17629: On Grey Matters.

Advertising Age reported on executive moves at Grey that were overshadowed by the resignation of  VML Global CEO-WPP Creative CEO Jon Cook, adding accelerant to the global flaming dumpster.

Back in 2020, Grey almost vanished via plans to fold the White advertising agency into AKQA—until staffers and clients protested. The merger reignited in 2024–2025 and dissolved in 2025 when Grey shifted under the Ogilvy Group banner.

Now it appears even Grey employees don’t wanna be associated with Grey, as the Global Chief Creative Officer bailed out to launch his own White advertising agency.

Meanwhile, other Grey executives were shuttled to different positions within the single White operating company.

Instead of asking, “Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?” the question is, “Pardon me, would you have Grey pooped on?”

Grey’s global chief creative officer leaves to start his own agency

By Brian Bonilla

Multiple leadership changes are underway at Grey, according to an internal memo Laurent Ezekiel, global CEO of The Ogilvy Group, sent this morning, which Ad Age obtained.

Most notably, Gabriel Schmitt, Grey’s global chief creative officer, is leaving to launch his own agency, Ezekiel wrote in his memo. Schmitt’s departure from the WPP agency is effective Oct. 1.

“For a creative of Gab’s caliber, this marks a natural evolution in his leadership journey, which we are proud to champion,” Ezekiel wrote.

Schmitt wasn’t immediately available for comment. He joined Grey as global CCO in March 2023 after serving as co-chief creative officer of FCB New York. During his tenure, Grey produced work including Anheuser-Busch InBev’s “For Every Golden Moment,” which Ezekiel described in his memo as the brewer’s biggest-ever global campaign, as well as “SOS POS” for BCP Bank, which won a Creative Data Grand Prix at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Two other Grey leaders are making moves within WPP. Global Chief Client Officer Jason Kahner and Global Chief Strategy and Data Officer Jonathan Lee will move into dedicated WPP global client and strategy leadership roles for Henkel and Kenvue/Kimberly-Clark, respectively, according to Ezekiel’s memo. Those transitions will take place over the next few months.

‘Grey remains Grey’

The moves represent another step in Grey’s integration with Ogilvy, which began in May 2025. The agencies have maintained their individual brands while increasingly operating as part of a broader Ogilvy Group.

Grey’s creative leadership will now report to Liz Taylor, Ogilvy’s global chief creative officer. This officially leaves Grey without a traditional global leadership team; its global CEO, Laura Maness, departed last year.

“Broadly speaking, reporting lines will remain as is—in most instances, routing directly through local office leadership and respective regional structures, and ultimately up through me,” Ezekiel wrote. “This gives teams the autonomy and ability to make decisions closer to client and other local considerations.”

The latest changes are intended to give Grey’s regional and local offices greater responsibility while connecting them more directly with Ogilvy’s broader capabilities, Ezekiel said. Grey’s local office leadership and regional structures will remain intact, according to the memo. Its teams will also continue to pitch for business and produce work under the Grey name, and its culture, social channels and email signatures will remain unchanged.

Grey teams will also have increased access to The Ogilvy Group’s capabilities across sports and entertainment, PR, health and innovation, as well as WPP’s technology offerings.

“Grey remains Grey,” Ezekiel wrote. “Day to day, Grey teams will continue to identify, pitch, win and create work as Grey.”

17628: On Powerade’s Performative Poppycock.

Advertising Age reported on Powerade—via Ogilvy, WPP Open X, and WPP Production—taking a performative stand against the Sydney Sweeney Novig campaign.

It’s dim-witted divertsity, divertorial, and divertisement drivel.

As previously noted, a naked Sweeney plays perfectly to the young male-dominated Novig audience.

On the flipside, who is Powerade appealing to? The social post depicted above addresses an exclusive bunch.

Most Powerade fans wouldn’t know Ogilvy, WPP Open X, or WPP Production. Hell, the majority of WPP drones display indifference to the segregated silos.

