WPP has won Johnson & Johnson’s U.S. and Canada media business, the health care company confirmed to Ad Age.

The account was previously held by J3, a dedicated group that Interpublic Group of Cos. created within UM following a J&J review in 2015. IPG Mediabrands, which houses UM, declined to comment on the account change and whether it defended the business. Multiple sources said it did defend the account. J3 was formed to handle J&J’s global business, meaning other parts of its remit may stay the same.

“WPP was chosen based on its strengths in strategy, process, thought leadership, data, and technology,” a J&J spokesperson said. “A consolidated agency approach to paid media will ensure consistent quality, uphold our company’s high standards for brand safety and compliance, and scale best practices.”

The review was supported by MediaSense, according to multiple people close to the situation. 

This is another significant win for WPP, which also picked up media business with Unilever and Amazon earlier this year.

“By combining the strengths of CMI Media Group, Compas and GroupM with the integrated data and tech capabilities of WPP Open, we’ll deliver innovative paid media solutions that connect with both healthcare providers and consumers in meaningful ways,” WPP said in a statement. 

WPP beat out Publicis for the account, according to multiple people close to the situation. Publicis handles Asia-Pacific media for Kenvue, which formed last year as a spinoff of Johnson & Johnson’s former consumer health and personal care businesses. J&J focuses on pharmaceutical and med tech products. Publicis declined to comment. 

J&J’s worldwide advertising expenses, which comprised TV, radio, print media and internet advertising, were $500 million, $700 million and $1.2 billion in fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. (These figures exclude Kenvue.) In the U.S., J&J had measured-media spending of $155 million during the first three quarters of 2024, according to MediaRadar, up from $85 million in the same period in 2023. It spent $176 million for 2023 as a whole.

Earlier this week, Omnicom announced its plans to buy IPG, which would eclipse WPP as the largest agency company, with $25.6 billion in combined 2023 revenue.