to test things out.”
A Ray of Hope for Graduates
For those looking to enter the communications world, this is a crucial signal. The industry is exciting, but the entry point has changed.
The traditional path of a junior staffer grinding through tedious, repetitive tasks is ending. The new path requires a graduate who is tech-literate, client-focused and ready to use AI as a strategic partner from day one.
The world’s largest ad agency is proving that AI doesn’t have to mean fewer opportunities for new talent. It just means the opportunities are potentially better. They’re focused on training the next generation of creative problem-solvers who can apply their skills to real human engagement, leveraging the power of AI instead of being replaced by it.
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About Me
If you enjoy my blogs, you might be curious about my background. I’ve worked in PR and Marketing since 1993. In 1999, I founded a full-service agency and spent the next 24 years successfully growing it. I had the privilege of partnering with some of the biggest blue-chip brands in the UK and learned extensively from the exceptional marketing professionals I met along the way. In 2023, the management team I built successfully acquired my agency, 8848, setting me free to pursue new passions.
My love of marketing and communications now powers our own family venture: a retreat of holiday cottages in the Peak District. I love making brands look and work better, and in just a few short years, we’ve driven significant growth. Thanks to my focus on SEO, we consistently rank on page one for most key regional search terms, making 2025 our busiest year yet.
Do you need help making your brand or business perform better? If so, I’d love to meet you.