Maurice Levy. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The recent merger of advertising firms Publicis and Omnicom commemorates the ascendency vision of Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, a French Jewish citizen who founded Publicis in 1926.

“Marcel,” as most people like to remember him, was a man of incredible talent and charisma, and he was a man I had the honor to know and admire. I’m sure he has been smiling down as he’s watched his company become so successful under the stewardship of his daughter, Elizabeth Badinter, and Maurice Levy, his anointed successor.

The son of Jewish Russian immigrant to France, Marcel’s legacy went beyond advertising.  He was the quintessential French tycoon, and an inescapable Parisian icon.

With the announcement of the merger, Maurice Levy raised the dream of Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet to heights rarely achieved by a French company – especially in advertising, a field dominated by Anglo-Saxons.”¨ Maurice Levy has achieved an unthinkable success, and can now be considered one the world’s most influential business leaders.

In one stroke, he has secured the perennity of Publicis and its shareholders by merging with Omnicom and becoming the largest advertising company in the world.”¨ Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet was a proud Jew who had Israel in his heart, and so does Maurice Levy. This is a proud moment for France and its Jewish community, led by an admirable visionary who is still today respectful of his mentor Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.