A Proclamation from the President of the United States of America takes the standard “Black History is American History” approach.
Monday, February 09, 2026
17346: ICYMI Super Bowl LX DEIBA+ WTF BS.
Advertising Age published the annual lengthy examination of exclusivity in Super Bowl advertising, revealing campaign creators are predominately White—a trend officially recorded since at least 2010.
For Super Bowl advertising, systemic racism continues to reign as a perennial dynasty.
Super Bowl ads retreat from diverse storytelling as brands pull back on inclusion
By Lindsay Rittenhouse
At a time when political tension around immigration in the U.S. is high, Super Bowl advertisers are missing out on efforts to truly connect with diverse audiences, industry experts said.
With some notable exceptions, Hispanic representation is largely absent in Big Game spots this year, according to diversity ad inclusion experts interviewed by Ad Age. This is particularly disappointing, they said, given that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s targeting of the community has left them already feeling isolated and vulnerable.
And the exclusion is not limited to the Latino community. These experts cite a glaring lack of diverse storytelling overall in Big Game ads, as creative featuring white male stars and casts far outpace ads that spotlight minority or multicultural groups.
For the fifth consecutive year, Ad Age is evaluating how in-game advertisers prioritize diversity and inclusion both on screen and behind the camera. But this list is not comprehensive. That’s because voluntary participation in our survey, which asks every Super Bowl advertiser how it approached diversity in casting and production, has steadily declined amid larger cutbacks to diversity initiatives in the industry. Last year’s survey yielded just 14 responses, out of the 58 brands with in-game spots.
So rather than reach out to every advertiser in the coming game, Ad Age compiled this report based on the limited information it had access to, including celebrity appearances and directors, with the goal of spotlighting strong examples of representation among this year’s Super Bowl ads.
Also new to the report this year is a ranking from Havas evaluating how some in-game ads are perceived by neurodiverse individuals.
With the cost of a 30-second national Super Bowl LX spot reaching $8 million, brands must prioritize diversity if they want to connect with younger viewers and an increasingly global audience, the experts said.
“The real risk for brands isn’t in taking a stand—it’s in ignoring the reality of the American consumer,” said Myles Worthington, CEO and founder of agency Worthi.
Of the 71 celebrities appearing in the Super Bowl confirmed as of this writing, 22 identify as women and 49 as men. Only two celebrities (Andy Cohen, appearing in Nerds’ Super Bowl ad, and Bowen Yang, in the Ritz commercial) are openly part of the LGBTQ+ community. Only 27 celebrities are aged 50 or older.
Sofía Vergara, starring in Boehringer Ingelheim’s in-game spot, is one of just five Hispanic celebrities (alongside actors such as magician David Blaine, who appears in YouTube TV’s spot, and Danny Trejo, who is in Novo Nordisk’s ad)—they underscore a big gap in Hispanic representation. Six of the celebrities, including Olympians Sunny Choi and Chloe Kim (who appear in the Michelob Ultra and Oakley and Meta ads, respectively), are Asian American and Pacific Islander, while only 12 celebrities are Black, such as Spike Lee (Oakley and Meta) and Serena Williams (Ro). DJ Khaled, who appears in Novo Nordisk’s ad, is Palestinian-American, and former ice hockey pro TJ Oshie, who appears in Michelob Ultra’s in-game spot, is of Native American descent. The majority of the celebrities—46 of 71—in spots released so far are white.
Based on those numbers, the majority of brands in the Super Bowl have “decided to limit their growth to just that segment, which is unfortunate,” said Lisette Arsuaga, the co-president and co-CEO of DMI Consulting, a strategic marketing firm specializing in diverse segments, and the co-founder of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM).
As of this writing, Ad Age has confirmed only six of 31 directors behind this year’s Big Game spots are people of color, including Rodrigo Saavedra (Toyota’s “Superhero Belt”); Aiden Zamiri (Poppi); Taika Waititi (Pepsi Zero Sugar and Xfinity); Felipe Lima (Him & Hers); and Brandon Pierce (who directed Dunkin’s ad alongside Ben Affleck). Savannah Leaf, who directed Dove’s “The Game Is Ours,” is the only Black woman directing a spot and the only female director of a national in-game ad confirmed so far.
