Retail Media Fuels Omnicom's Acquisition of Interpublic Group

While some are describing it as a “mega-merger,” the blockbuster deal between global marketing and communications giant Omnicom Group and longtime rival Interpublic Group (IPG) is more an acquisition of the latter by the former. The stock-for-stock deal is valued at roughly $13 billion.

One of the main reasons for the Omnicom and IPG deal is retail media. As retail media spend surges to become the fastest-growing channel for brands, the merger could better position both companies to compete and help solve the fragmentation challenge brands are facing, Omnicom said in a media release.

According to Omnicom, the combined company will bring together the industry’s “deepest bench of marketing talent, and the broadest and most innovative services and products,” in a bid to become the biggest advertising holding group. 

Both companies have long lists of big-name clients and subsidiaries across the industry. Most notably, Omnicom owns DDB Worldwide, BBDO Worldwide, Diversified Agency Services (DAS), Optimum Media Direction (OMD) and TBWA Worldwide. It also now owns commerce and retail media agency Flywheel. Omnicom’s client list includes the likes of Apple, AT&T, PepsiCo, Nissan, Pfizer, Unilever and Volkswagen.

IPG, like Omnicom, owns agencies across marketing disciplines and specialties, including FCB, IPG Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group, Momentum, McCann and, notably, data and tech agency Acxiom. Some of IPG’s most notable clients include Accenture, American Express, CVS Health, Degree, General Mills, GoPro, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel and Netflix.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025. The combined company will retain the Omnicom name and have more than 100,000 practitioners. The company will offer end-to-end services across media, precision marketing, CRM, data, digital commerce, advertising, healthcare, public relations and branding. 

"This acquisition is an indicator of the still unrealized value of retail in the overall media space,” Aran Hamilton, CEO and co-founder, Vantage, told P2PI. “We're seeing a consolidation of retail media talent, technologies and data capabilities that align with growing demand for a more unified solution. The ecosystem continues to add complexity and fragmentation, and a merger such as this is a step toward creating simpler solutions for retailers and advertisers to engage in retail media."