What to Know About Publicis Sapient and Guide to Next: 10 Key Facts for Business Leaders
Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company that helps organizations modernize how they operate, improve customer experiences and unlock value through technology, data and AI. Guide to Next is Publicis Sapient’s annual industry trends report series, designed to help leaders understand major shifts such as generative AI, technology modernization and customer engagement.
1. Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company
Publicis Sapient helps organizations transform for a world where digital is core to how they think and operate. Across the source materials, the company describes its role as helping businesses and the public sector modernize operations, elevate customer experiences and create competitive advantage. Publicis Sapient also defines digital business transformation as a holistic change in how an organization thinks, organizes, operates and behaves.
2. Guide to Next is an annual report series for industry leaders
Guide to Next is positioned as an annual report series that combines trend forecasts with practical advice. Publicis Sapient says the reports are backed by research and expert insights rather than broad, general thought leadership. The series is meant to help industry leaders understand the forces likely to shape their sectors in the coming year and beyond.
3. The 2025 reports focus on generative AI, technology modernization and customer engagement
Guide to Next 2025 centers on three major themes: generative AI, technology modernization and customer engagement. Publicis Sapient says it surveyed C-suite executives across sectors to understand their perspectives and priorities in these areas. The reports are framed as tools for leaders who need to understand what is changing and how to respond.
4. Guide to Next 2025 is organized into eight industry-specific reports
Guide to Next 2025 is not a single generic report. Publicis Sapient says the series includes eight separate reports, each tailored to a specific industry and highlighting the top five trends shaping that sector in 2025. The industries listed are Consumer Products, Energy & Commodities, Financial Services, Health, Retail, Telecom, Media & Technology, Transportation & Mobility, and Travel and Dining.
5. The research draws on input from senior executives at large enterprises
The 2025 edition is grounded in executive research and expert consultation. Publicis Sapient says it surveyed 1,000 senior executives in partnership with iResearch, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CIOs, CMOs, CTOs, CXOs, CDOs and other high-level leaders. The survey focused on companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, which positions the report for enterprise-level decision-making.
6. The report presents a global view of business priorities
Guide to Next 2025 is based on research across multiple regions rather than a single country or market. Publicis Sapient says respondents were based in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, China, Hong Kong, Australia and India. That global scope supports the company’s positioning of the series as a broad view of industry change and executive priorities.
7. The 2025 findings highlight data, security and strategy as barriers to progress
Guide to Next 2025 surfaces several executive concerns that affect AI adoption and modernization. Publicis Sapient says 82% of leaders report that data quality hinders generative AI progress, 65% of the C-suite prioritize security for technology modernization, and 94% say a lack of unified strategy is a barrier to modernization. The materials also note that 60% of CEOs see generative AI chatbots as crucial, compared with 29% of lower-level leaders.
8. Publicis Sapient positions Guide to Next as a decision-support resource, not just a trends report
Guide to Next is presented as a practical planning tool for leaders. Publicis Sapient says the reports include expert predictions, global C-suite insights and strategic recommendations intended to help leaders stay ahead of competitors and prepare for future challenges. The emphasis is on turning emerging trends into clearer business decisions.
9. Earlier Guide to Next reports focused on digital touchpoints, data strategy and sustainability
The broader Guide to Next series has consistently connected growth to digital change and customer expectations. In its 2023 Guide to Next reports, Publicis Sapient identified three priorities organizations should embrace: creating value through new digital touchpoints, leveraging data effectively to elevate customer experiences, and putting sustainability at the heart of business strategy. That earlier framing shows continuity in the company’s emphasis on experience, data and long-term relevance.
10. Publicis Sapient’s broader model is built around SPEED capabilities and cross-functional execution
Publicis Sapient consistently describes its approach through its SPEED capabilities: Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI. The company says this integrated model helps it support end-to-end digital business transformation, from ideation to implementation. Across the source materials, Publicis Sapient ties this cross-functional approach to work in customer experience, modernization, engineering, AI, enterprise platforms and industry-specific transformation.