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India’s leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies witnessed a moderate growth in advertising and marketing expenditures in Q4 year-on-year in fiscal year 2025, reflecting the pressures of food inflation and sluggish demand in urban markets.

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), the maker of household names like Dove, Horlicks, and Closeup, trimmed its advertising spend by 6.5% to Rs 1,510 crore in Q4 FY25, down from Rs 1,616 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal , according to quarterly data released to the stock exchange. 

However, HUL has intended to elevate its media spending and boost digital advertising to drive the growth of key brands. According to Managing Director and CEO Rohit Jawa, brands like 'Lifebuoy, Glow & Lovely, and Nutrition Drinks' are the three brands in the core portfolio that require improvement in performance.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/fmcg-giants-scale-back-traditional-advertising-as-digital-channels-gain-favor-66433.htm">FMCG giants scale back traditional advertising as digital channels gain favor</a>

Jawa added that HUL has taken initiatives such as heavy media spending, extensive digital advertising, and product relaunching to improve brand performance in fiscal year 2026.

Dabur Ltd also scaled back its advertising budget spending to Rs 176.40 crore in Q4 FY25, down from Rs 183.6 crore in Q4FY24.

In contrast, Godrej Consumer Products, known for its Good Knight brand, witnessed a marginal increase in its ad spending to Rs310.07 crore in Q4 FY25, compared with Rs306.29 crore the same period last fiscal. 

Additionally, Marico, the company behind Saffola and Parachute oils, ramped up its advertising and promotional spends by 35% year-on-year in Q4 FY25. The ad and promotion (A&P) outlay stood at Rs 305 crore, accounting for 11.2% of sales, the highest in over a year.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/fmcg-giants-defy-consumption-slowdown-increase-ad-spend-in-q3-fy25-hul-dabur-buck-trend-55984.htm">FMCG giants defy consumption slowdown, increase ad spend in Q3 FY25; HUL, Dabur buck trend</a>

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev-owned Patanjali Foods claimed that its advertisement and promotional spending in Q4 FY25 stood at Rs 325.66 crore and accounted for 3.36% of the revenue from operations.

Notably, the consumer goods company have scaled back their presence in traditional advertising media over the past fiscal year, favoring more targeted and digital channels instead.

According to data from TAM AdEx, a division of TAM Media Research, Television advertising for FMCG brands declined 12 percent in FY25 while in print media, the ad space trimmed by 20% YoY.

Dalal noted a growing preference among marketers for “high-impact, measurable platforms,” including Connected TV. “Brands are no longer chasing visibility for its own sake,” Vaishal Dalal, Co-founder & Director, Excellent Publicity said. “They’re choosing relevance and effectiveness, and the Q4 uptick in ad spending highlights a more strategic approach.”

FMCG 2024 adex wrap: HUL, Dabur scaled back ad expenses, Marico sees 35% jump in Q4 FY25

Driven by artificial intelligence, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are set to acquire more than half of the global ad market, with a combined market share of 54.7% excluding China this year, according to WARC’s Global Ad Forecast Q2 2025 update. Overall, the trio will contribute to $524.4 billion in adex, which is expected to rise to 56.2% in 2026, the report added.

WARC’s latest global projections are based on data aggregated from 100 markets worldwide and leverage a proprietary neural network which projects advertising investment patterns based on over two million data points.


Retail Media grows fastest; Video advertising to decline


Search is set to account for more than a fifth (21.5%) of the ad market this year, with spend rising 7.4% to $248.6bn despite regulatory threats; and 6.8% next year, by which time the market would be worth $265.5bn – equivalent to 21.5% of all spend, up from 21.2% in 2024. 

Social media – the largest single advertising medium globally – is poised to account for a quarter (25.8%) of all ad spend this year, at a total of $298.3bn. A strong first quarter rise of 14.9% precedes an expected slowdown, with growth averaging 11.2% over the coming three quarters as tariffs begin to impact Asian brands disproportionately. The social market is still on track to grow 12.0% to $298.3bn this year.

