Consolidation is not a whim; it is industry direction: Prasoon Joshi

New Delhi: As global advertising networks move toward large-scale consolidation, with Publicis pushing its “Power of One” model, Omnicom and IPG merging, and WPP reportedly integrating its creative brands, ad veteran Prasoon Joshi believes the shift reflects a broader industry evolution where collaboration, not fragmentation, will define the future.

Speaking exclusively to BestMediaInfo.com on the sidelines of a satellite event of the AI Impact Summit 2026, Joshi described the current moment as one shaped by convergence between people, platforms, and technology, rather than isolated brand silos.

“Evolution happens, and nobody is doing things out there for whims and fancies,” Joshi said when asked about global holding companies merging operations and potentially subsuming distinct agency identities under unified structures.

“It’s the need of the industry. Where the industry thinks that collaboration is required, it will move in that direction.”

Joshi framed the consolidation wave within a larger structural transformation driven by artificial intelligence and interconnected ecosystems.

“I have always said the future is in collaboration,” he said. “Collaboration between humans and humans, collaboration between humans and machines, collaboration between machines and machines.”

In such a collaborative world, he suggested, traditional boundaries between brands, disciplines and even corporate identities may naturally blur.

“In the collaborative world, a lot of things will intermingle, and new forms and new shapes will come,” he said.

His remarks come as WPP reorganises its creative businesses under WPP Creative, bringing Ogilvy, VML and AKQA into a single holding structure while allowing them to continue as distinct brands. The move follows WPP’s earlier integration of media operations under WPP Media and the creation of WPP Production, which extends the group’s umbrella model into the creative space.

For Joshi, the consolidation of brands under broader umbrellas does not necessarily mean the erosion of creative identity, but rather a response to changing industry demands.

Earlier in the conversation, he had positioned artificial intelligence itself as an enabler of creative collaboration rather than a disruptor that replaces human ingenuity.

“There is a dystopian view, and there is a utopian view of AI. I am more realistic,” Joshi said.

“For a creative person, AI should not be seen as an expression. It should be seen as an extension, an extension of you.”

He argued that AI can help address what he described as “idea infanticide,”  the premature killing of creative ideas because they could not be effectively presented or sold.

“A lot of times in the creative world, idea infanticide happens. The idea dies before it is born,” he said. “With AI being there as an ally, which I consider an ally, you can bring those ideas to life.”

For Joshi, the key lies in maintaining agency and avoiding complacency.

“As long as we understand that we don’t become lazy, and AI doesn’t become a one-click solution, we collaborate, we are fine,” he said.

He also rejected the notion that advertising as a discipline could fade in an AI-driven marketing environment.

“The fundamentals remain. The need for communication will remain,” he said. “It’s not that advertising is happening for advertising’s sake. You are sharing your brand thoughts with people. That sharing will always be required.”

While formats and mediums have evolved, from small-town rickshaw announcements promoting films to today’s data-driven digital campaigns, Joshi argued that the underlying need for communication persists.

“The way the modes of communication will change and they will evolve,” he said. “How much human labour will be required is something we should discuss. There could be a change there. But the need will always be there.”

In that context, large network consolidations appear less like defensive manoeuvres and more like structural realignments to compete in an AI-integrated, platform-driven marketplace.

For Joshi, whether in creativity or corporate architecture, the principle remains the same: the future belongs to those who collaborate, across disciplines, across technologies and increasingly, across organisational boundaries.

As holding companies consolidate capabilities across creative, media, data and production, Joshi’s assessment suggests that scale alone is not the defining feature of the next era. Instead, integration, across people, platforms and technologies, will shape how agencies operate and compete.