Amazon was one of several brands to wrap media reviews in 2024.
This year, like 2023, saw several marketers make significant changes to their media agency relationships. Creative partnerships were a top priority, too, with a coffee giant and global snacking company among those seeking fresh thinking.
The biggest review was Amazon, which split its mammoth media business between two holding companies. But there were plenty more pitches that stood out in 2024.
Here, in alphabetical order, are 10 of the most notable.
Amazon split its media business between WPP and OMG.
In September, following a six-month review supported by Mediasense, Amazon split its media business between WPP and Omnicom Media Group, moving away from Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Initiative. (IPG did retain some business, such as Amazon Web Services and Amazon Ads.)
It was a significant win for WPP and OMG, which split their remits by geography, with OMG handling the Americas and WPP managing Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. Amazon’s worldwide advertising and other promotional costs totaled $20.3 billion in 2023, down 1.5% from 2022.
Exclusive for Ad Age All Access subscribers: Inside Amazon’s ad spending and marketing spending over time
EBay formerly worked with GroupM’s EssenceMediacom.
As part of a shift to what it describes as a “decentralized model of marketing,” eBay launched a global media review in April.
In September, the San Jose, California-based online marketplace awarded the business to Dentsu’s iProspect, replacing GroupM’s EssenceMediacom. (Havas Media Network also pitched.)
It’ll be an interesting challenge for iProspect, as eBay faces stiff competition from e-commerce behemoths, including Amazon and Walmart, as well as Chinese retailers Temu and Shein.
EBay’s global marketing expenses totaled $1.2 billion in 2023, in line with what it spent on worldwide marketing in 2022, according to the company’s annual report.
GM switched up its agency roster this year.
General Motors overhauled its agency roster in June, taking away work from incumbents Commonwealth/McCann and Leo Burnett Detroit and adding several new creative, CRM and content agencies.
GM hired four new creative agencies—independents Mother and Preacher, as well as Stagwell’s Anomaly and 72andSunny—which are all working with S4 Capital’s Monks. Monks is responsible for taking the content produced by the creative agencies to produce personalized advertising, sometimes using AI to make tweaks.
Also read: Chevy CMO on its holiday ad and Anomaly relationship
Omnicom Precision Marketing Group was hired as GM’s lead agency for CRM, which had been managed by several shops, including IPG’s MRM. Dentsu-owned Carat kept lead media agency duties.
GM’s review drew some local criticism on social media for moving away from a couple of Detroit-based agencies. McCann Worldgroup’s Chevy-dedicated shop Commonwealth/McCann in August confirmed 56 layoffs in its downtown Detroit office, while CRM agency MRM said it would cut 123 positions at its Birmingham, Michigan office.
More: McCann Worldgroup’s Detroit strategy after GM cutbacks
Hershey has been steadily increasing its ad spending.
Publicis Groupe won multiple media accounts this year, including Lego Group and Rocket Cos. One of the holding company’s biggest triumphs was Hershey Co., which in July selected a bespoke Publicis team, MiltonONE, as its new U.S. media account partner.
MiltonONE, which replaced incumbents Dentsu, Horizon Media, Harmelin Media and Omnicom, is responsible for Hershey’s candy, mint, gum, salty snacks and protein business units.
The two-month review was led by MediaLink.
Hershey’s ad spending has steadily increased in recent years. The company’s total global advertising expense was nearly $604.9 million in 2023, almost $517.7 million in 2022 and close to $511.8 million in 2021, according to its latest annual report.
Kellanova overhauled its agency roster in 2024.
IPG came out victorious after Kellanova, the snacks marketer spun off from Kellogg Co., wrapped an agency review in July.
The holding company’s FCB won Pringles, which had been at WPP’s Grey. FCB also nabbed Cheez-It (in the U.S.), Eggo and Rice Krispies Treats, while partnering with The Martin Agency and MullenLowe across global markets.
Leo Burnett handled a bulk of the aforementioned accounts. At the time, Kellanova told Ad Age that Publicis will retain the snack marketer’s high-profile Pop-Tarts brand, via its Le Truc agency, and that the holding company will continue to work on multiple brands in Europe and Latin America “for the foreseeable future.”