Retail media is set to be fastest growing advertising medium this year (+14.4%), which accounts for an eighth (15.2%) of all global advertising spend this year. Amazon’s retail media ad business grew 21.0% to $13.3bn during the first quarter, accounting for a third (33.4%) of the global retail media market. WARC projects Amazon’s ad income will grow by 16.1% to $60.6bn this year. A further rise of 14.9% is forecast next year

Global video advertising spend is forecast to decline by 2.6% in 2025 to $183.9bn, equating to 15.9% of all spend this year. The contraction is driven by a continued decline in linear TV, which still represents over three-quarters of the total video market, but is expected to fall by 6.3% this year – a drop exacerbated by 2024 major sporting and political events. Notably, 2025 marks the first year that retail media will command a greater share of global ad spend than linear TV. However, video-on-demand advertising is forecast to rise by 13.2% to $39.9bn.


Slowdown in Global adex


According to WARC Media, global advertising spend is now on course to grow 6.2% this year to $1.16 trillion, a downgrade of half a percentage point from WARC’s March forecast as key sectors react to growing market volatility.

“Trade tensions are forcing major sectors to rethink their ad strategies. Automakers are cutting back amid rising costs and a pivot to performance media, while retailers tighten budgets as tariffs squeeze margins,” explains James McDonald, Director of Data, Intelligence & Forecasting at WARC.


Retail, auto brands to cut ad spends


Key sectors such as retail (-6.1%) and automotive (-4.0%) are set to cut ad spend this year, while ad spend growth across technology and CPG brands is muted compared to previous rates.

The automotive industry invested $56.8bn in advertising last year with almost a quarter (22.9%) going to premium video formats, but spend is expected to be down 4% this year as manufacturing stalls and key players pare back brand building. However, budgets are shifting from video towards digital platforms, with automotive spend on social ads surpassing linear TV for the first time in 2025. The sector should rebound next year with a 7.5% rise pushing spend to a total of $58.6bn. 

Retail, with projected ad spend of $166.1bn this year (14.3% of the global ad market), faces a fall of 6.1% from 2024 levels. This largely reflects impending US trade tariffs on key goods and raw materials, which are poised to increase costs for global retailers, particularly those heavily reliant on Chinese imports such as Amazon and Walmart. 

The tech and electronics sector is expected to spend $90.3bn on advertising this year. A YOY rise of 5.5% represents a cut from our +6.2% forecast in March: a sharp slowdown from the 24.3% rise recorded last year. Tariffs are driving the sector to adjust go-to-market strategies, shifting investments toward less-affected regions or different product lines to buffer against hardware margin erosion. 

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies experienced their weakest first quarter sales revenues since the pandemic. Further, with tariffs reaching as high as 145% for Chinese imports and additional tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, CPG companies are facing major disruption to their established supply chains. WARC expects core CPG sectors, such as soft drinks (+7.1%), toiletries & cosmetics (+7.2%) and household & domestic (+4.2%) to record growth in advertising spend at a global level this year, though all see a significant slowdown from 2024.

With AI push, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta together to acquire 54.7% of global ad market: WARC

France's government is planning to impose a ban on Chinese fast-fashion platforms Shein and Temu advertisements. According to media reports, the upper house of France's Parliament, the Senate, has unanimously voted in favor of the revised law which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry.

Additionally, the amended bill would impose sanctions on influencers who promote such products and ban fast fashion advertisements.

Environmental experts have pointed out that low-priced garments produced by fast-fashion chains lead to excessive consumption and waste, causing damage to the environment.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/shein-hit-with-eu-complaint-over-dark-patterns-in-app-website-68964.htm">Shein hit with EU complaint over dark patterns in app, website</a>

Last year, French Parliament's lower house, the National Assembly adopted the bill, but the Senate passed it with 337 votes and only one against it.

However, the amended bill has made a distinction between "ultra" fast fashion and "classic" fast fashion, therefore keeping off European fast-fashion players like Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the ban list.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/chinas-fast-fashion-company-shein-re-launched-in-india-after-5-year-gap-55394.htm">China’s fast fashion company Shein re-launched in India after 5 year gap</a>

A joint committee of senators and lower house deputies is expected to meet in September to produce likely to produce a joint text in September this year. Before the final adoption of the Bill, the European Commission will be notified.

'Fast Fashion in France'

According to the state environmental agency Ademe, France is witnessing a sharp surge in fast fashion. Nearly 50 clothing items are released into the French market each year and 35 are thrown away every second in the country.

A slew of brands are experiencing difficulties, such as Jemmyfer which went into liquidation this year, and NafNaf has been in receivership since May.

According to France 24, the bill will impose stricter sanctions on fast-fashion companies by scoring their "environmental communication. Companies with the lowest score will be taxed by the government up to five euros per product in 2025 and up to 10 euros by 2030.