Marketing to a global audience
While the ads are not necessarily diverse, many experts praised the NFL for choosing Bad Bunny as the performer of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. The Puerto Rican reggaeton star, fresh off a big Grammys win, is also going to be a big draw for global audiences. Fans are even calling this year’s Big Game “The Benito Bowl,” a reference to the artist’s first name.
Worthington pointed out that Bad Bunny was Spotify’s most-streamed global artist of 2025. “Bad Bunny isn’t just counterculture; he is the culture,” he said.
While many people still think of the Super Bowl as a purely American event, it is not. A record 62.5 million viewers outside of the U.S. watched the 2024 Super Bowl—the final international viewership total for the 2025 game has not yet been confirmed by the NFL.
Despite this, brands largely have not yet leaned into global advertising tactics in the Super Bowl, said Kelsey Cross, president and co-founder of independent agency Tower 28, which might impact how the ad themes are perceived outside the U.S.
“Not enough brands take into account the growing global viewers tuning into the Super Bowl,” Cross said, noting that “Americana” themes such as Clydesdale horses and beer will be isolated in some markets. “It’s an interesting space to be playing in for brands, to be thinking of how [they] strike a responsible balance.”
NFL’s ‘You Are Special’ spot
The NFL is being lauded for its in-game cause spot—a 30-second version of a 60-second ad that’s been airing since December, showing NFL players including Cam Heyward and Christian McCaffrey singing Fred Rogers’ “You Are Special” with groups of children. The spot was directed by Ben Quinn of the Los Angeles production company Superprime, which is female-owned.
Arsuaga said the spot continues the NFL’s mission of inclusion and promoting mentorship of young kids, and showcases a diverse cast of children, highlighting their value and importance.
She added that it feels authentic because the NFL has carried out this mission on and off screen, as its foundation supports various youth education, mentorship and community programs.
Ensuring your brand is taking actions off-screen that mirror your brand messaging is critical at a time when consumers are much more aware of these efforts, and will call marketers out for paying lip service.
“If your body of work outside of the Super Bowl behaves in a certain way and you do something completely different, people recognize that, and not necessarily in a good way,” said Christine Guilfoyle, an executive VP at the Association of National Advertisers and president of its SeeHer global initiative, dedicated to championing the positive representation of women.
An NFL spokesperson said the cast for the spot “consisted of 78 total talent, including a diverse range of ethnicities, including Asian, Black, Latino and white talent.” The kids are also actual members of the organizations highlighted in the spot, including Harlem Children’s Zone, Boys and Girls Club and Smash, according to the spokesperson.
“We were mindful to ensure diversity across gender, race and those with disabilities, featuring a young girl with Down Syndrome,” a spokesman said in a statement.
Dove’s ‘The Game is Ours’
Arsuaga also praised Dove’s “The Game Is Ours” ad, which continues to champion its mission of keeping girls in sports.
Arsuaga said it was particularly refreshing to see girls of all different sizes and shapes to promote body positivity. She said Dove is “breaking the mold and the stereotype” of a typical thin athlete.
A Dove spokesperson said the brand not only worked with Leaf—the only confirmed Black female director behind a Big Game ad this year—but also with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and choreographer JaQuel Knight to shape the creative vision. Its agency partner is WPP’s Ogilvy.
Toyota’s ‘Superhero Belt’
Although there was not a big showing of AAPI representation in this year’s Super Bowl advertising, an ad from Toyota stood out as an authentic tale that well captured cultural nuances, several people interviewed said.
“Superhero Belt,” one of two of the automaker’s in-game spots from Publicis agency Saatchi & Saatchi, was directed by Rodrigo Saavedra, one of the few directors of color behind Big Game spots this year.
The 30-second spot flashes back to a grandfather as he convinces his grandson to put on his seatbelt by referring to it as a “superhero belt.” The grandson mimics him 30 years later as an adult, telling his now elderly grandfather to buckle his “superhero belt” in his 2026 RAV4.
The ad “did a really good job” promoting Asian-American family values, in which the younger character shows respect to his grandfather, Arsuaga said.
Guilfoyle also praised the effort. “Automotive often is aspirational, and this just felt gritty and real and everyday American,” she said. “And I loved that.”
Come Near’s ‘Is There More to Life than More?’
Come Near has been one of the few Big Game advertisers that has consistently shared diversity data across its casting and production teams over the past few years.