Powerade brags about its alleged legacy of supporting women’s sports. Okay, does The Coca-Cola Company award the average woman athlete the same $pokesperson contract as her male commercial counterpart? Don’t bet on it.

Powerade continues to run a distant second to Gatorade. And now the brand is striking out against Sweeney’s curves.

Powerade rebukes Novig’s nearly naked Sydney Sweeney ads

By Jon Springer

Powerade has delivered a response to Novig’s scantily clad Sydney Sweeney campaign: women’s sports have never been “just” sports. The Coca-Cola-owned sports drink brand is joining the backlash against the prediction market company’s controversial creative with its own digital outdoor ads that celebrate women athletes’ determination and resilience. Supported by content on Powerade’s social channels, the work turns Novig’s “Just Sports” slogan into a rebuke of the ads that have been criticized for sexualizing women in sports.

Ogilvy, part of WPP’s dedicated Coke agency, Open X, touted the campaign in a social media post today that emphasized Powerade’s history of supporting female athletes. The post depicts the response running in Times Square with an adjacent image of the Novig ad.

“When the conversation around how women are portrayed in sports started to pick up, we felt it was important for Powerade to share our perspective and reinforce what’s always been at the heart of our brand: athletes,” Leah Macko, Powerade’s VP of brand marketing, said in a statement.

“We’ve long believed that there’s no ‘just’ about what it takes to compete, especially for women in sports, so we saw this as an opportunity to celebrate the determination, resilience and impact female athletes bring to their sport,” she said.

Novig’s “Just Sports” campaign, which launched Sept. 9, features Sweeney appearing almost nude—with only strategically placed sports equipment covering her body—to promote its focus on the sports prediction market. The campaign spans digital advertising, social media, online video and out-of-home placements, including in Times Square, throughout football season.

Novig did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Powerade campaign.

After its debut last month, many female athletes swiftly denounced the ads for sexualizing women and undermining their achievements in sports.

But Novig has since doubled down, releasing a second Sweeney spot over the weekend called “No BS.” The company cited rising trading activity and a spike in app downloads as evidence that the campaign is working.

Sweeney is an equity investor in Novig and helped shape creative direction and strategy, including by suggesting that Novig center its message around its sports-only focus, according to Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky. The “Just Sports” campaign was developed in-house, led by head of creative Alex Thompson, working with Sweeney.

“We have enormous respect for female athletes and the continued growth of women’s sports,” Fortinsky told Ad Age. “We’re focused exclusively on sports. Sydney’s not a female athlete and was not claiming to be one.”

Powerade’s investments in women’s sports include two NCAA March Madness campaigns with Flau’Jae Johnson, Paris Olympics work featuring Sha’Carri Richardson and Katie Grimes, and campaigns with Alex Morgan and Tatjana Smith. The brand said it will continue that support in 2027 through its partnerships with the U.S. Women’s National Team and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Contributing: Brian Bonilla

17601: On Polluting The World With Mediocrity.

 

The Marketing Dive spotlighted Coca-Cola’s “The World Will Wait” campaign, revealing the lame concept creators as WPP Open X, led by Grey, supported by Ogilvy, WPP Production, and WPP Media.

Tactics are running globally, except in the US—so, the whole world will wait to possibly see it all.

In the not-too-distant-past real world, such mediocre work would not qualify WPP to win—let alone retain—Coke business.

Coke asks busy Gen Z, millennials to log off for quality meal time

A new global integrated campaign spans a pair of brand films, out-of-home ads and digital activations that champion shared meals.

By Peter Adams

Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola is encouraging young consumers to slow down and unplug in a new integrated campaign that positions the soft drink as a pairing for shared meals and will roll out globally, except in the U.S., according to a press release.

• “The World Will Wait” depicts busy Gen Z and millennials who miss out on important bonding, including family dinner time, due to work and other tasks before being reminded of what matters most. The concept comes to life in a pair of videos, out-of-home advertising and digital activations.  

• In addition, Coke is enlisting influencers on a program that takes a page from the term AFK, or “away from keyboard,” which is popular in gaming. Creator partners on the effort will nudge consumers to put their phones down and live more in the moment.