Separately, Shein has been hit with complaints from the European Union's consumer group over dark patterns. According to a report by Reuters, the pan-European consumer organization BEUC has alleged that Shein is using different tactics to make people buy more on its website and application.

Shein responded by saying that it is working constructively with national consumer authorities and the EU Commission to demonstrate its commitment to complying with EU laws and regulations.

A total of 25 BEUC member organizations in 21 countries, including, France, Germany, Spain, etc have joined in the grievance filed with the EU and European consumer protection network.

France plans to ban ads for Chinese fast fashion giants Shein, Temu

Amazon has nearly doubled the ad load on Prime Video just 18 months after first introducing commercials on the platform, ADWEEK reported. As per the media report, Prime Video ad load has gradually increased to four to six minutes per hour.

While Amazon had previously hinted at a ramp-up in ad inventory to investors, the shift hasn’t been publicly acknowledged to consumers. The stealthy increase has sparked scrutiny among ad buyers, who say the change reflects Amazon’s broader ambitions to scale its streaming advertising business and compete more aggressively with other ad-supported platforms.

When Prime Video first rolled out ads, Amazon opted for a light approach to ease viewer backlash. The service, included by default for over 150 million Prime subscribers, initially offered one of the lowest ad loads in the streaming landscape. But by late 2024, Amazon had already signaled to Wall Street that it would begin “right-sizing” its ad inventory.

With four to six minutes of ads per hour, Prime Video now sits squarely in the industry’s “middle tier” alongside services like Hulu and Paramount+, far below traditional linear TV, where ad time often reaches 13–16 minutes per hour. Netflix still holds the lowest ad load among major streamers. 

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/meta-launches-ai-powered-video-editing-feature-for-everyday-creators-70018.htm">Meta launches AI-Powered video editing feature for everyday creators</a>

The growth in inventory could also help Amazon better serve niche verticals and make fuller use of its proprietary ad tech stack, including Amazon Marketing Cloud and its demand-side platform. But despite these advances, some advertisers remain cautious due to measurement limitations.

Amazon’s shift aligns with a larger push to evolve Prime Video into a full-scale ad platform. Alongside the expanded ad load, the company has introduced new tools for marketers, including show-level audience data, private auction capabilities and upcoming contextual targeting products.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/global-google-outage-disrupts-gmail-spotify-discord-services-restored-70168.htm">Global Google outage disrupts Gmail, Spotify, Discord; services restored</a>

Amazon doubles Prime Video ad load to 4–6 minutes per hour

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is expected to resume granting permissions for new hoardings across the city after the monsoon, according to Bright Outdoor Media Limited. The Out of Home industry had been in a state of flux following the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse that claimed 17 lives last year. 

BMC had put a pause on all new hoarding approvals in the wake of the tragic incident. The green light for new hoardings has been stalled for nearly a year. Now, with the monsoon approaching and a revised advertising policy in the works, Bright Outdoor Media Limited during the earnings call indicated a revival of the permit process is on the horizon.

During the earnings call, Dr. Yogesh Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director of Bright Outdoor Media Limited stated, "BMC has stopped the permission since the last 1 year. The permission for LED has started and the permission for hoardings has been stopped since the last 1 year. It is going to start soon after the rain. So, the new hoardings that will come, we buy hoardings from them and do trading. And we also do permitting." 

Despite the pause in new hoarding permissions, Bright's margins have consistently increased. “Clients are coming in daily. Thousands of buildings are being constructed, and our hoardings continue to deliver 24x7 visibility,” said Lakhani. “Even with the rise of social media, traditional outdoor media holds unmatched scale — especially when TV channels launch new shows or movies.”

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/year-after-ghatkopar-hoarding-collapse-ioaa-pushes-self-regulation-policy-for-ooh-industry-67523.htm">Read More: Year after Ghatkopar hoarding collapse, IOAA pushes self-regulation policy for OOH industry</a>

When asked if there will be an increase in number of hoardings after BMC initiates to permit new hoardings in the city, Lakhani said, "Maximum hoardings will increase by 1,000-2,000. Earlier, 3,500 hoardings were in Mumbai. Later, when metro came, most of the hoardings were removed. Today, BMC has 1,000-1,200 hoardings. 1,000-1,200 hoardings are in railway and other areas. Now after getting the permission it will increase." 