Related: Why agency rosters are on the rise
The indie shop Tombras won lead U.S. creative and integrated marketing work for MorningStar Farms, Nutri-Grain, Club Crackers, Toasteds and TownHouse. Rethink retained RXBar.
Kellanova and Hershey weren’t the only CPG behemoths to make any changes this year. In September, General Mills added creative agencies Goodby Silverstein & Partners, The Martin Agency and Mother to its roster following a review handled by consultancy R3.
Ferrero Group also moved its global creative business under three holding companies—Stagwell, IPG and Publicis—after a review designed to cut costs and consolidate creative duties.
Also read: Why Kellanova is a 2024 Marketer of the Year
Kimberly-Clark’s pitch could impact work for brands such as Kleenex, Huggies, Scott and others.
In 2023, Kimberly-Clark Corp., which owns Kleenex, Cottonelle, Huggies and other household and personal care brands, handed Publicis its U.S. media account. Now, it's going a step further.
Ad Age first reported in October that Kimberly-Clark is conducting a global creative and media review (excluding U.S. media) meant to consolidate its agency roster. It’s a holding company pitch—Publicis, Omnicom, WPP and IPG are said to be in the hunt, and each has existing creative or media assignments with the company globally.
Kimberly-Clark’s global advertising spending totaled $1.1 billion in 2023, according to its annual report, which also stated that 50.7% of the company’s business is done in the U.S.
Starbucks picked a bespoke WPP team for U.S. creative.
After leadership changes—the coffee giant replaced CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol in August—Starbucks hired WPP to oversee its U.S. creative business. The Seattle-based company may also expand the holding company’s remit globally.
WPP established a bespoke team, called “Team Starbucks,” which will draw upon talent from creative agencies including VML, Ogilvy and Landor. Team Starbucks replaced longstanding incumbent SPCSHP, formerly Big Spaceship.
Starbucks’ U.S. measured media spending in 2023 fell 40.4% compared to 2022, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. The brand’s worldwide advertising expenses totaled $507.8 million in fiscal 2023, up from $416.7 million in 2022, according to its annual report.
T-Mobile is now conducting a social media agency review.
In January, T-Mobile named Dentsu Creative its U.S. lead creative agency, moving away from Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi. The review didn’t include national brand TV advertising handled by Panay Films, nor CRM and influencer, which VML handles.
It’s a nice slice of business for Dentsu Creative, which in March nabbed lead creative duties for Lowe’s in the U.S. following a review.
Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile US) spent $2.5 billion on advertising in 2023, up 8.7% year over year, it reported. And the telecomms giant isn’t done evaluating its agency roster. It's now conducting a social review for its T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands, Ad Age first reported.
Exclusive for Ad Age All Access subscribers: Inside Deutsche Telekom’s ad spending and marketing spending over time
Unilever completed its global media review in 2024.
Unilever wrapped a global media review in September, with WPP’s Mindshare emerging as the biggest winner. It added commerce media previously handled by Publicis Groupe to its duties managing the general U.S. media business.
IPG’s Initiative and Dentsu notched global gains, too, while OMG joined Publicis in losing some Unilever business. Publicis, however, also picked up four markets in South Asia previously handled by WPP, and it was added to the company’s general media roster for the first time.
The review came shortly after Unilever consolidated creative and strategic duties for its beauty brands globally with WPP, taking away work from IPG, Omnicom and Brandtech Group’s Oliver.
Exclusive for Ad Age All Access subscribers: Inside Unilever’s ad spending and marketing spending over time
Omnicom’s remit includes brands such as VW, Audi and Škoda.
Omnicom’s PHD retained Volkswagen Group’s media business in June, wrapping up a review that began in 2021 but restarted in 2023 following a delay. The account includes multiple brands, such as VW, Audi and Škoda.
It was a significant win for PHD, which has been servicing the account since winning it from WPP’s Mediacom in 2016. COMvergence estimates VW Group’s 2023 global media spending at $2.2 billion, and the company ranks as the world’s 17th largest advertiser, according to the latest Ad Age Datacenter ranking.
Also read: Watch Volkswagen’s joyful electric minivan ad
