Jay Pattisall’s Post

THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY: Omnicom eats IPG... THE GOOD: Omnicom & IPG investors win. Omnicom and IPG investors get to eat one of the investors' class favorite dishes for the holidays - layoffs. (Okay, at least that's good for somebody...) THE BAD: Much nonsense will be written about this merger, with topics like efficiencies and scale and data. The reality is that there will be far more losers than winners here: - Clients lose choice - Costs will rise - Transparency doesn't have a chance - Many agencies will cease to exist - Client businesses will be disrupted THE UGLY: The worst outcomes will be for: - People (thousands) will lose their jobs - Mid market & smaller clients lose choice, face higher pricing, worse service What's to be done? ACT: Mid-Market & Smaller Clients: There is a legion of fine indies that can serve your businesses with distinction. Enterprise Clients: If you run marketing for a large global operation served by Omnicom or IPG, you have options that can insulate your business from the coming chaos of the next 12-24 months. FREE ADVICE: If you're a client, call us (Mercer Island Group) and we'll be happy to discuss your options. If you're a non-Omnicom or IPG agency, call us and we'll be happy to discuss strategies going forward. Mitchell Caplan Michael Burgi Billy Ryan Nick Manning Indie Agency News Toni Lee Alyssa Siegel Drew McLellan Matt Kasindorf Association of National Advertisers

🚨 Major News in the Advertising Industry: A Merger That Will Reshape the Landscape 🚨 The potential merger between Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG) marks a seismic shift in the advertising and marketing world. 🌍 Two giants coming together could create a powerhouse with unmatched global reach, creative capabilities, and data-driven expertise. 💡📊 As the industry evolves with AI 🤖, automation, and increasingly personalized marketing, this merger could redefine how agencies operate and serve clients at scale. 💼✨ It raises important questions: ❓ What could this mean for smaller agencies? ❓ How will it shape client relationships, creativity, and technology integration? ❓ Will this spark new opportunities or challenges for talent in the industry? This is a pivotal moment for all of us in the space. Let’s discuss! I’d love to hear your thoughts on what this merger could mean for the future. Drop your comments below! 👇 #Advertising #Marketing #IndustryNews #Innovation #Transformation

Omnicom's potential acquisition of Interpublic portends to more changes to the advertising/branding/marketing space. While I don't know all of the reasons behind the merger, I can speculate, as it is always the case with these types of things, that economies of scale played a leading role. If this is the case, I don't think it's a big reach to say one of the drivers of these economies of scale will be a growing and ongoing investment in AI (which is a good thing). It will help this giant company address many of the challenges that its growing stable of clients will present. But it most likely won't address all of the challenges. This merger (and any other that might come along in the future) may provide those niche agencies with a specialized focus more opportunity to differentiate themselves and thus win new business (especially at a local level). The question I ask is could one of those points of differentiation be a curated use of AI or even a move away from it? In other words, in the future, will a brand/marketing/advertising agency distinguish itself by showing the division that exists between people and technology when creating its work product. Will clients even care? Gen Z and Millennials (the future leaders of companies) look for those authentic experiences that arguably require a human touch. Will Generation Alpha?

Brittany Mosley, MBA, perfectly captures why Rosy Finch Marketing Company was created: to empower clients, not control them. Transparency, collaboration, and a relentless focus on what’s best for the client—not what’s easiest or most profitable for the agency—are at the core of everything we do. As the industry leans further into consolidation and one-size-fits-all solutions, we’re doubling down on custom strategies, data-driven insights, and partnerships that genuinely put the client first.🚀 #ClientFirst #MarketingTransparency #GrowthStrategy #RosyFinch #InnovationOverProfits

The Omnicom IPG merger ( takeover ) will leapfrog the new group over France's Publicis who only recently had assumed the mantle of world's largest agency ahead of WPP. The development is yet further evidence of the confluence of two major trends, firstly the pressure from the rise of digital advertising as a proportion of overall revenue ( well over half at this stage going into the hands of companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon), and the emerging impact of AI on the entire business models and workflow of the ad business. The American giants bet on the advantages of scale have yet to be appreciated on the stock-market. With AI it's no longer scale that confers advantage in my opinion - if anything it's the nimbleness of smaller agencies - who can really tap into the hyper-personalisation offered by AI - that hold some of the best cards going forward. #merger #adworld #onmicom #IPG