Bright Outdoor Media is projecting a 40–45% revenue growth in the current fiscal year, backed by rising digital adoption, infrastructure developments, and upcoming BMC elections. For FY25, the company reported a revenue of ₹126 crore, up 18.8% year-on-year. EBITDA stood at ₹26 crore, reflecting a margin of 20%, while PAT rose to ₹19 crore — a YoY growth of 18.9%.

Abhishek Sharma, Vice President of Bright Outdoor Media during the earnings call said, “We are looking ahead for a good festive season altogether. And, of course, like I said, BMC election and other things which are lined up is going to give us a good, ROI for the kind of investment that we have made in. The last year was the year for investment, was the year of investment for us. I think this year we are going to realize a lot of it from the kind of investment we have made.” 

Bright Outdoor Media is also diversifying into the digital and integrated media ecosystem. Starting July 5, the company will roll out a new 10-member team, featuring veterans with 25+ years of experience across print, radio, events, PR, cinema, malls, and celebrity management. The digital expansion is expected to contribute 20–25% additional revenue growth.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) generated ₹234.783 crore from advertisement and hoarding fees in 2024-25, compared to ₹157.8492 crore in 2023-24, marking a 48.74 percent increase in revenue from BMC's license department.

Chanda Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner (Special) of the BMC, had told Storyboard18, “BMC’s advertising policy is currently in progress. We are awaiting the submission of the Bhosale Committee report, which will inform our next steps.”

The May 2024 tragedy has amplified public and industry calls for stricter oversight in the OOH sector. Complicating regulation efforts, there are eight different authorities in Mumbai responsible for granting hoarding permissions, including the BMC, Railways, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), BEST, among others. This fragmented system has made it difficult to monitor illegal sites and conduct regular inspections of authorized ones.

BMC officials indicated they are awaiting the final report from former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Dilip Bhosale, who was appointed by the Maharashtra state government to lead the inquiry into the hoarding collapse. They aim to integrate key recommendations from this report into their forthcoming advertising policy.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/bmcs-advertisement-revenue-soars-48-74-reaches-rs-235-crore-55654.htm">Read More: BMC's advertisement revenue soars 48.74%, reaches Rs 235 crore</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/mumbais-digital-outdoor-ads-clutter-activists-stakeholders-raise-concerns-54006.htm">Read More: Mumbai’s digital outdoor ads clutter: Activists, stakeholders raise concerns</a>

After year-long pause, BMC set to greenlight new hoardings: Bright Outdoor Media

Mast or Meh: Father’s Day feels - Who nailed it - Instamart, VIDA, or Atlys?

In the lead-up to Sony’s marquee broadcast of India’s tour of England 2025, the network is locked in a legal standoff with a leading DTH operator, Tata Play. In an exclusive with Storyboard18, Harit Nagpal- CEO and MD of Tata Play clarified that there has been no attempt to sabotage Sony's business by way of influencing advertisers or media agencies.

The ongoing dispute between Tata Play and Culver Max Entertainment (Sony Pictures Networks India) has intensified, with the matter now reaching the Bombay High Court. The development comes after the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) directed Sony to take down allegedly misleading messaging related to Tata Play’s platform.

Nagpal reiterated that Sony channels were not removed from the platform and that the current measures of removing Sony channels from base packs were aimed at making content delivery more affordable and relevant for users. When asked if Tata Play tried to influence advertisers and media agencies against the broadcaster to which Nagpal said, "I have a job to do—and that does not include meddling in advertising decisions. I do not earn anything from advertising, nor do I track how much it costs. Advertising is not my domain, and any suggestion that I’m influencing media agencies or advertisers against Sony is completely baseless."

Nagpal further said, "Do I have any personal enmity with them? If I had enmity, I wouldn't be carrying it. I am carrying their channels and I am paying them money. Every day, new customers are activating these channels. We’re facilitating that. We even display numbers and ask customers to call and activate them. In fact, the more activations that happen, the more revenue I earn."

TDSAT on May 27 ordered Tata Play to pay ₹40 crore and stayed the disconnection, the tribunal also restricted Culver Max from displaying on-air scrolls — a direction that was later extended to include online communication.

Calling the order arbitrary and in violation of Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, Culver Max has requested the High Court to quash the TDSAT's gag directive and stay its implementation until the final verdict. The matter is listed for hearing on June 16. 

