【Big 6】Love-Hate Stories Between the Big Six Media Agencies in H1 2025

【English version】

Love-Hate Stories Between the Big Six Media Agencies in H1 2025

The first half of 2025 saw intense competition, strategic mergers, and transformative shifts among the Big Six media agencies.

Publicis vs. WPP: A Heated Rivalry Publicis Groupe scored major wins, securing Coca-Cola’s North American media advertising business in March and a $1.7 billion global media deal from Mars shortly after. WPP, facing setbacks, retaliated by releasing an "intelligence report" accusing Publicis’s Epsilon SSP of substandard inventory. Publicis fired back, accusing WPP of smearing its competitors, making their rivalry a defining story of H1 2025.

Omnicom-IPG Merger Progresses Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) reached a milestone in June when the US Federal Trade Commission conditionally approved the merger. However, the new group is barred from basing media purchases on political or ideological principles. With regulators still deliberating, the industry anticipates the merger’s completion by year-end, creating a global advertising powerhouse.

AI and Personnel Changes Reshape the Industry Layoffs hit major agencies like Ogilvy, VCCP, and McCann Worldgroup due to market contraction. Meanwhile, AI is reshaping operations, with WPP’s WPP Open platform in full deployment and S4 Capital hiring only "non-automatable" roles. These changes signal a profound restructuring of the industry’s workforce.

WPP’s Leadership Transition After losing a major deal, WPP announced CEO Mark Read’s departure at year-end. Cindy Rose, former COO of Microsoft’s Global Enterprise Business, took over as CEO on September 1, bringing a tech-focused vision to accelerate WPP’s digital transformation.

Cannes Lions Integrity Crisis DDB Brazil’s subsidiary, DM9, withdrew three Cannes Lions awards amid authenticity concerns, prompting stricter integrity review standards for future entries.

Independent Agencies and the "Independence" Debate Independent agencies like Horizon Media and VCCP secured major clients, sparking debate over what defines "independence" as private equity investments blur the lines.

As the industry evolves, healthy competition and transformative changes promise an exciting second half of 2025.

【中文版本】

2025 H1有哪些 Media Agency Big 6的爱恨情仇值得我们来回顾呢？

客户争夺、巨头合并、人事变动与技术革新等多重浪潮推动下，行业格局加速重塑。没有惊心动魄，但也可以为我们明年年初的行业状态做好心理准备。

1. Publicis与WPP“抢单大战”升级

今年3月，Publicis Groupe成功拿下可口可乐公司北美媒体投放业务，数月后再度赢得玛氏集团17亿美元全球媒介项目，成为业内惊叹的劲旅。面对接连失利，WPP方面于5月发布一份“情报报告”，指责Publicis旗下Epsilon SSP投放的广告库存质量低于行业标准。Publicis随即强力回击，指责WPP“抹黑竞争对手”，双方在舆论场的“打擂”成为上半年最大看点之一。

2. Omnicom与IPG合并再获突破

Omnicom拟收购Interpublic Group的消息自年初传出后保持低调运行。6月，美国联邦贸易委员会在一项附条件许可中，同意合并，但禁止新集团基于政治或意识形态导向媒体采购。英国竞争与市场管理局等关键监管机构仍在审议，业界普遍预计合并将在今年内完成，届时全球将诞生规模空前的广告控股集团。

3. 人事动荡与AI双重冲击

上半年，Ogilvy、VCCP、McCann Worldgroup等多家广告与公关机构宣布裁员，以应对市场收缩与成本压力。与此同时，AI技术正逐步渗透业务流程：WPP旗下WPP Open平台正在全面部署，S4 Capital更要求所有新岗位必须证明“无法被自动化”才能开招，预示行业人力结构正进入深度调整期。

4. WPP接班风波落定

继“抢单”失利后一日，WPP宣布CEO Mark Read将于年底卸任，并于7月揭晓继任者：微软全球企业业务首席运营官Cindy Rose。Rose将于9月1日正式上任，其科技背景被视为WPP加速数字化转型的关键。

5. 戛纳广告节诚信危机后续

今年戛纳广告节上，DDB巴西子公司DM9因多件获奖作品真实性遭质疑而主动撤回三大奖项，牵出连锁反应。主办方已宣布自2026年起实施更严格的参赛作品“诚信审查”标准，力求防止类似舞弊再次发生。

6. 独立机构崛起与“独立”定义再掀争议

Horizon Media、VCCP等独立机构接连胜出Spectrum、Grubhub、TikTok等大客户项目。与此同时，私募资本入股案例频现，部分机构在引入外部资本后仍自称“独立”，引发业内关于“何谓独立代理商”的激烈讨论。

如果你问对于2025年H2有什么展望的话，我认为我们可以持续关注Big6管理层的变化，如果说在有良性的Tech竞争环境中进行深一步观察，当然他们始终会夹杂着商战的紧绷，甚至会有市场收缩。 另一方面当AI科技产品渗入行业内部的同时，人员变动会为Big 6带来什么样的变化呢我们可以敬请期待一下。