Agencies
State of Play
Revised Nov 1, 2026The moment. The holding companies reported, and the gap between them is the story. Campaign’s Elena Lewis has Omnicom’s organic revenue up 7.2% in Q3, from 6.1% in Q2 and 3.9% in Q1, with core revenue up 7% to $6.01 billion. Adweek’s Alison Weissbrot has WPP’s revenue less pass-through costs down 2.1% to $3.2 billion, narrower than Q2’s 2.8% decline, with WPP Media back to 0.3% growth for the first time in six quarters. Omnicom took Coca-Cola’s North America media account, which leaves Coke and PepsiCo having effectively swapped agencies in that market; WPP Media won Transport for London’s account, worth about fifty million pounds. The executive moves ran the same direction: McCann made Andrés Ordóñez global chairman, Publicis named Scott Hagedorn the first CEO of its Marcel AI platform, and Stagwell bought Freestar and put James Denton-Clark in charge of Europe.
The tension. The holdcos are moving onto the other side of the trade. Digiday’s Ronan Shields reads Stagwell’s Freestar deal as putting buying and selling under one roof, and Publicis now owns LiveRamp under an FTC firewall, so the firms that audit media are increasingly the firms that sell it. The way business is won has fragmented too: Digiday’s Seb Joseph finds no common pitch shape left across the earnings calls. Buyers are pushing Q4 money into social, video and retail media, and Digiday’s Sam Bradley has NBA linear and streaming inventory all but sold out across Peacock, Amazon and Disney for the 2026–27 season, which sends brands toward creators by default rather than by plan.
Who’s moving. Omnicom, at 7.2% organic. WPP, narrowing its decline to 2.1%. Coca-Cola, moving North America to Omnicom. WPP Media, on Transport for London. Stagwell, buying Freestar. James Denton-Clark, to Stagwell Europe. McCann’s Andrés Ordóñez, to global chairman. Publicis’s Scott Hagedorn, to Marcel. Skydance’s Jay Askinasi, on a unified ad organization. Media buyers, on an NBA season all but sold out. The American Entertainment Alliance, backing a 20% federal production incentive as a first step. Walmart, building its Q4 around a Muppets parody.
What the desk is watching. Whether Dentsu lands nearer Omnicom’s 7.2% or WPP’s 2.1%, and whether Stagwell’s clients ask which side of the Freestar trade they are on.
Stagwell shares jump 11% on Q3 growth, software pivot
MediaPost’s Steve McClellan reports Stagwell posted 7% net organic revenue growth and $664 million in reported revenue for Q3, sending shares up over 11%.
WPP’s Q3 decline narrows as Rose’s turnaround plan takes shape
Adweek’s Alison Weissbrot reports that WPP’s Q3 revenue, less pass-through costs, fell 2.1% to $3.2 billion, narrowing from Q2’s 2.8% decline, while WPP Media returned to 0.3% growth for the first time in six quarters.
Stagwell’s Freestar deal puts buying and selling under one roof
Digiday’s Ronan Shields reports that Stagwell’s Freestar acquisition, announced Oct. 26, folds publisher monetization technology and relationships into Stagwell’s Owned Media division, deepening the holding company’s reach into media selling.
WPP Media wins £50m Transport for London media account
Campaign’s Ben Bold reports that WPP Media has won Transport for London’s media account, a contract worth roughly fifty million pounds, following a competitive review process.
Adidas, Poppi, Walmart Connect lead 2026 Digiday Awards winners
Digiday reports that Adidas and Gamefam won Best Partnership for a Roblox football activation that drew more than 51 million visits and 468 million brand interactions in four weeks.
Microsoft offers buyouts to a quarter of its workforce
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that Microsoft is making voluntary buyout offers to 25% of its workforce, about 60,000 people, who have to decide their futures by early December, with a prior buyout round yielding only a 30% acceptance rate.
James Denton-Clark named to lead Stagwell Europe
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell has handed its chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, the European leadership remit previously held by James Townsend.
AI visibility research says brand fame beats technical SEO tricks
MediaPost’s Lauren Ridgley argues that AI isn’t a new shortcut to growth but a mirror reflecting existing brand fame.
Stagwell taps Denton-Clark to lead European push
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell’s chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, is taking charge of Stagwell Europe. He assumes James Townsend’s remit as the challenger network prepares to step up investment in the region.