Dive Insight:

Coke is emphasizing the emotional value of setting aside time to bond over meals as the brand tries to shore up a positioning as a pairing with food. “The World Will Wait” is targeted at Gen Z and millennials who are entering life stages, like juggling a career and young kids, where it can be more difficult to strike a work-life balance.

“In a world that constantly demands our attention, we’ve observed a growing tension among our consumers — especially younger generations — who truly desire genuine connection but often feel overwhelmed by the urgent pressures of daily life,” Arnab Roy, president of the global category at Coca‑Cola, said in a statement. “‘The World Will Wait’ is designed to inspire us and remind everyone that some moments are simply too important to postpone.”

The hero ad for the campaign shows a family that settles down for a home cooked meal only to realize dad is absent. When his son goes to check on him, the dad is cooped up in a dark office room and hidden behind a laptop screen, where he wordlessly signals he is still occupied with work. Later, the dad discovers a family portrait drawn by his son that shows him in the same light — face obfuscated by the demands of his job — which spurs him to log off and join the next gathering.

OOH ads carry a similar theme, bearing copy like “Laundry can wait. Fried Chicken & Coca‑Cola can’t” and “No one ever said ‘this meal could have been an email.’” In a twist on the tactic, Coke is also deploying social media influencers to ask people to set aside their screens to engage in quality time in real life. Digital elements will unlock rewards tied to the meals-forward messaging. 

“The World Will Wait,” which is running globally but not in the U.S., was developed by WPP Open X, led by the Grey agency and supported by Ogilvy, WPP Production and WPP Media.

Marketing around food has been in focus for Coke this year. An effort that rolled out in the spring enlisted the CPG’s wide range of U.S. food service partners, including Domino’s, Popeyes and Wendy’s, to show how Coke goes well with a variety of meals. “And a Coke” followed a yearslong platform from Pepsi that argues the soft drink rival is actually the superior meal pairing. “Food Deserves Pepsi” features guerilla marketing-style campaigns where undercover Pepsi agents storm into places like barbecues and fast-food chains to swap out other soda brands with PepsiCo’s flagship offering.  

The Coca-Cola Company saw net revenues rise 7% to $13.4 billion in Q2 and raised its full-year outlook around the earnings report last week. Coke commanded the No. 1 share of voice during the FIFA World Cup, which it sponsors, thanks to an advertising blitz that included heavy digital, social and creator activations. The campaign around the soccer tournament contributed to a 5% boost in volume growth for the namesake Coke brand, the company said.

17550: On Ogilvy US CEO CUL8R TTFN.

 

Advertising Age reported on the Ogilvy US CEO, who is bailing out of the White advertising agency after roughly nine months in the role.

Maybe winning Network of the Year at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity signaled mission accomplished.

David Ogilvy articulated his core philosophy on hiring as follows: If you hire people smaller than you, the company becomes a company of dwarfs; hire people bigger than you, and it becomes a company of giants.

Wonder what the iconic adman would think about his company being in giant flaming dumpster WPP, where hiring creates a revolving door of dwarfs.

Ogilvy US CEO to depart after less than a year in the post

By Ewan Larkin

Ogilvy U.S. CEO Lyndsey Corona is set to leave her post after less than a year at the WPP agency and is expected to pursue a new opportunity adjacent to the ad industry, Ad Age has learned.

Laurent Ezekiel, Ogilvy’s global CEO, will serve as interim CEO for North America, an agency spokesperson said. However, the agency does not plan to name a permanent replacement, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“Ogilvy thanks Lyndsey for her leadership and contributions to our clients and teams, and wishes her the very best in her next chapter,” the Ogilvy spokesperson said in a statement.

Corona’s late 2025 appointment followed an executive reshuffle in Ogilvy’s top ranks. In September, Devika Bulchandani, then Ogilvy’s global CEO, moved upstairs to WPP as chief operating officer. Ezekiel succeeded her at Ogilvy and subsequently installed Corona in November, giving her oversight of the storied creative agency’s largest region.

