Omnicom Wants You to Spend More on Digital

money bagsThis won’t go over well. In a story we missed yesterday, Omnicom media operations CEO Daryl Simm told The Wall Street Journal that everyone needs to spend less money on TV spots and more money on…digital video.

This isn’t exactly a surprise. Simm argues that it’s just a way of re-framing the same old relationships:

“Online video ad spending is growing at a considerably faster pace than overall media budgets have been growing…So TV money is traveling to all of those other alternatives.”

And how large is the shift?

“We are counseling our clients to move between 10% to 25% of TV dollar to online video, depending on the target audience…A significant portion of the dollars are actually going back to TV owners for their online properties.”

But:

“The amount of quality online video is still an issue…What does it mean for a brand to be associated with a particular piece of content? And what does that mean for the consideration of that brand by consumers?”

Despite all this, Simm says that “The desire for more measurement and accountability is getting higher and higher.”

His message to traditional ad folk: expect more of the things you don’t like.

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So What Do You Do, Tiffany R. Warren, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group?

Tiffany-Warren-wpSome people simply talk and others do. Tiffany R. Warren belongs to the latter category. When she tired of seeing the same groups being honored year after year at advertising awards shows, Warren took it upon herself to create a space to celebrate diversity in the advertising, marketing, PR and entertainment industries. Now in its 10th year, ADCOLOR has grown to include myriad events and programs aimed to not only champion diverse professionals in these industries, but also to truly prepare them to soar in careers with longevity and purpose. The theme of the 2014 ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference, taking place Sept. 17-20 in Beverly Hills, Calif.,  is “We Are Here” to further drive home the point that these industries are rife with diverse talent. This year’s awards will honor Judy Smith, founder and president of Smith & Company (aka Scandal‘s Olivia Pope) and Charles King, partner/agent in the Motion Picture Department at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.

“I always felt compelled to do something that was of service. That’s just a family trait. My family is full of teachers and daycare providers and people that just give back. We have some sort of DNA thing going on,” Warren shares. Her altruistic gene must be strong because in addition to the transformative work she does in her roles with Omnicom and ADCOLOR, she serves on the boards for several organizations such as Ghetto Film School and GLAAD and somehow finds the time to mentor 126 people. You read that right. One hundred and twenty-six people.

Here, learn what it takes to be a true agent of change and find out Warren’s thoughts on the current state of diversity in the advertising industry.

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There’s a New Spark at Starbucks After Agency RFI

In what appears to be a clandestine RFI process, Starbucks has announced a changing of the guard in its media agency relationship.
Following only the first phase in review, the java giant has decided to cut ties with Omnicom PHD and hire Publicis Groupe’s Spark. Prior to the RFI and decision after the initial review, PHD was Starbucks’ media agency for the past six years.
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The Truth Comes Out: Omnicom-Publicis Merger Was Actually a Zany Agency Prank

In the weeks since the Omnicom and Publicis Groupe megamerger fell apart, many have been asking why such a problematic union was proposed in the first place. Well now we know: It was all another agency's elaborate marketing stunt.

In an entertaining parody case study, Fred & Farid Group takes full credit for the "Omnipub" merger, an idea hatched to highlight just how far holding companies would go in their quest for world domination.

"Why not organize an epic fail with two giants? Instead of the usual David against Goliath, we made a Goliath against Goliath story. We created … 'The Impossible Wedding.'"

Setting events in motion like a Shakespearean villain, Paris-based Fred & Farid says it forged letters between Omnicom CEO John Wren and Publicis CEO Maurice Lévy, making each think the other was on board with the merger. Then the pranksters sat back and watched the hilarity ensue.

Like any good case study, #Omnipub includes some impressive metrics: 24,000 mentions, 500,000 media impressions and $100 million in wasted fees (quoted from our own coverage here at Adweek). 

So congrats to Fred & Farid for pulling off one truly epic viral prank. You got us!