Asked if the DTH operator is trying to arm twist the broadcaster due to its upcoming India tour of England by taking off Sony channels from the platform, to which Nagpal said, "This is not a channel takedown situation. When someone has a dispute and takes down a channel, it means none of their subscribers can view it. That's not the case here. We’ve not removed any Sony channels from Tata Play’s platform. This is a regular practice we follow, driven by data and aimed at improving affordability for our subscribers."

Nagpal further said, "We observed that there’s a wide gap between channels people subscribe to and the ones they watch. Often, when channels are bundled, people pay for all but watch only one or two. We particularly monitor customers who are slow to recharge—5, 7, sometimes even 15 days late. That’s an indicator they don’t see value in what they’re paying. We remove channels for users who are least engaged but also offer them a way to bring it back."

TDSAT in its order had directed both the parties to reconcile the matter. When questioned if Culver Max and Tata Play are willing to reconcile to resolve the dispute to which Nagpal said, "There’s no need for reconciliation. The issue stems from a notice we received claiming that we owe ₹128 crore. We are paying them and the outstanding amount will be paid too. There is no dispute of payment."

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/television/exclusive-we-have-not-discontinued-sony-says-harit-nagpal-md-and-ceo-of-tata-play-69880.htm">Read more: EXCLUSIVE: "We have not discontinued Sony," says Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO of Tata Play</a>

No enmity with Sony, not influencing advertisers or media agencies: Tata Play's Harit Nagpal

Trent Limited, a Tata Enterprise, heavily capitalized on its physical stores for fashion and lifestyle concepts and Zudio in the fiscal year 2025.

According to Trent's annual report, Westside added 40 new stores and consolidated 24 stores between April 20240-March 2025, bringing the total store count to 248 as of March 31. The total investment in a new Westside store leased and operated by the company was between Rs 8-9 crore across capital expenditure, deposits, and inventory.

While leveraging its offline store, Westside also boosted its online audience through its website, as well as, Tata Group-owned e-commerce platforms such as Tata CLiQ and Tata Neu. According to the annual report, online channels contributed around 6% to Westside's revenues in FY2025.

Westside's annual subscription programme, WestStyleClub, significantly aided its online revenue growth. The club, whose member base increased by 38% year-o-year to 16.4 million, accounted for 90% growth in Westside's online revenue share. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/tatas-trent-reports-128-52-decline-in-consolidated-profit-in-q4-fy25-63736.htm">Tata’s Trent reports 56.24% decline in consolidated profit in Q4 FY25</a>

In contrast, Zudio added 244 new stores and consolidated 24, with a store footprint of around 7,000-12,000 sq. ft in FY25. As of March 2025, Zudio had 765 stores across 235 cities, including stores co-located with Trent's food and grocery space called Star. Trent Ltd employed capital for a new Zudio store between Rs 3-4 crore in FY25.


In FY25, Zudio crossed a billion dollars in sales with lifestyle, and non-apparel accounting for over 20% of the revenues. Zudio growth was backed by brand-building visibility by expanding its presence in micro-markets, instead of heavy discounting and heavy marketing spending. The report mentioned that the lifestyle-to-grocery retail chain has stayed away from discounting and avoided active marketing spending. "We instead focus on being accessible and building a critical mass of presence to drive awareness".

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/nykaa-bets-big-on-body-care-fragrances-offline-sales-gain-momentum-62549.htm">Nykaa bets big on body care, fragrances; Offline sales gain momentum</a>

"Both Westside and Zudio now operate at scale and are witnessing strong volume-led growth across diverse categories. Operating from over 1,000 large-format fashion stores, we have engaged with more than 100 million customers," P. Venkatesalu, Trent's Managing Director said.

Overall Tata's Trent clocked a profit of Rs 1,534.41 crore in fiscal year 2025 compared to Rs 1,477.46 crore in FY24. Trent increased its advertisement and sales promotion expenditure by 44% to Rs 126.76 crore in FY25.

Tata's Trent accelerates retail expansions, adds over 280 stores for Westside, Zudio in FY25

As Omnicom’s $30 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) progresses towards finalization — especially after securing the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) approval — workforce restructuring has begun across global markets. IPG Group reportedly has initiated centralizing corporate functions like finance and accelerating investment in central platform capabilities like production and analytics through greater consolidation, on the back of the transformation and restructuring that Interpublic announced in February.