This year’s in-game spot—“Is There More to Life Than More?”—takes aim at modern life’s constant need to have “more” things. It shows a rapid-fire montage to visualize mass consumerism and tech obsession, and then suggests Jesus can help people find the true meaning of life.
It was created by Hispanic-owned independent agency Lerma/ and directed by Salomon Ligthelm. The production shop behind the effort was Prettybird, which was co-founded by Kerstin Emhoff and Paul Hunter, who is a director of color, according to Come Near.
Its cast in the spot was 53% female and 46% male; 24% of actors were of multiple races; 21% of actors were Black; 9% were Hispanic; 9% were Asian; and 3% were Middle Eastern, Come Near reported.
The organization noted that, true to the mission of the message, it did not use AI in the making of the spot.
“Working on He Gets Us felt deeply personal,” Ligthelm said in a statement. “It gave me space to wrestle honestly with faith, doubt and the pressure of being human, and to tell authentic stories that don’t preach or prescribe but invite all people to feel seen and understood.”
Uber Eats ad outperforms with neurodiverse viewers
For the first time this year, Havas tapped into Neuroverse, its consultancy dedicated to embedding neurodivergent talent into its creative process, in partnership with AI company Vurvey Labs, to analyze a select group of Super Bowl ads. It evaluated how accessible those ads actually are across different neurodivergent identities, including autism, dyslexia and ADHD.
With nearly 50% of Gen Z identifying as neurodivergent, according to Neuroverse, which represents more than 1.7 billion consumers “who interpret content differently,” the agency asked: “Is your creative connecting with them, overlooking them or overwhelming them?”
The most accessible ad, Neuroverse uncovered, was Uber Eats’ “Hungry For the Truth,” its 60-second spot in which Matthew McConaughey continues his conspiracy campaign to convince Bradley Cooper that football was created to sell food. The ad scored a 7.2 out of 10 for appealing to neurodivergent viewers, based on the ranking.
“The narrative was immediately clear and unfolded without abstraction,” the report stated. “Familiar characters, a simple premise and visual and verbal cues reduced cognitive load and reinforced comprehension rather than fragmenting attention. This allowed viewers to focus on a single primary signal at a time, making the experience comfortable to follow from start to finish.”
In contrast, Instacart’s in-game spot with Ben Stiller and Benson Boone scored the lowest with a 3.2 rating due to “rapid cuts, overlapping audio, flashing visuals and constant motion, [which] made it difficult to establish a focal point, reducing viewers’ ability to extract the brand message,” per the report shared with Ad Age.
The takeaway for brands: “Humor scales best when it’s anchored in simplicity. Clear premises, controlled pacing and repetition can reduce cognitive load, making comedy more accessible to a broader audience without dulling its impact,” according to Neuroverse.
Sunday, February 08, 2026
17345: BHM 2026—Griffin Museum Of Science + Industry.
Griffin Museum Of Science + Industry in Chicago presents its annual Black Creativity.
Per the hype, “This ongoing program celebrates the history of Black innovation while championing opportunities for today’s youth to explore STE(A)M in service of a more equitable future rooted in community, creativity and discovery.”
Saturday, February 07, 2026
17344: BHM 2026—President Donald J. Trump.
USA TODAY reported on an unintended Black History Month promotion from President Donald J. Trump, who continues to angle for a repeat White Man Of The Year honor.
‘I didn’t make a mistake’ Trump says of post depicting Obamas as apes
“I look at a lot of, thousands, of things,” Trump said of the video. “And I looked at the beginning of it, it was fine.”
By Zac Anderson, USA TODAY
President Donald Trump declined to apologize for sharing a video depicting former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, telling reporters “I didn’t make a mistake.”
Trump told reporters while traveling on Air Force One to Florida on Feb. 6 that he only looked at the beginning of the roughly one-minute long video, which starts off talking about unsubstantiated voter fraud claims regarding the 2020 election, and didn’t see the portion with the Obamas that has been widely condemned as racist.
“I just looked at the first part... I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump said, indicating he gave it to someone else to post and “somebody slipped and missed a very small part.”
“I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” Trump said.
Asked about calls from GOP lawmakers for him to apologize, Trump said he didn’t plan to. He later said “of course I do” when asked if he condemned the racist part of the video.
The brief portion of the video with the Obamas appears to have been created by artificial intelligence. It depicts the bodies of two apes with the faces of the former president and first lady. Apes are flying around in the background of what appears to be a jungle.