Publicis names first-ever CEO, chief strategy officer for Marcel AI platform
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that Publicis Groupe has installed Scott Hagedorn as CEO and Sam Levine Archer as chief strategy officer in newly created roles atop Marcel, its internal AI platform.
McCann names Ordóñez global chairman and chief creative officer
MediaPost’s Steve McClellan reports McCann promoted Andrés Ordóñez, who joined via Omnicom’s IPG acquisition, to the combined role of Global Chairman and Global Chief Creative Officer, reporting to Andrew Robertson. The move follows CEO Tyler Turnbull’s exit to WPP.
Omnicom’s Q3 organic growth accelerates to 7.2%
Campaign’s Elena Lewis reports that Omnicom’s organic revenue from core operations grew 7.2% in Q3, up from 6.1% in Q2 and 3.9% in Q1, with total core revenue rising 7% to $6.01 billion year on year.
Buyers push Q4 dollars to retail, social and video as storm clouds gather
Digiday’s Sam Bradley reports that advertisers are funneling Q4 media dollars into social, video and retail media, lifting year-on-year spend, even as Omnicom, Havas and Publicis post positive Q3 growth while WPP and Dentsu results remain pending.
McCann elevates creative chief Ordóñez to global chairman
Ad Age’s Brian Bonilla reports that McCann promoted Chief Creative Officer Andrés Ordóñez to global chairman, the latest shift in Omnicom’s ad network.
Omnicom’s Q3 2026 results locked behind Campaign paywall
Campaign’s Elena Lewis reports on the key charts behind Omnicom’s Q3 2026 results, but the full analysis is restricted to Campaign Knowledge subscribers. The article page shows only sign-in and subscription prompts, with no financial detail visible to non-subscribers.
Stagwell buys Freestar, folding publisher ad sales into its holdco
Digiday’s Seb Joseph reports that Stagwell has acquired Freestar, the ad sales partner for publishers like Fortune and Boston Globe Media, folding it into its Owned Media unit.
Walmart taps Muppets to unify holiday ad push across Q4
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that Walmart built its holiday campaign, “A Who Knew Carol,” around a Muppets Christmas Carol parody starring Walton Goggins as Scrooge.
Skydance names unified ad leadership team post-Paramount-WBD merger
Business Insider’s Kelsey Vlamis and James Faris report that Skydance’s Jay Askinasi outlined a new “unified Skydance Advertising organization” in a staff memo after the $110 billion merger closed.
Madison and Wall roundup: siloed ad budgets, 3Q26 earnings, and F1’s media economics
Madison and Wall rounds up its week of analysis, covering how ad budgets are becoming more siloed rather than omnichannel, 3Q26 earnings from Meta, Netflix, Comcast and Omnicom, and a new piece on Formula 1’s business model.
NBA sellout squeezes brands off TV, pushing them toward creators
Digiday’s Sam Bradley reports that media buyers describe NBA linear and streaming inventory as all but sold out across Peacock, Amazon and Disney for the 2026-27 season, even as streaming ad spend hit $874 million last year.
Omnicom lands Coca-Cola’s North America media account
Ad Age reports that Omnicom has won Coca-Cola’s North America media business. The decision means Coke and rival PepsiCo have effectively swapped media agencies in an all-important market, with Omnicom and Publicis trading their biggest beverage clients.
Holdco earnings calls show pitches are no longer one-size-fits-all
Digiday’s Seb Joseph reports that holdco earnings calls reveal pitching has fragmented: Havas’s François Laroze cited integrated pitches, Publicis’s Arthur Sadoun described tighter two-holdco contests replacing full beauty parades, and Omnicom’s John Wren focused on tech-investment value.
Hollywood agencies back tax incentive but push for more
Variety’s Gene Maddaus reports that the American Entertainment Alliance, including CAA, WME and UTA, backs the proposed 20% federal production tax incentive as a “first step.”
Dentsu Creative wins expanded Diageo trade and shopper marketing role
Adweek’s Christopher Cicchiello reports that Dentsu Creative won Diageo’s U.S. trade and shopper marketing business after a competitive review, consolidating work previously spread across multiple agencies and extending a 25-year client relationship.
Omnicom says IPG integration nearly done as growth accelerates
Digiday’s Michael Bürgi reports that Omnicom’s third-quarter organic revenue grew 7.2% year-over-year, up from 6.1% in Q2 and 3.9% in Q1, as CEO John Wren said the IPG integration is nearly complete. Total revenue hit $6.42 billion, with operating margin rising to 18.2%.