As many of you are aware, there’s a major transformation happening in the advertising industry! Yes, I’m talking about Omnicom Group’s $13.25 billion all-stock merger with IPG, forming the world’s largest advertising network with combined revenues exceeding $25 billion. 🤝 🔎 Do you know why the merger? 🤔 This move is all about scale and innovation. Together, Omnicom group and IPG plan to enhance their capabilities in data analytics and AI, better positioning the new entity to compete with Big Tech and adapt to industry shifts. Additionally, they anticipate $750 million in annual cost synergies by streamlining operations and eliminating redundancies. 💡 Here's what their goal is set to be: 🚀 Transform how advertising drives impact in a rapidly changing digital landscape. This merger sets a new benchmark for the industry, promising clients more integrated solutions and cutting-edge strategies. Here's the link for more information: https://lnkd.in/d62QtFqP #Advertising #OmnicomIPGMerger #Data #AI #Innovation #MarketingLeadership

Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic is a significant moment for our industry. The promise of greater scale in technology and data, alongside the integration of global resources, is undoubtedly compelling. Yet, while scale and efficiency are certainly important, an equally vital narrative underscores the necessity of nimbleness, creativity and a deep connection to audiences to cut through the upcoming deluge of AI-driven content and data automation. This is particularly crucial in B2B markets. The way to do this isn’t just about platforms or scale—it’s about brilliant, original thinking that can build creative, human-centric storytelling that changes minds and moves audiences.  While we employ #AI to simplify workflows, drive scale and free our teams up for big, creative thinking, we see an opportunity to lean into what AI and automation can’t replicate: imagination, intuition and authenticity. Ideas that rise above formulaic outputs and drive transformational change. The freedom to create without constraint. As a smaller, independent agency, we continue to focus on what we do best: 💡 Deep Subject Matter Expertise: It's not just about the knowledge but also a depth of insight that elevates every campaign. Senior-level strategists who understand the nuances of rapidly growing and evolving industries like tech, climate tech, and life sciences are essential.  💡Audience-Centric Creativity: Success in #communications requires more than data; it requires understanding human psychology and buyer motivations and crafting deeply resonating messages for them. 💡Agility in Strategy and Execution: Our industries move fast; AI will help, but adapting quickly to shifting client needs and emerging opportunities is crucial. 💡Collaborative Partnership: This is still a relationship business. Personalized attention and long-term relationships foster trust, drive results, and candidly, are more fun. We recognize the human impact of this merger. Cost-saving synergies often come at the expense of roles, expertise and decades of experience. The people who power this industry—those who create, strategize and connect—are its most valuable asset. Let’s not lose sight of that. Change is inevitable, and the industry will continue to evolve. Our role, as always, is to embrace these moments as opportunities to demonstrate the power of creativity, agility and human connection. LFG. Read more in PRWeek. #PR #publicrelations #contentcreation

Very thorough article by Lindsay Rittenhouse at Ad Age regarding the Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG) merger which has the industry spinning since it hit the press yesterday. Thank you for including AAR Partners’ comments. Although we see some benefits (as quoted) we at AAR Partners see more drawbacks than benefits to this mega merger starting with a myriad of job losses, conflicts of interests for brands and many brands not getting senior talent 100% of the time (which is what e v e r y client wants and needs). We hear directly from the mouths of marketers that they need high tech but are clamoring for high touch!! This is a once in a lifetime shot for independents to benefit from the fallout. And clients… if you’re concerned about this merger for your brand and would like to speak confidentially about various options to consultants in the industry for over four decades, we’ll happily schedule a free consultation. (Not a fan of anyone behaving like a vulture but sometimes all is fair in love and war…🤷♀️) #agencies #brands #marketers #newbusiness #megamerger

This is an interesting take on the Omnicom/IPG merger from the CEO of another, smaller holdco-- but still big. His rhetorical question "Ultimately: is there anything a $26 billion company can do that a $13 billion company can’t?" is really the major point. I agree wholeheartedly. I wonder though, is there anything a $2b (Stagwell market cap) company can do that a $500m company can't? Then, there's the deeper question of whether brands are better off working with a $1m company, depending on what they're trying to accomplish. Especially if their goals are creative excellence, agility, cultural relevance or innovative strategies. Just some thoughts from an ex-agency gal.

Mark, Those are great points, but the merger will also destroy the culture of their go-to-market brands. Professional service firms' culture drives talent, unique approaches, and distinctive ways of thinking—their "secret sauce that fuels competitive advantage much more than scale ever will.