The video was among dozens of posts on Trump’s Truth Social account in the late hours of Feb. 5 and early hours of Feb. 6. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the Obama post, saying it was “from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”
“Please stop the fake outrage,” Leavitt added.
The White House later distanced the president from the video amid growing criticism, including from many top Republicans. A White House official said the video had been shared erroneously by an unnamed member of Trump’s staff. It was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account after being up for about 12 hours.
The video drew a strong response from Republican lawmakers, who often are reluctant to criticize the leader of their party.
Sen. Tim Scott, a close Trump ally and prominent Black Republican from South Carolina who is leading the Senate’s campaign efforts this year, wrote he was “praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, called the post “blatantly racist and inexcusable.” Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, said a “reasonable person” would deem the video “racist” and called for Trump to apologize. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, called the video “totally unacceptable” and also said an apology is in order.
Trump said he is the “least racist president you’ve had in a long time” and that “I’ve been great” for Black voters, pointing to criminal justice reform and other policies.
The president earlier this year was accused of racism by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for sharing a controversial deepfake video of the lawmaker wearing a sombrero hat with mariachi music playing.
Jeffries again slammed Trump as a racist after the video post depicting the Obamas as apes.
“This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder,” Jeffries said in a video posted on social media
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Melina Khan
17343: Another Sign That The Apocalypse Is Upon Adland.
Digiday reported on how holding companies, White advertising agencies, and White media firms are conspiring to become content creators, churning out marketing messages across diverse media outlets.
This points to another devolution of Adland, whereby practitioners are mindless production drones.
On any given day, writers type manuscripts without a sense for how the copy will be visualized. Designers craft layouts without having a clue about its meaning or tactical objectives. Media wonks draft placement plans without understanding the assets being run. And individuals with the word “strategy” in their titles act like they’re contributing to the process.
Adland is turning into a field of factories featuring production lines where workers only focus on their specific task—all of which can be easily replaced by AI.
The result makes DEIBA+ irrelevant, unnecessary, and obsolete.
Dentsu is the latest holdco to reunite media and creative production
By Sam Bradley
Super Bowl spots and Cannes Lion-winning campaigns hog the spotlight in agency sizzle reels, but the work that runs on Instagram, Walmart or Instacart is what keeps the lights on. And demand among advertisers for combined performance media and creative production briefs is rising.
In response, agencies are reorganizing their production offerings to sync more closely with media briefs. Dentsu, for example, is set to launch a production solution it’s calling “Content Engine”, pulling media planning and activation from its media teams, and creative delivery from production house Tag into the same process.
“Clients are seeking a more analytical, systematic and outcome-based approach to production,” said Mark Knowles, global solutions officer, Dentsu and Tag. “We are seeing this being requested during the RFP process more and more, especially where we have media incumbency, but we are also proactively pitching this approach to the clients given the impact it’s able to have on performance, outcomes and commercials,” he said.
With many bread and butter holding company clients leaning further into paid social, online video and retail media, there’s a need for a higher volume of creative assets – films, images, copy and audio messaging – to make those media investments worthwhile, while close monitoring of campaign effectiveness metrics means creative assets can be optimised against media benchmarks.
“It is designed to address the challenges we see most often: complex production networks, increased demand for content and the need for visibility from local to global,” said Toby Codrington, global brand president at Tag.
Generative AI used in creative and admin processes (think brief-writing applications, or tagging and review systems) help agencies scale to meet that demand, but they’ll need formerly separate disciplines like media and production to work closer together to realise the business advantage, said Knowles.
Ryan Kangisser, chief strategy officer at consultancy Mediasense, said integrated pitches were creeping up. “It’s a logical move for companies who you know are conscious of the change that consolidation can create,” he said.
Such requests suit the large holding companies, which can call upon tens of thousands of creatives and media practitioners. “The holding companies – [or] operating companies – are pushing this agenda very, very hard,” said Ruben Schreurs, CEO of Ebiquity.
While some very large advertisers, such as Unilever, have built similar setups in the last year, Dentsu’s is a white label edition. Eight brands spanning the beverage, CPG and banking sector, are currently using the system (a Dentsu spokesperson declined to name the clients). Knowles said Content Engine would be available to the entire Dentsu roster in second quarter. The company also recently launched a synthetic persona solution, called “Generative Audiences”, enabling its planners to target media based upon simulated audience behavior.
