PepsiCo has shifted its global media duties to Publicis Groupe, the company confirmed by email to Marketing Dive. Omnicom previously handled the account. The account move matters less than what it signals: the criteria advertisers use to pick a global media agency have changed.
PepsiCo framed the move as transforming its media model for "the next era of marketing" — specifically, integrating media strategy, planning, activation, data, connected identity and technology across markets.
Publicis will stand up a One PepsiCo global media operating model to support that, aimed at better decision-making across earned, paid and owned channels while raising both consumer impact and productivity.
Adweek reported that Publicis plans to withdraw from the pitch for The Coca-Cola Company's global media business as part of this move. Publicis won Coke's North American media and data duties from WPP last year after a closed-door review. Faced with a choice, it took PepsiCo.
For Omnicom the loss stings. It has handled parts of the business for decades and is currently navigating a complex integration after acquiring Interpublic Group last fall.
Q2 net revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $24.2 billion, above consensus. North America is contending with inflation-strapped consumers while international demand holds up better. Executives said marketing and advertising costs in North America would rise in the second half of 2026 as the company plays "offense."
The portfolio is moving too. PepsiCo bought prebiotic soda upstart Poppi for nearly $2 billion last year and added Siete, responding to better-for-you alternatives and shifting habits, including dietary changes among weight-loss-drug users. Ad Age reported PepsiCo is separately reviewing its marketing services with an AI transformation focus.
Publicis grew Q2 net revenue 4.8% organically, with growth everywhere except the Middle East and Africa. The company credits its integrated agency model and its AI and data capabilities. Recent wins include global media for Microsoft, alongside a deepening partnership on agentic AI development.
The scorecard is shifting. Buying power and market coverage are no longer enough on their own; whether an agency can pull market-by-market data into a single decision structure is now a line item.
There's a counterweight, though. Locking a brand into an agency's AI platform makes switching expensive later. Smaller advertisers are often better off exploiting the fact that AI doesn't reward scale — the integration capability that used to require a holding company is increasingly available to much smaller teams.
To move to a model that integrates media strategy, planning, activation, data and technology across markets. Publicis is building a One PepsiCo global operating model to support it.
Adweek reported it plans to withdraw. Publicis already holds Coke's North American media and data business, won from WPP last year.
Look at the decision path rather than the demo: which data feeds which judgment, whether a human can override it, and whether you can retrieve your data and trained assets when the contract ends. Put those in the contract.
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