Corona joined amid a turbulent stretch for Ogilvy, which cut roughly 5% of its workforce last year as part of a restructuring. One of her core focuses was to simplify complexity for marketers and better integrate the agency’s various disciplines. WPP itself is working through a multiyear turnaround, including layoffs and the formation of WPP Creative, a unit designed to house Ogilvy and VML, among other shops.

Before Ogilvy, Corona served as WPP’s global growth lead on Verizon. Earlier in her career, Corona worked as president and partner at independent creative boutique Slap Global. Her experience also spans agencies including Stagwell’s Forsman & Bodenfors and Omnicom’s McCann.

17531: On Solving WPP Enterprise Solutions.

 

More About Advertising wondered about WPP Enterprise Solutions, a unit in the global flaming dumpster, newly launched with self-promotional hype full of technobabble and straight-up bullshit.

 

Much of the pitch appears to be lifted from recent Harvard Business Review articles. Is it AI-generated content or blatant plagiarism?

 

Clients should avoid seeking solutions from an enterprise seemingly incapable of solving its own problems—or clearly articulating its offerings, benefits, and value in original style.

 

That’s Advertising 101. Ask anyone at WPP White advertising agency Ogilvy, named Network of the Year at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

 

Just saying.

 

WPP launches Enterprise Solutions – in Nerdish

 

By MAA Staff

 

WPP is launching its new Enterprise Solutions suite, one of the pillars of Cindy Rose’s new WPP. At least that’s what we think it is. One thing we’re learning about techies is that they protect their cult with a private language which only they understand and which excludes most of us.

 

This is what Enterprise Solutions does (is the nomenclature like water solutions for plumbers?)

 

AI Transformation Consulting – Helping organisations realise AI value through strategic advisory, architecture and agentic systems.

Agentic Commerce – Converting brand equity and product truth into machine-readable signals that shape how AI agents discover, evaluate and recommend brands.

Owned Intelligence – Converting client-owned data into strategic, AI-ready competitive assets that fuel brand-specific and commercially-attributable results.

Adaptive, Real-time Relationships – Pairing first-party data with AI to anticipate and personalise every interaction, deepening loyalty and growing lifetime value.

Intelligent Content – A closed-loop operating system that plans, produces and activates content using intelligent automation.

 

Does anyone know what, if anything this means? Translator please.

17528: When It Comes To DEIBA+ Progress, Adland Networks Do Not Work.

 

During a 2009 heat shield event, former Ogilvy North American Chairman John Siefert admitted Adland was “not exactly leading the way” in DEIBA+ progress.

 

Can’t help but think of Siefert’s admission while viewing the image above featuring Ogilvy celebrating its Network of the Year honor at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

 

It’s sadly safe to say Adland—via White advertising agencies like Ogilvy—is leading the way in systemic racism.

17525: IBM Reboots Advertising And Media, Boots WPP.

 

Advertising Age reported IBM named Stagwell its White holding company for creative duties, which will be co-handled by White advertising agencies Anomaly and Code and Theory.

 

Incumbent WPP White advertising agency Ogilvy declined to participate in the review, just as incumbent WPP Media declined to participate in an earlier media review that was won by Omnicom.

 

Surely serious behind-the-scenes politics persuaded WPP units to give up continuing roughly 32 years of service for IBM.

 

After all, Ogilvy just won Network of the Year at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, establishing its creative chops far exceed those of Anomaly and Code and Theory—or any White advertising agency in the Stagwell stink factory.

 

Ad Age headlined AI capability and speed won the business for Stagwell.

 

Huh? WPP boasts unmatched and unprecedented AI ingenuity. Plus, the corporate website declares WPP Production delivers content at speed and scale, blah blah blah.

 

Whatever true circumstances ignited the scenario, WPP probably now thinks IBM stands for Insane Business Massacre—or Immense Bowel Movement.

