With the group's top-line figure coming in 0.8% down at €2.21bn and personnel costs inching higher, its operating margin dropped to 13%.
Organic revenue growth, which excludes the effect of currency fluctuations and acquisitions, was -6.6%.
Maurice Levy, chief executive, expressed optimism about the future and told Bloomberg that he believes the worse was behind the French ad group.
"We've reached the bottom and it will stay relatively stable and go progressively up and we'll have a positive number somewhere in the summer next year."
He added that a hiring freeze will remain in place across the group, which owns ad agencies Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi and media agencies Starcom and ZenithOptimedia.
Europe including the UK was where the company's revenues were hardest hit, falling 11.6% in the first half to €738m. Asia revenues were down 8.2% to €238m and its best performing region was Latin America, up 1.2% to €109m.
Levy also responded to a question about digital agency Razorfish, which Microsoft is currently touting around major advertising groups. He described it as "a fine company and would be the kind of asset which would be nice to have".
Publicis Groupe's share price rose 4.5% in early trading on the Paris stock market to €23.
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