Publicis Groupe has won the global media account for Stellantis, the automaker formed by the merger earlier this year of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot maker PSA Group, according to people familiar with the matter.
The holding company was the incumbent on the FCA portion of the business, which includes Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo. WPP was the incumbent for PSA, whose brands include Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall.
A Stellantis representative declined to comment. Publicis declined to comment and referred calls to the client. WPP declined to comment, although an internal memo circulated at the holding company's Mediacom unit today confirmed that the business has been consolidated at Publicis.
The win is significant for Publicis, which will grow its automotive roster with the addition of the PSA brands, which are not in the U.S. but have a European presence. Stellantis has 14 auto brands under its wing following the $52 billion merger, which finalized in January. Ad Age Datacenter estimates that Stellantis in 2020 spent an estimated $4.2 billion on worldwide advertising on a pro forma basis including the former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
The Pubicis win amounts to an agency consolidation that comes as the newly merged company seeks cost efficiencies. Bundled media buys are part of what the company has identified as immediate synergies and savings, according to a report last month from Automotive News, which stated the company wants to find $6 billion a year in annual synergies across its business.