 

IBM hires Stagwell as lead creative partner—AI capability and speed won out

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

IBM has selected Stagwell as its new lead creative partner following a competitive review that ended the tech company’s roughly 32-year relationship with Ogilvy. The assignment comes as IBM seeks to sharpen its positioning around enterprise AI and accelerate its marketing efforts.

 

Stagwell’s Anomaly and Code and Theory will jointly lead the account, helping evolve IBM’s “Let’s Create Smarter Business” campaign across channels and geographies.

 

WPP’s Ogilvy previously stated that it declined to participate in the review, which was led by consultancy 3C Ventures.

 

IBM named Omnicom its global media agency earlier this year. In that review, WPP Media was the incumbent and declined to defend the business.

 

IBM marks a significant win for Stagwell, the 13th-largest agency company according to Ad Age Datacenter, which has been looking to prove its global chops. This year, Stagwell has secured key creative wins with Mondelēz International, Hershey and gaming entertainment company Allwyn AG.

 

The appointment comes as IBM expands its enterprise AI offerings with new products unveiled at its Think 2026 conference in May. The new agencies will focus on promoting some of IBM’s tools, such as Watsonx Orchestrate, which helps enterprises manage and deploy AI, and IBM Bob, an AI coding tool for businesses, along with brand positioning work.

 

The review prioritized three capabilities: strong creative, strong tech and an ability to help IBM “move in a lot more flexible way, with a lot more speed” than it “had in the past,” said Jonathan Adashek, IBM’s senior VP, marketing and communications.

 

“Flexibility is about taking advantage of opportunities that come quickly and really shortening the creative cycle for us,” Adashek said.

 

Those requirements reflect broad changes underway within IBM. The company has increasingly embraced AI across its own operations, positioning itself as “client zero” for its technology. Adashek said IBM has removed $4.5 billion in costs over the past three years, largely through AI and automation, and plans to remove another $1 billion this year.

 

Before the introduction of AI, IBM’s marketing creatives spent 80% of their time on derivative assets, he said, noting that the amount has been reduced “substantially” to below 40%.

 

A major factor in the decision was “The Machine,” Stagwell’s agentic operating system that connects with a client’s existing tools. Adashek said he was impressed that The Machine integrated insights from across the broader Stagwell network, citing The Harris Poll as an example. “The insights they can bring from other parts of the Stagwell organization—to not make it just an Anomaly and Code team … I think that’s essential,” Adashek said.

 

Just as important was Stagwell’s willingness to work within IBM’s own systems rather than require the client to adopt an agency-owned platform. “We’re going to work together with the client on enhancing their tech stack, rather than pushing them into a closed or walled garden on our part,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn.

 

For IBM, that philosophy closely mirrors how it works with enterprise clients. “Our data is our data, and it’s sort of that special sauce that gives us the IBM flavor,” Adashek said.

 

Rather than dividing creative responsibilities among multiple shops, IBM wanted one lead partner capable of supporting the entire business.

 

“Fundamentally, as an organization, if we have too many different angles, then we’re not aligned at a central point. Before too long, people don’t understand what you’re trying to do, and then you stand for nothing,” Adashek said.

 

IBM expects the first work from the partnership to debut around the US Open in August, including new TV creative as part of a broader campaign spanning multiple channels. IBM is the official AI and cloud partner of the US Open.

 

The IBM creative pitch process

 

Adashek said that he attended early chemistry meetings and received reports after each pitch meeting. Neither he nor Penn sat through pitch meetings. Instead, IBM intentionally left the evaluation to the executives who will manage the relationship day to day.

 

“I wanted the team to be engaged,” Adashek said. “The team was so compelled by the content, by the approach, by the tools, they said this is the way we need to go.”

 

Penn said his own role was limited to reviewing work behind the scenes and ensuring that the agencies had the right mix of capabilities.

 

“I’ve been around enough to know that this is never about the CEOs,” Penn said. “It’s about the people on the account team.”

17522: WPP CEO Delivers Award-Winning BS.

