Brand Makers
Dil Ka Jod Hai, Tootega Nahin
Adland’s biggest merger closes today as Omnicom absorbs IPG in $13.25-billion deal
From website rebranding to leadership alignment, Omnicom sets the stage for post-merger integration amid $750-million synergy targets.
In India too, insiders expect brand consolidation, leadership realignment, shared-services frameworks, and potential merging of parallel creative teams, especially where client rosters overlap across agencies.
On November 26, 2025, the advertising industry turns a decisive page, as the long-awaited merger between Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group (IPG) officially closes, creating the world’s largest advertising and marketing holding company, and triggering a seismic shift that could redraw power dynamics across global and Indian ad markets. The move, first announced in December 2024, has recently cleared its final regulatory hurdle: unconditional approval from the European Commission.
Final regulatory green light and the closing bell
On November 24, 2025, the European Commission granted its antitrust approval for Omnicom’s US$13.25 billion all-stock acquisition of IPG, marking the end of a year-long approval process across multiple jurisdictions. With that clearance, the companies said the merger would be completed by the close of business on November 26, a day that now marks the beginning of a new era.
Almost immediately, a first symbolic sign of integration surfaced: IPG updated its global homepage to display a new identity: “Omnicom + IPG.” The graphic, the first public-facing representation of the combined brand, signals the start of coordinated brand unification, even as the legacy Omnicom website remains unchanged for now.
A “super-holdco” with scale, data and ambition
The new entity will command nearly US$25 billion in global revenues (based on 2024 numbers), overtaking rivals to become the largest agency holding company worldwide. The merger brings together two of the biggest names on Madison Avenue: Omnicom, known for its data-inspired creative and media offering, and IPG, a veteran in creative communications, media buying, digital, CRM and specialised services.
Backed by an estimated US$750 million in annual cost synergies, the consolidation reflects greater urgency than ever for legacy agencies to bulk up and modernise, as they race to keep pace with Big Tech, AI-powered marketing platforms and a media landscape increasingly driven by data, automation and integrated services.
What India stands to see: creative upheaval, media recalibration
While global rankings draw the spotlight, the impact in India will likely be felt most keenly on the creative side rather than media buying. According to industry sources, the merged Omnicom–IPG combine will bring under one roof six of India’s largest agency networks:
From Omnicom: BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group, TBWA India
From IPG: McCann Worldgroup India, FCB Group India, MullenLowe Lintas
That puts under a single owner a vast creative landscape long spread across multiple agency houses, which brings both opportunity and disruption.
Media-buying structures, by contrast, may remain relatively stable. GroupM, the media-buying giant under WPP, is still widely expected to maintain its dominant share in India’s media investments.
New estimates suggest that post-merger, the combined Omnicom–IPG entity could cross roughly US$2.5 billion in billings in the Indian market, thus establishing itself as a clear “No. 2” in size behind GroupM/WPP and widening the gap ahead of other global networks such as Publicis Groupe.
Consolidation, rationalization and perhaps a farewell to some legacy names
But the bigger story may not be numbers, it’s structure. Over the past several months, both Omnicom and IPG have begun trimming headcount and consolidating overlapping functions globally. In some markets, that has involved vacating large office spaces, reducing redundant roles, and preparing for merged operations.
Among the more significant speculations: the possibility that some legacy agency brands may be retired or merged. International reports have suggested that DDB Worldwide may be phased out, with core creative delivery consolidated under fewer global networks, notably BBDO Worldwide, McCann Worldgroup and TBWA Worldwide.
In India too, insiders expect brand consolidation, leadership realignment, shared-services frameworks, and potential merging of parallel creative teams, especially where client rosters overlap across agencies.
What clients, brands, and independents in India are likely to weigh
For brands and advertisers, this consolidation brings both clarity and uncertainty.
On one hand, they may gain access to an expanded service stack, creative, media, data, CRM, digital commerce and performance marketing, all under one roof. The merged entity’s combined global scale, deeper data capabilities and integrated solutions may appeal to larger marketers, especially those seeking globally aligned campaigns or advanced AI-powered media solutions.
On the other hand, the shake-up could reduce the number of “independent” agency choices among the big networks. Some clients may worry about conflicts, reduced agency independence, or potential loss of boutique specialization. Observers note this could create openings for smaller or independent agencies to pitch themselves as nimble, specialized alternatives focused on creativity, agility and dedicated attention.
For talent, creative directors, planners, strategists, the merger could mean both risk and opportunity: risk in terms of redundancies or restructuring, but opportunity in being part of a larger network with global scale, cross-market exposure and potentially more resources for integrated campaigns, performance marketing, AI-enabled services and data-driven offerings.
A new era, but many question marks remain
As the merger finalises today, the industry steps into a new structural reality. The “Omnicom + IPG” identity already displayed on IPG’s homepage is more than cosmetic, it is the first visible sign of the push for deeper unification.
Yet the biggest challenges lie ahead: integrating dozens of agencies, cultures, tech stacks and regional operations across more than 70 countries; reconciling overlapping agencies and mandates; managing client conflicts; sustaining creative agility even as the network scales; and delivering on the ambitious $750 million synergy target without undermining creativity or client trust.
In markets like India, the coming months may bring restructuring, consolidation and possibly the retirement of some legacy names, but also the emergence of a larger, more capable agency house capable of offering full-funnel, data-driven, integrated marketing services.
SPOTLIGHT
From Delhi’s sharp-tongued lyricists to Chennai’s bilingual innovators and North-East India’s experimental beatmakers, Rap 91 LIVE’s lineup was a sonic map of the country’s cultural diversity.
Read MoreDil Ka Jod Hai, Tootega Nahin
Piyush Pandey was a force of nature - brute force for his opponents and a natural creative at heart.