Brands
WPP expected to retain Coca-Cola’s global media business
Agency group will sit out North America review as Publicis continues its US and Canada role
MUMBAI: The cola wars have spilled into the media agency world, and WPP appears to be keeping its fizz, just not chasing every last sip of Coca-Cola’s business.
WPP is expected to retain The Coca-Cola Company’s global media, data and technology business, while opting out of the beverage giant’s upcoming North America media review, Ad Age reported. The development would preserve a significant part of a relationship that has stretched across creative, media, data and marketing technology.
Coca-Cola appointed WPP almost five years ago to handle these functions across roughly 200 brands. WPP subsequently created Open X, a dedicated unit for the account. However, the relationship shifted in early 2025 when Coca-Cola moved its North America media account to Publicis Groupe, taking a substantial chunk of the business away from WPP.
WPP continues to handle Coca-Cola’s global creative and public relations work. If the reported outcome of the latest global review holds, the agency group would retain its broader global media, data and technology relationship while leaving the North America media assignment on the table.
MediaSense is overseeing Coca-Cola’s global review, which has previously been estimated to be worth around $4 billion. Publicis already manages Coca-Cola’s media business in the US and Canada after winning it from WPP.
Publicis’ decision to withdraw from the wider Coca-Cola review also comes at an interesting time. The agency group has recently been selected as PepsiCo’s global media partner, putting two of the world’s biggest beverage businesses into an increasingly crowded agency portfolio.
PepsiCo reported $5.4 billion in marketing spending in 2025, including $3.4 billion on advertising. That makes the agency stakes around the cola aisle considerably higher even when the products themselves are competing for shelf space rather than media budgets.
For WPP, retaining Coca-Cola’s global media, data and technology work would give it continuity with a major international client, even as the North American portion remains with Publicis. For Coca-Cola, the review is reshaping how one of its largest global marketing relationships is divided across agency groups.
