There is a global merger of Omnicom and Interpublic (IPG). Prasoon Joshi will lead Omnicom Advertising Services in India. Dheeraj Sinha will head McCann World group, India as CEO The deal closed in November, 2025 and IPG now ceases to exist. FCB folds into McCann.
Omincom’s flagship agencies include BBDO, DDB, TEWA, OMD and PHD. IPG has under its umbrella McCann, FCB, MullenLowe and IPG Media Brands.
WPP is the French holding company which has agencies like Grey.
Omincom has now become after the merger the biggest marketing communications agency group in the world. It has a combined revenue of $ 25 billion. The place was formerly held by Publicis which snatched it form WPP in February 2024.
In India, IPG is three times larger than Omnicom and WPP is double the size of IPG. After the merger, they will be a formidable rival to WPP, but still the merged group will not be at number one spot.
Omnicom and IPG’s merger have decided to relegate three iconic ad agencies to the history books — DDB, MullenLowe and FCB. These brands defined the country’s advertising character in the 1980s and 1990s — the brands that stood out were Lintas, Mudra and Ulka. Omincom has retired FCB Ulka and DDB Mudra. Lintas has been given a new lease of life by rebranding it as TBWA/Lintas. However, it may be retired in future. The ad agencies which were known for brand building ability do not seem to be able to sustain their own brands.
DDB Mudra has not survived the Omincom axe. Its retirement marks the end of Indian advertising’s golden age. DDB Mudra did valuable work on brands like Rasna, Vimal, Dhara and Nestle Polo.
The whole brunt will not borne by the brand names, and legacies culture too will be affected for clients and employees.
The consolidation has its focus on cost reduction, and is treated as efficiency. Advertising is an industry where 70 per cent of cost is people. There are loss of jobs and demoralized manpower. It is a moot point whether in a declining industry, mergers will revive the business.
WPP which was once a giant, faces stiff competition from the merged entity of Omnicom and Publicis Groupe. WPP has witnessed a decline of 6 per cent. WPP still leads in India. Things could change in the next 3-5 years.
The entire advertising ecosystem is very fragile. It is a challenge to get good talent. Clients refuse to pay for creative work. There are opportunities for young talents to shift to OTT channels.
Large independent agencies such as Rediffusion and Madison World not only survive but thrive in an industry dominated by global networks. Independent agencies need to find a competitive advantage over network agencies. Rediffusion has been strengthening its AI-led offerings.
Globally, Omnicom (plus IPG) will be the largest network. WPP and Publicis will follow closely behind. The other key networks will be Dentsu and Havas. These holding companies’ command 80 per cent of the world’s advertising market.
In India WPP will retain its number one position followed by Omnicom and Publicis. There would be a few independent agencies such as Rediffusion and Madison World.
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