 

More About Advertising spotlighted WPP at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, reporting VML and Ogilvy—White advertising agencies within the global flaming dumpster—scored significant recognition and trophies.

 

MAA reckoned WPP would have earned a Creative Company of the Year/Holding Company of the Year threepeat if the dubious award hadn’t been nixed.

 

The hoopla prompted WPP CEO Cindy Rose to uncharacteristically comment on creativity, including the following bullshit:

 

“Creativity is our superpower—it’s what builds brand differentiation and trust for our clients. WPP is home to the world’s most iconic agency brands, and this year at Cannes Lions that showed: two creative networks in the top three, the number one PR agency, the most awarded media group for a second year, and so much exceptional work that came from our creative, media, production, and PR agencies working together.

 

“This is our integrated model in action, delivering growth for clients. I couldn’t be prouder of our talented people across the world, and I want to give a massive thank you to our extraordinary clients who partner with us to deliver brave, ambitious work.”

 

Interesting that Rose gushed about PR, as reports indicate the entire practice might be pruned from the worldwide network.

 

To declare, “WPP is home to the world’s most iconic agency brands…” constitutes propagandistic puffery at its finest. Hell, many of the most iconic agency brands were erased over the years by the White holding company—before it changed to a single White operating company.

 

Finally, to say, “This is our integrated model in action…” is revisionist rhetoric. The awarded work was produced before Rose arrived, far preceding the Roserrection integrated model—which, incidentally, looks like a Hindenburg being built in fire-filled flight.

 

If Cannes presented a Lion for CEO bullshit, Rose would be a serious contender—although she’d have tough competition from all others leading holding companies.

 

It’s WPP top again at Cannes

 

By Stephen Foster

 

Last year WPP won Creative Company of the Year at Cannes Lions – and the organisers promptly retired the award as it seemed to reflect entries as much as anything else and, anyway, the wheels were clearly coming off WPP. It was just about CEO Mark Read’s last public appearance in the role.

 

It [would] have won this year too had there been such an award with Ogilvy winning network of the year with 81 Lions including three Grand Prix. Publicis’ Le Pub was agency of the year, WPP’s VML also scoring strongly while Rethink Toronto was independent agency of the year and Heineken creative brand of brand of the year.

 

Britain’s Mother won the Film grand Prix, still the highlight of the festival for many, for Anthropic’s Claude.

 

Ogilvy CCO Liz Taylor says: “We come to Cannes with one goal in mind: to proudly take the stage each night with our clients and celebrate the power of creativity in every corner of the world. To affirm their belief in ideas to solve any problem, overcome any challenge, and drive the impact they aspire to create.

 

“I am incredibly proud of Ogilvy’s performance this week, but more than anything, I’m proud of how we continue to show up for and with the biggest and boldest brands. To shape culture, inspire communities, reimagine entire categories, and to chart the future that we’re all, always, stepping into.”

 

WPP CEO Cindy Rose says: “Creativity is our superpower – it’s what builds brand differentiation and trust for our clients. WPP is home to the world’s most iconic agency brands, and this year at Cannes Lions that showed: two creative networks in the top three, the number one PR agency, the most awarded media group for a second year, and so much exceptional work that came from our creative, media, production and PR agencies working together.

 

“This is our integrated model in action, delivering growth for clients. I couldn’t be prouder of our talented people across the world, and I want to give a massive thank you to our extraordinary clients who partner with us to deliver brave, ambitious work.”

 

Should have earned a few more years of quasi-independence for the big two creative brands anyway. VML, a mash-up of JWT, Y&R and Wunderman, has done remarkably well.

17478: WPP Open X + Coca-Cola + Premier League = Losing Campaign.

The credits for this Coca-Cola/Premier League campaign state the work was developed by WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy UK, supported by WPP Media and VML.

 

Gee, a lot of White advertising agencies handled a project that looks like it could’ve been executed by a junior creative duo—or AI.

 

WPP should be penalized for having too many players on the field.

 

The scenario seemingly blocks the single White operating company’s goal of simplicity.