Omnicom-IPG merger shifts pressure to creative as GroupM holds fort in media

New Delhi: With the European Commission granting unconditional approval to Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG), the combined entity is poised to dethrone WPP as the world’s largest advertising holding company, with the merger likely to be completed on Wednesday.

But for India, the real story lies less in global rankings and more in how six full-scale creative networks under one owner will be integrated over the next year. 

Industry observers say the immediate impact on Indian media share will be limited, with GroupM’s dominant position in media buying remaining unchallenged for now.

The structural shift is expected on the creative side, where Omnicom and IPG together control BBDO, DDB Mudra, TBWA, McCann, FCB and MullenLowe in India.

Under a single owner now sit:

Omnicom: BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group, TBWA India

IPG: McCann Worldgroup India, FCB Group India, MullenLowe Lintas

All six agencies have deep client portfolios and legacy reputations. However, the merged group is under pressure to deliver an estimated $750 million in annual cost savings globally, raising questions in the Indian market about how many parallel leadership teams, creative units, and infrastructure layers can realistically be maintained.

EU clearance unlocks last big regulatory gate

The European Commission’s green light removes the final major antitrust hurdle for the $13.5-billion all-stock deal, following clearances from regulators in the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and India.

In its Phase I review, the Commission concluded that the merged Omnicom-IPG group would hold only moderate positions in national markets for both marketing communication services (MCS) and media buying services (MBS) across the European Economic Area.

It noted that WPP, Publicis, Dentsu, Havas and a large base of other networks and independents would continue to exert strong competitive pressure.

The Commission also examined whether the enlarged group could use its media scale to squeeze media owners or distort negotiations for TV, print and digital inventory.

It found that media companies across key markets would retain sufficient countervailing power and that advertisers could switch agencies relatively easily, given competitive pitches, short contract durations and limited switching costs.

With this unconditional clearance, Omnicom and IPG now have all the regulatory approvals they need to close the transaction and begin executing detailed integration plans in markets around the world, including India.

India: Creative integration is where the disruption begins

In India, the bigger shift will be in creative rather than media structures.

On the Omnicom side, creative operations have already been centralised under Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG) led by Aditya Kanthy.

Industry sources expect IPG’s creative operations in India to be folded into this umbrella structure after closing, triggering phased brand consolidation and leadership realignment.

Speculation in global markets has pointed to DDB Worldwide potentially being folded into TBWA as part of Omnicom’s broader simplification of its creative portfolio.

On the IPG side, McCann is expected to retain its identity, while MullenLowe may be paired more closely with FCB, with a dedicated conflict unit to manage rival mandates.

At the same time, sources say DDB may continue in select markets and on specific legacy relationships, even if it ceases to operate as a standalone global network.

How that global blueprint translates into India will determine the extent of disruption across the six creative brands, especially in leadership roles, P&L structures, shared services and conflict management.

Media operations: GroupM secure, Omnicom-IPG consolidates

On the media side, industry estimates suggest GroupM retains about 40% market share in India, with an enlarged Omnicom-IPG cluster following behind alongside Publicis, Dentsu and Havas.

IPG Mediabrands in India is led by Amardeep Singh, with Shashi Sinha as executive chairman, while Omnicom Media Group is under Kartik Sharma. External consultants have already begun mapping overlaps in leadership, client rosters and capabilities as a precursor to integration.

Insiders expect Omnicom to lean heavily on firewalled units, “red cell”-style models and separate P&Ls to retain competing mandates within the merged ecosystem. Still, some client shifts are seen as inevitable as procurement teams and global CMOs reassess conflicts under the new ownership structure.

Scale, AI and margin pressure drive integration

Globally, the merger fuses Omnicom’s Omni and Flywheel commerce-media systems with IPG’s Acxiom data assets and its media, CRM and digital units. With organic growth slowing across holding companies, Omnicom is positioning the deal as a move towards a fully integrated, data- and AI-driven solutions model that goes beyond traditional fee-based billing.

The group has guided Wall Street to around $750 million in annual cost savings from streamlining roles, merging back-office functions and tightening global operating structures.

Both Omnicom and IPG have already been trimming costs ahead of the merger, with over 6,000 jobs reportedly eliminated between 2024 and 2025 in pre-integration restructuring.

The merged company will retain the Omnicom name, with John Wren continuing as chairman and CEO.

IPG chief Philippe Krakowsky will become co-president and co-COO alongside Omnicom veteran Daryl Simm, underlining that, despite merger language, the combined group will be run on Omnicom’s systems, processes and brand architecture.

India’s key questions ahead of CES 2026

Omnicom is expected to spell out its post-merger operating blueprint at CES 2026, including clearer guidance on regional structures. For India, four questions will be closely watched by clients, rivals and talent:

Which of the six creative networks will merge, reposition or remain independent under Omnicom Advertising Group

How senior leadership roles, reporting lines and P&Ls will be allocated across creative and media

How quickly the global $750-million synergy target will be pushed down into Indian operations

How the group manages talent and client churn in the midst of consolidation and perceived conflicts