Omnicom's post-IPG overhaul: fewer legacy brands, bigger bets on AI, data and client growth
Omnicom has closed its $13B+ acquisition of Interpublic Group and is moving fast. The company is consolidating agencies, standing up new cross-company client teams, and leaning hard into AI, data, and identity. It projects $750M in annual cost savings and more than $25B in combined revenue, making it the largest ad-holding group globally.
What's changing right now
- Brands retired: MullenLowe, FCB and DDB are being phased out.
- Omnicom Advertising: Led by Troy Ruhanen, the unit includes BBDO, McCann, TBWA and a U.S. Advertising Collective.
- Job reductions: About 4,000 roles will be eliminated globally to meet cost synergy targets.
Six capability divisions
- Media
- Public Relations
- Production
- Advertising (BBDO, McCann, TBWA, U.S. Advertising Collective)
- Diversified Agency Services (healthcare, branding, precision marketing)
- Omni + Flywheel Commerce Network (the operating platform and connected commerce)
Two enterprise-wide client teams
- Global Growth Team: Scans client needs and surfaces innovation across the company. Led by George Manas, who transitions out of his OMD Worldwide CEO role on Feb. 1.
- Client Success Leaders: Orchestrate connected capabilities and shape custom solutions per client. Led by Chief Client and Business Officer Jacki Kelley and Client Experience Officer Andrea Lennon.
What this signals to marketers
Omnicom is reshaping its model around scaled media, modern production, and an operating platform where data and AI sit at the center. Expect tighter linkages between media, content, commerce, and measurement - all routed through Omni and Acxiom data assets.
Five focus areas to watch
- Media scale + data: Building a larger media network supported by Acxiom's data marketing stack.
- Content with AI: More AI-assisted creative development and faster production cycles.
- Connected commerce: Retail media and shoppable experiences embedded into full-funnel plans.
- Enterprise AI: Rolling out genAI capabilities across strategy, creative, media, and ops.
- Identity: Omni + Acxiom Real ID reaching 2.6B verified global IDs without third-party cookies.
For identity, Omnicom plans to combine Omni's planning/activation layer with Acxiom's ID graph to drive targeting, measurement, and clean-room workflows. More here on Acxiom's approach to identity: Acxiom Real Identity.
How to respond if you're a CMO or growth lead
- Audit your identity stack: Validate how your first-party data will map to Omni + Acxiom and what that unlocks for targeting, MMM/MTA, and incrementality.
- Push for AI in the brief: Ask for clear AI-assisted workflows across insight mining, concepting, asset versioning, and dynamic creative - with controls for brand safety and bias.
- Tie retail media to brand: Link retail media signals to upper-funnel planning and creative testing. Insist on shared KPIs across the full funnel.
- Set data guardrails: Confirm clean-room strategy, model governance, PII protections, and approval steps for any genAI usage.
- Demand cross-practice ownership: Use the Global Growth Team and Client Success Leaders as single-threaded owners for integrated roadmaps and accountability.
Leadership and timelines
- John Wren (CEO, Omnicom) signals a combined organization centered on AI access and the Omni platform.
- George Manas moves from OMD Worldwide CEO to lead the Global Growth Team effective Feb. 1.
- Jacki Kelley and Andrea Lennon lead Client Success Leaders across groups.
CES and what's next
Omnicom plans a major presence at CES in January, where it will reveal the next generation of Omni. Expect more detail on AI-assisted planning, identity integrations, and commerce use cases.
If you need to upskill your team on AI now
If your roadmap depends on AI-native planning, creative, and measurement, level up your team ahead of Q1 planning. A practical option for marketers: AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
Bottom line: agency logos are consolidating, but the operating system is getting bigger. If you're not wiring first-party data, identity, and AI into your media and creative briefs, you'll miss how this new structure actually produces growth.
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