June 25, 2025  |  SIGN UP

PRESENTED BY

Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING

With Cannes Lions over and the July Fourth long weekend ahead, it’s historically been a time for media agencies to take a quick breather. Today, with the non-stop world we live in, that’s become a quaint notion.

There’s an upfront marketplace trying to wrap up, now that most of the sports programming has been sold, The rest of the market is moving much more slowly, with a lot of moving parts to it. And there’s the unrest created by large-scale upheaval at some of the holding companies. Omnicom hopes to be in the final stages of approvals to absorb Interpublic Group — but along the way there’s been a steady stream of execs departing IPG for other agencies. Meanwhile, WPP finds itself amidst massive transformation with regional management shifts, the emphasis on AI as the primary power source and the loss of big-ticket clients only partially offset by wins. Publicis has been the primary beneficiary of those client losses at WPP, but at some point it has to absorb all that it’s ingested, which may not be so easy.

Meanwhile, independent media agencies stand at the ready to absorb talent and clients that get thrown off the holdcos — eager to increase their share of the mid-sized market.

So, find your time to get away when you can this summer. The second half of 2025 is certain to bring only more upheaval and unrest.

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