September 23, 2026 | SIGN UP
Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING
Feedback, either positive or negative, on one's stories is good thing. Which is why I was grateful to hear from a source about this week' Media Buying Briefing (see below), which once again dove into the continuous saga around Coca-Cola's North American media business.
This source noted that Omnicom has a lot more riding on winning the Coke business that Publicis snapped out of WPP's hands in spring 2025 then dropped like a hot potato in favor of PepsiCo's global media account just under a month ago.
Here's what the source said: "[T]his is a big play for Omnicom without a safety net, because if they get rejected by Coca-Cola [which], as you suggest, could choose Dentsu, Horizon, or others), then inevitably that would create massive questions over Omnicom's credentials and the viability of this merger. That could be the beginning of the end for John Wren and others, because investors would rightly start having serious doubts."
It's a fair point, and one worth paying close attention to. I'm hearing the Coca-Cola decision will come soon, so let's see what pans out.
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WPP seems to be in the catbird seat to hold onto Coca-Cola's global media business. But will Omnicom or Dentsu win North American media?
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