It’s not the only agency holding company overhauling its production offering. Last month, WPP reorganized its production capabilities, reshuffling Hogarth and teams from VML and Ogilvy into a single business, WPP Production. And last year, Publicis Groupe and Omnicom both unveiled consolidated production efforts.
“We’re absolutely seeing clients asking for much more integrated approaches,” said Richard Glasson, global CEO of WPP Production. “With a huge amount of the media that’s being bought now being addressable, the value unlock or the performance unlock there is making sure that the right content is getting to the right channel at the right time.”
Gleeson pointed to WPP’s recent successful pitch for Jaguar Land Rover’s integrated business as an example. Publicis’ Mars and Santander wins in 2025, as well as IPG’s September Bayer win, also stand out.
For Forrester analyst Jay Pattisall, such moves show big agency groups are working to close decades-old gaps between their media, production and creative businesses. “These shifts are the most substantial moves in the holding companies to reunite creative and media,” he said.
Indie agency execs also say they’re picking up on higher demand for combined media and production expertise, too. NP Digital, for example, is expanding its creative unit, Rebl House, via a strategic partnership with production company Ultralight Creative following its 2024 acquisition of the business.
Brittany Richter, COO at NP Digital, told Digiday the agency saw a 50% rise in RFIs combining creative and media elements. “We are seeing creative being included in more conversations – with both current and prospective clients,” said Richter. “We know that having the right creative to use in media is the differentiator when it comes to performance and maximizing media dollars.”
Ebiquity’s Schreurs said it indicated the industry had entered the “rebundling era … The unbundling of advertising agencies started in 1990-ish. We’re now seeing an acceleration in re-bundling, or reintegration.”
Friday, February 06, 2026
17342: BHM 2026—Shutterstock.
For all your Black
History Month royalty-free image needs, visit Shutterstock.
17341: On Working With Cancer.
MediaPost reported on Publicis Groupe’s philanthropical propaganda Working With Cancer launching a new $100 million global campaign.
The initiative is a pet project of Publicis Groupe CEO and Cancer Survivor Arthur Sadoun, who has enlisted major brands and rival White holding companies to provide backing.
Granted, Working With Cancer is a laudable endeavor. Yet it also symbolizes the reigning exclusivity and dominating hierarchy in Adland, whereby leaders dictate which projects gain priority status.
Working With Cancer receives a lion’s share of support. DEIBA+ gets a shrug.
It’s the difference between Working With Cancer vs Working With Crumbs.
‘Working With Cancer’ Breaks $100 Million Global Campaign
By Steve McClellan
Publicis today announced the launch of a new global “Working With Cancer” campaign that’s backed by $100 million in media donated by media companies across the industry.
The campaign urges companies worldwide to commit to supporting cancer patients in their organizations.
The Working With Cancer initiative was launched three years ago after Publicis chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun’s own cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2022.
The latest campaign follows a research review done in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, underscoring evidence that many employed cancer survivors report better quality of life compared to unemployed survivors. The research found that employed survivors tend to function better physically and are less prone to depression.
Working with Cancer has also unveiled a new AI Coach designed to help employers better tailor support to individual employed survivors. The large language model-based system draws from curated, vetted resources to deliver responses that avoid potential privacy violations and other risks associated with open internet health queries.
The anchor film of the new campaign was created by Publicis Conseil and features survivors from all walks of life sharing how working helped them maintain normalcy during treatment. Participants include Sadoun and other survivors, from companies like Walmart, L’Oreal, Pfizer, Barclays and others. It was directed by award-winning filmmaker Kailee McGee, a stage IV cancer survivor.
“The most important thing to do when you get sick is listen to yourself,” Sadoun says in the film. “Some will consider that they need to stay home and others like me would consider that going to the office and being supported can make a big difference. It’s a very lonely experience, anyway.”
The campaign includes a Times Square NYC out-of-home takeover today (Feb. 4) in recognition of World Cancer Day.
To date, more than 5,000 companies covering 40 million-plus employees have signed the Working With Cancer pledge to support workers battling the disease.
Media donors to the new campaign include Disney, Google, Zeta Global, TikTok, NBCUniversal, Paramount, iHeartMedia, Westwood One, Clear Channel Outdoor, Captivate, Screenvision and NCM.