Although Shashi Sinha, Executive Chairman at IPG Mediabrands India, confirmed to Storyboard18 that no restructuring is underway in India: “No restructuring in IPG Mediabrands at all,” he stated.

Read more:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/consolidation-or-collision-how-ad-lands-mergers-create-crisis-of-overlapping-of-leadership-roles-68180.htm"> Consolidation or Collision? How ad land’s mergers create crisis of overlapping of leadership roles</a>

Just last month, IPG Mediabrands India (which houses Initiative Media, Lodestar UM, and Interactive Avenues) implemented a significant leadership realignment. Sinha moved into the role of Executive Chairman, while Amardeep Singh, former CEO of Interactive Avenues, was appointed CEO of the India business. The dual leadership structure is expected to remain in place for the next three years to ensure continuity through the merger.

Leadership Restructuring Gains Pace

Globally, IPG has begun centralizing functions like finance and ramping up investments in platforms focused on production and analytics. These moves follow the transformation roadmap unveiled in February 2025. 
The Omnicom-IPG merger has also spurred a wave of executive exits and internal reshuffles across both holding companies.

IPG in India: Shantanu Sirohi was elevated from COO to CEO of Interactive Avenues. Paras Mehta transitioned from IPG's programmatic unit in Mumbai to the Global Capabilities Centre in Pune. High-profile exits include Amir Ismail (CEO, Lintas Live), Valerie Pinto (CEO, Weber Shandwick India), and Jintendar Dabas (COO, McCann Worldgroup India), who moved to Cheil X.

Omnicom: Suraja Kishore stepped down as CEO of BBDO India. Ranjeev Vij exited TBWA India. Globally, Matt McNally, CEO of Omnicom Health Group, resigned, and the company cut roughly 3,000 roles last year.

During an earnings call, Omnicom CEO John Wren highlighted a 40% reduction in corporate expenses through back-end consolidations and a new Unified Practice Area structure.

Structure of the Combined Entity

The merged company will retain the Omnicom name and be led by current Omnicom CEO John Wren. Philippe Krakowsky, IPG’s CEO since 2021, will take on the role of Co-President and COO, alongside Daryl Simm. Krakowsky will also co-chair the Integration Committee post-merger. Omnicom shareholders will hold 60.6% of the new entity, while IPG shareholders will control 39.4% on a fully diluted basis. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025.

IPG's agency brands will operate under the Omnicom Advertising Services (OAS) umbrella, each led by a single OAS leader in major markets reporting to regional heads, other IPG services will be absorbed into Omnicom's existing practice areas.

Combined, Omnicom and IPG employ over 133,000 people worldwide (Omnicom: 75,900; IPG: 57,400). The companies have pledged that the merged entity will become “the premier marketing and sales company,” supported by a network of over 100,000 practitioners across media, digital, healthcare, PR, and commerce.

However, this also raises pressing questions about the fate of approximately 33,300 employees whose roles may overlap post-integration.

“Expect a lot of job losses and reconfiguration of client alignments,” said one senior media executive.

"Weaker global brands like MullenLowe, DDB, and FCB may face headwinds. In India, all three are stronger than TBWA and BBDO, but local realities may get papered over," he said. 

"Expect a lot of job losses and a reconfiguring of client alignments for sure," said an industry observer.

Another senior media executive shared that while back-end synergies across finance, HR, and tech tools could cut costs — potentially up to 20–25% of operational expenses — client-facing functions will face more nuanced challenges.

The Extensive Portfolio

Omnicom's portfolio includes three global advertising agency networks – BBDO, DDB and TBWA – as well as a global media network, Omnicom Media Group, which is composed of three providers of media services: OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science. Omnicom also manages a global diversified group of agencies under the DAS Group of Companies, which is comprised of: the Health Group, the Precision Marketing Group, the Commerce Group and the Advertising Collective. In 2021, it created the Communications Consultancy Network (CCN) comprised of Omnicom Public Relations Group – with agencies including FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Marina Maher Communications, Porter Novelli and more.

IPG global brands include Acxiom, Craft, FCB, FutureBrand, Golin, Initiative, IPG Health, IPG Mediabrands, Jack Morton, KINESSO, MAGNA, McCann, Mediahub, Momentum, MRM, MullenLowe Global, Octagon, UM, Weber Shandwick and more. IPG is an S&P 500 company with total revenue of $10.89 billion in 2023.

