UPDATE: In two internal memos, both Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun and Chief Creative Officer Nick Law confirmed Law's departure for Apple pursuant to Ad Age's reporting. Read them in full here.
Nick Law, named chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe and president of Publicis Communications less than 18 months ago is leaving the holding company, according to people familiar with the matter. He is reportedly leaving the French network for an as-yet undefined role at Apple, these sources say.
Law did not respond to multiple requests for comment and Publicis Groupe declined to comment on what it characterized as “rumors.” But two people with knowledge of the situation said Law is leaving and several others said his destination is Apple, named Marketer of the Year at Cannes International Festival of Creativity last week, where Law was flying the flag for Publicis Groupe.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Tor Myrhen, VP of marketing and communications at the Cupertino, California, company and himself a well-known creative who left Grey for Apple, told Ad Age the week before the festival that the award was important to the tech giant because “the creative world is watching and there’s a lot of creative talent out there who someday might work at Apple.” Myrhen did not return calls for comment.
Law assumed his Publicis role in January 2018, where he is charged with leading creative for the holding company’s agencies that include Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Worldwide, BBH and Fallon. He also leads creative for the parent’s vaunted “Power of One” program that offers clients marketing solutions managed at the holding-company level.
Law was recruited by Publicis Groupe Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun from R/GA, where he worked for 17 years, after the French holding company made headlines for diverting resources last year from Cannes to its AI assistant dubbed Marcel. Sadoun told Ad Age at the time that Publicis Groupe, the world's third largest advertising holding company with annual revenue of $11.7 billion, according to Ad Age's Datacenter, needed “a real reboot” and chose Law because he is “well balanced between technology and creativity.” Law, Sadoun said at the time, would be tasked with attracting and retaining talent because, “We know how important it is to empower the next generation.”
Less than a month ago Law poached FCB’s Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor to become creative lead for Publicis Communications North America and Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide. In the latter post she succeeds another creative legend, Mark Tutssel, who is retiring.
Taylor hasn’t assumed the post yet—she starts July 8—and was slated to report to Law and Publicis Chief Strategy Officer Carla Serrano.
Contributing: Ann-Christine Diaz, George P. Slefo, Lindsay Rittenhouse, E.J. Schultz
