Publicis scoops Coca-Cola media in North America

Publicis Groupe has won The Coca-Cola Company's U.S. and Canada media account from incumbent WPP following a closed review, the soft drinks company has confirmed.

According to COMvergence, Coca-Cola’s U.S. media spend was $785 million (£607m) in 2024, up from $610 million (£471 million) in 2023. The research firm estimated its Canadian spend at $52 million.

WPP has held the account for four years, having won the vast majority of the brand's global marketing business after a year-long pitch that ended in 2021. 

The Coca-Cola Company said that "no other changes are expected" and is in an "advanced stage in the process of renewing its global partnership with WPP."

It shared the following statement: "In 2021, Coca-Cola began its partnership with WPP Open X, which is the industry’s first open-source marketing model. WPP is the only global marketing partner of The Coca-Cola Company.

"Over the course of more than three years, the partnership with WPP has delivered significant value to Coca-Cola," said Manolo Arroyo, global chief marketing officer of The Coca-Cola Company. 'This includes Coke being named Creative Brand of the Year at the Cannes Lions in 2024 and stepped-up capabilities such as Studio X.'

"After careful consideration, Coca-Cola is adding Publicis as a complementary partner for its U.S. and Canada media business." 

Publicis Groupe declined to comment. WPP could not be immediately reached for comment.

MediaSense, which managed Coca-Cola's previous global media agency review in 2021, reportedly supported the brand in the latest U.S. review. MediaSense could not be reached for comment.

According to its annual report, Coca-Cola spent just over $4 billion on advertising expenses in 2024, slightly up from the previous year.

The soft drinks company has been increasingly looking to use artificial intelligence in its advertising and marketing, including its reimagined "Holidays Are Coming" campaign for Christmas 2024.

The U.S. media account loss comes at a challenging time for WPP, as revenue declined last year and is forecast to drop again in 2025.

Coca-Cola is one of WPP’s top clients and formed a bespoke unit called WPP Open X to operate as the brand’s “global marketing network partner". 

WPP won the majority of the Coca-Cola business alongside Dentsu, which was selected as a complementary media partner in selected markets in 2021. Agencies from within Publicis Groupe and IPG were selected to be part of the "strategic roster," which was expected to account for one-third of all marketing work.

WPP Open X created the campaign "It's Magic When the World Comes Together" for the beverage giant during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. EssenceMediacom handled the media planning and buying.

WPP Open X manages creative, media, data and marketing technology across Coca-Cola’s entire portfolio of brands and its global ventures, including Costa and Innocent.

Their brief was to change The Coca-Cola Company’s marketing from a majority analogue output to 60% digital and incorporate more experiential work. They also wanted to create global consistency while localizing creative to each market. 

The first year saw Coca-Cola transfer all of its media, creative, social and production into WPP, while the second year added commerce, data and technology influencer marketing and live experience.

In 2023, WPP assembled a global leadership team from within Grey to lead the account, pulling in talent from across Grey’s global network to work on different briefs. 

Coca-Cola’s brands include Fanta, Sprite and Costa Coffee.