Thursday, February 05, 2026
17339: A Look At 4As Look Ahead 2026.
4As Look Ahead 2026 is a 93-page document presenting the wondrously innovative ideas, insights, and resources offered by the trade organization.
DEIBA+ doesn’t appear until page 43 in the People, Talent & Upskilling section, featuring opening gibberish by the 4As EVP of People, Talent and Upskilling and the 4As CEO, both of whom were newly appointed last year.
Absent are any clear and decisive DEIBA+ commitments, making minimal use of the word “inclusive”—and only in the bullet point dedicated to MAIP AI Offerings.
Hell, maybe MAIP should be revised to stand for Mendacious Artificial Inclusivity Propaganda.
For DEIBA+ in Adland, the look ahead looks like a view of the past.
Wednesday, February 04, 2026
17337: Omnicom Post-Merger Postmortem.
Advertising Age reported on the new business cycle—as well as old business losses—at Omnicom after its acquisition of IPG.
Seems the only people benefiting from the mess are analysts, Monday morning merger quarterbacks providing clueless color commentary.
The progressing post-merger postmortem will likely expose increased casualties and collateral damages. It’s death by 4,000+ cuts.
How Omnicom’s new business is faring post-merger
By Brian Bonilla
The newly formed Omnicom has had a mixed new business cycle to start the year—the type of performance analysts believe was to be expected as the industry adjusts to the realities of its acquisition of Interpublic Group of Cos.
While the new No. 1 agency company may well prevail in any number of major pitches it’s currently going after—including IBM, Dyson and Delta—it’s also faced existing accounts going into review or moving.
The latest is Smirnoff, which launched a global creative review, parent company Diageo confirmed with Ad Age. The vodka brand’s account has been with McCann, which declined to defend the business, since 2022.
“We’re incredibly proud of the partnership and the globally recognized work we developed with Smirnoff over the past 3 years,” McCann shared in a statement. “While we’ve chosen not to participate in the pitch, we wish them every success moving forward.”
The news of the Smirnoff review comes on the heels of The Home Depot departing from BBDO. Plus, SC Johnson is moving its U.S. media account from Omnicom to WPP, according to multiple sources close to the situation, though WPP and the client declined to comment. (Omnicom did retain SC Johnson’s international business.)
Delta launched a media agency review in October, after most recently working with Omnicom’s PHD. In December, Kenvue picked WPP and Publicis to handle its creative and media; Omnicom was unsuccessful in defending the business, which had been at IPG. Then, in January, Mondelēz International launched a creative agency review spanning its U.S. business, including Ritz, as well as global duties for Oreo. Those accounts were housed at Omnicom’s The Martin Agency, which is handling Ritz’s upcoming Super Bowl spot.
On the flip side, Omnicom has notched some important wins and retentions. Since last year, it added American Express on the creative side, NatWest and Clarins in terms of media, and BBVA and BNY for integrated remits. Mercedes-Benz has also extended its contract with Omnicom without a review until 2029, Omnicom confirmed.
This jumbled scorecard isn’t a surprise, said analysts, as clients take stock of the late November mega-merger.
Dan Jeffries, founder of Jeffries Consulting, predicts that Omnicom will be in “defense mode” throughout the year due to clients being unsure of the merger and how it might affect talent disruption within the holding company.
Brian Wieser, principal of Madison and Wall, said the changes underway at Omnicom could “absolutely be a catalyst for a client to look on someone else with more favor … or to be disgruntled or to expect that you’re just not going to get what you signed up for when you picked the agency during the last review.”
He added that the merger might also give clients an excuse to push for a better deal. “There is always an effort, especially with media, to reduce costs on the fees that are being paid and there’s also always an openness to a new offering.”
The most significant loss for Omnicom from a perception standpoint was Kenvue, Wieser said, noting that the account carried added weight given IPG’s historical ties to Johnson & Johnson. J&J’s media business had been with IPG in some capacity since 1973.
Omnicom did not respond to comments about its new business strategy, review performance or relationship with Kenvue.
“For anyone who remembers the role that J&J had within Interpublic over the years, it was somewhat foundational,” Wieser said. While he acknowledged “Kenvue itself changed and separated from J&J,” he described it as the type of marketer “where you kind of built your offering around them.”
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