Read more:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/blockbuster-ad-deal-omnicoms-takeover-of-ipg-to-reset-global-order-49865.htm"> Blockbuster Ad Deal: Omnicom's takeover of IPG to reset global order</a>

IPG has recently made significant strategic shifts. The company sold its digital agency Huge to private equity firm AEA Investors and, in nearly the same breath, acquired Intelligence Node, an eCommerce intelligence platform designed to bolster IPG’s commerce capabilities. The company’s broader strategy also includes ramping up investing in "principal buying," a practice gaining traction in which agencies negotiate bulk media deals with sellers and then resell the media to clients at a markup. Michael Krakowsky, IPG’s CEO, has indicated that the company plans to expand its focus on principal-based media buying in response to the rapidly evolving media landscape.

In June last year, IPG denied a buyer who made an offer to buy global agency network MullenLowe. In March this year, the company sold R/GA, its creative innovation company, to Truelink Capital, a private equity firm. The sale marked a return to independence for R/GA after 23 years as part of IPG.

The Creative Networks

IPG’s creative firepower in India is anchored by three major networks: McCann Worldgroup India, led by Prasoon Joshi and regarded as one of the group’s top-performing global markets; FCB Group India, which recently underwent a leadership transition with Dheeraj Sinha taking over from Rohit Ohri as Group CEO; and MullenLowe Lintas, which recently saw the exit of Amir Ismail, CEO of Lintas Live.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/with-cci-nod-omnicoms-acquisition-of-ipg-gains-momentum-but-not-without-roadblocks-ahead-68829.htm">With CCI nod, Omnicom's acquisition of IPG gains momentum, but not without roadblocks ahead</a>

Omnicom, meanwhile, fields a strong lineup with DDB Mudra Group; BBDO India, guided by the creative leadership of Josy Paul and impacted by the recent departure of CEO Suraja Kishore; and TBWA India under the Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG) which is led by Aditya Kanthy as CEO and MD. The largest entity within Omnicom Group - Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India is led by Kartik Sharma. 

These six agencies represent some of India’s most established creative powerhouses, with deep-rooted brand equity and robust client portfolios. Notably, both holding companies cater to competing clients in the market, setting the stage for inevitable conflict-resolution strategies as the merger progresses.

As Omnicom-IPG mega merger moves ahead, workforce restructuring begins

The 2023 Women's FIFA World Cup was set to be a global celebration of women's football - except in Brazil, where enthusiasm was running ice cold.

Despite the country's famous football fever, just 25% of Brazilians said they planned to watch the games, according to the Ibope Audience Institute. And in a true reflection of that lack of interest, no open TV channel in Brazil bothered to buy the broadcast rights for the full tournament.

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Enter iFood - Brazil's popular food delivery app, revered by 50 million users across the country. While TV networks were ignoring the Women's World Cup, iFood saw an opportunity to deliver the beautiful game straight to the people - along with their pizzas and pastéis.

The Big Idea

The strategy was simple: since Brazilians couldn't easily watch the matches, iFood would become their unlikely go-to sports broadcaster. The app already had 38 minutes of user engagement per week, and with rights to stream all 64 matches, iFood turned casual snack time into game time.

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Come for the food, stay for the game. Come for the game, stay for the food. It was a mutually reinforcing loop that worked seamlessly.

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iFood also partnered with Casimiro, the world's biggest YouTube sports streamer, whose entertaining live commentary was streamed inside the app for free. The result? The iFood app became an all-in-one second screen-experience - no more flipping channels or hunting for sketchy streams.

The campaign didn't rely on traditional ads. It used the app itself as the media platform, giving all users instant access to every match. The seamless user experience - one tap for burgers and goals - blurred the line between commerce and content in a way few brands have managed to pull off.

And the numbers? Mouth-watering.

- 21 million people watched matches inside the iFood app.

- Orders spiked by 23% compared to the same period the previous year.

- The campaign generated 4.5 million in earned media. 

- It also boosted positive brand sentiment to 86%, reinforcing iFood's crown as Brazil's most loved brand.

Why it Worked?

While many brands talk about purpose, iFood actually delivered on it - literally. By stepping in where TV broadcasters failed, the brand championed women's sport, gave fans an easy way to support the Brazilian team, and made sure nobody had to choose between dinner and the game.

And strategically, it was a masterclass in turning passive engagement into active transactions. Fans who came for football were tempted to stay for food - and vice versa. The result was not just goodwill, but serious sales.

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