OMNICOM AXES THREE ICONIC AGENCY BRANDS IN POST-IPG SHAKE-UP
DDB, FCB and MullenLowe to disappear as 4,000 more jobs cut in consolidation drive
Omnicom retires DDB, FCB and MullenLowe brands by mid-2026, cutting 4,000 jobs as it consolidates into three global creative networks following $9bn IPG acquisition. Analysis of restructure impact.
Omnicom has unveiled sweeping changes following its acquisition of Interpublic Group, retiring the DDB, FCB and MullenLowe brands by mid-2026 and cutting 4,000 jobs as it consolidates operations under just three global creative networks.
The world’s largest agency group by revenue confirmed the restructure brings total redundancies to around 10,000 positions across both companies over the past year - roughly 8% of the combined 2024 headcount of 128,000.
John Wren, Omnicom CEO, said the cuts would “allow us to meet and exceed the synergies that we promised the marketplace” when the $9 billion acquisition was announced last December. The deal, initially valued at $13.5 billion, closed last week at a lower price following a decline in Omnicom’s share price.
Three Networks to rule them all
Under the new structure, Omnicom Advertising will operate only three global creative networks: BBDO, TBWA and McCann.
FCB will be absorbed into BBDO, while DDB and MullenLowe fold into TBWA. All three legacy brands will cease to exist globally by the first half of 2026.
Troy Ruhanen, CEO of Omnicom Advertising, told media that the decision to consolidate came down to positioning, client relationships and international footprint. “We’ve made the choice of which culture we want it to be, which brand we want it to be, and which methodology we’re putting our effort behind.”
The move ends decades of heritage for agencies that defined Madison Avenue. DDB, named Network of the Year at this year’s Cannes Lions, created defining work for Volkswagen, John Lewis and McDonald’s. FCB played a crucial role in IPG’s global expansion, while MullenLowe housed some of the industry’s most storied APAC operations.
In the UK, Adam & Eve/DDB London will combine with TBWA\London under a single management team to form Adam & Eve\TBWA. DDB may continue “in some capacity” under the Bernbach brand in select markets, according to company spokespeople.
Media stays fragmented
Whilst creative consolidates dramatically, Omnicom will maintain six global media networks: OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, Initiative, UM and Mediahub. Led by Florian Adamski, Omnicom Media claims to be the largest media organisation globally by billings, combining legacy Omnicom agencies with former IPG properties.
When asked why creative required only three networks whilst media retained six, a company spokesperson said: “Our set-up and needs are different. For advertising we have determined we only require three networks along with our multiple single rooftop agencies.”
Boutique and specialist agencies including The Martin Agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Lucky Generals, Alma, and Zimmerman will remain intact under the Omnicom Advertising Collective. However, 180 Global, Bright Red Agency, Dark Horses and Serina Coyne will be sunset, whilst Campbell Ewald folds into McCann.
Job cuts start now
Wren said affected employees would be notified as quickly as possible heading into December to avoid leaving people “in a state of doubt.” Some redundancies began on 1 October, according to Ruhanen, with most falling during December.
The 4,000 positions come on top of 3,200 roles IPG shed this year ahead of the acquisition, and 3,000 staff Omnicom let go after announcing the deal last autumn.
Cuts focus on removing duplicate positions and trimming management layers. Whilst Wren acknowledged the layoffs impact “a lot of people’s lives, and we’re terribly sensitive to it,” he described the overall number as “a very low single-digit type of efficiency.”
Adamski pushed back on characterising the cuts as the defining story. “This is not about eradicating jobs. This is about building a company for the future.”
Leadership Structure
The enlarged company operates through seven core divisions, with most top positions filled by Omnicom executives reflecting the takeover structure:
Troy Ruhanen remains CEO of Omnicom Advertising
Florian Adamski leads Omnicom Media
Duncan Painter serves as CEO of Flywheel Commerce Network and OmniPlus
Sergio Lopez continues leading Omnicom Production, merging with IPG’s Craft
Luke Taylor runs Omnicom Precision Marketing
Chris Foster oversees Omnicom Public Relations
Dana Maiman (from IPG Health) becomes CEO of Omnicom Health, reporting to Michael Larson
Philippe Krakowsky, former IPG CEO, remains as co-president and COO alongside Daryl Simm. All entities bearing the IPG name, including IPG Health and IPG Mediabrands, have been eliminated.
The company is introducing “Client Success Leaders” with senior accountability across all divisions to provide bespoke solutions at an enterprise level. These executives roll up to Jacki Kelly, chief client and business officer (formerly IPG), and Andrea Lennon, chief client experience officer (formerly Omnicom).
George Manas, former CEO of OMD Worldwide, becomes chief growth and solutions officer from February 2026, orchestrating technology and data solutions for enterprise clients.
Tech platform takes centre stage
A major focus of the announcement centred on OmniPlus, the next iteration of the Omni platform underpinned by Acxiom’s Real ID and Flywheel’s commerce infrastructure.
Painter said OmniPlus will formally launch at CES 2026 and begin rolling out to the company’s top 10 clients in Q1. “It will be a fully end-to-end, integrated operating system for Omnicom, going from creative thought all the way through to media execution and reporting through to sales, all linked back to single consumer records by brand.”
Paolo Yuvienco, Omnicom’s CTO, claimed the combined data set is “by far, bar none, the most elite data set in the world” on the buy side of advertising, already integrated with Omnicom’s agentic AI tools.
The merged entity’s media scale, at a combined $73.4 billion in billings, positions it to “get the best commercial deals for our clients and for ourselves,” according to Wren. However, Adamski emphasised that principal media remains a “small portion” of overall billings whilst being an important “modern vehicle” for creating commercial value.”
As Adamski framed the future: “In five years from now, we will be advertising and communicating with AI more than to human audiences.”
What it means
The restructure represents one of the most significant brand consolidations in holding company history. For clients working with overlapping networks, the changes raise immediate questions about team continuity, reporting lines and capability access during an 18-month integration period.
Independent agencies are already positioning the merger chaos as a competitive advantage, offering continuity, attention and speed whilst the enlarged Omnicom manages redundancies, office closures and system migrations.
With the company targeting $750 million in annual cost synergies, the industry is watching closely to see whether this consolidation sets the benchmark for scale and integration, or becomes a cautionary tale about the limits of merger arithmetic.