WPP’s Maxus Appoints New North American CEO

This morning in news that has nothing to do with the Omnicom/Publicis collapse, WPP/GroupM media agency Maxus poached a top executive from Omnicom’s PHD.

Steve Williams, who spent two years as president at PHD, will be Maxus’ new North American CEO starting June 1, replacing the retiring Louis Jones; Williams will report to global CEO Vikram Sakhuja as well as GroupM’s North American chief Kelly Clark.

In the new role, Williams will work with the New York, L.A., Chicago, Minneapolis and Toronto offices of what the press release and RECMA call “the fastest growing global media agency for the past four years.”

Before joining PHD, Williams served as CEO of the UK’s OMD Group.

No word on how much pleasure Martin Sorrell took in making this announcement.

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Publicis/Omnicom: An Autopsy

The world’s largest mega-merger is over before it began–and on the morning after the big breakdown, we have a fairly clear sense of the factors that doomed this would-be deal.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news last night with a joint statement from Messrs. Levy and Wren, who called the uncoupling conscious:
“The challenges that still remained to be overcome, in addition to the slow pace of progress, created a level of uncertainty detrimental to the interests of both groups.”
Their stories quickly and predictably diverged, however.

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Chances of Omnicis/Publicom Merger Now Less Than 50/50

publicis-omicron

If you’re a gambling man, you might want to bet against the pending mega-merger and the double-headed hydra it would create.

Earlier this week, WPP‘s Martin Sorrell gleefully told Reuters–via a little birdie–that chances of the deal going through were less than even. Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported that analysts at Albert Fried had lowered the official odds to 40% (the previous number was 66%) while downgrading  the theoretical stock price from $70 to $56.

The fact that Publicis recently lost Microsoft, Samsung and Miller Lite didn’t help; the defections have compounded risks created by a clashing of egos over the contested CFO role.

All involved parties still say the deal will go through, primarily because “there’s a $500 million break-up fee at stake”, so we expect to see a few more upbeat press releases in the days ahead.

As principals at both companies sweat a bit more heavily this week than last, WPP may have already begun planning its victory lap.

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Trouble Brewing in the Publicis Omnicom Camp

publicis-omicron

Over the weekend you may have heard of some newfound uncertainty regarding the world’s soon-to-be-biggest agency: the bastard child of Publicis and Omnicom.

Let’s review the reports, shall we?

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Maurice Lévy Returns, Now with Balloons in Tow, for Publicis Groupe’s 2014 Greeting

publicis-groupe2014

Maurice Lévy is back this year for the new Publicis Groupe New Year’s greeting. After toying with YouTube’s functionality last year,  the holding company, with the aid of their DigitasLBi France unit, has once again found a new way to make their greeting interactive.


This year, Publicis built their message around the theme of #TheMoretheMerrier in honor of their expected merger with Omnicom. To accomplish this, they’ve made it so “The more people that join in during the video, the merrier it will become.” So, what does that mean exactly? Well, if you watch the video alone, nothing special happens. But if you watch with a friend, Maurice Lévy will deliver his speech in a confetti storm. Adding more people to the mix will result in “gospel singers, cheerleaders, Chinese dragons and a few other surprises.” It’s a pretty cool concept, managing to be interactive in an intriguing new way.

 

To accomplish this, Publicis’ tech team developed “a fancy facial detection algorithm that allows a webcam to count how many people are actually watching the video together.” The facial recognition software was conceived by “a 21 year old Russian math genius” working for DigitasLBi France. The software is the “first of its kind to detect up to ten faces simultaneously” while the video plays. “The More the Merrier” is the first video to count the number of viewers, rather than views, on YouTube. That’s a lot of technological firsts for a New Year’s greeting. By the way, in case you were wondering, it takes 1,487 balloons to cover Maurice Lévy.

Credits after the jump. continued…

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Ad Guys Just Talking, Part II: Does the Omnicom-Publicis Merger Make Sense?

And so, the conversation continues between PSFK CEO Piers Fawkes, MEC’s Scott Schwartz and Huge creative director Ross Maupin, who follow up yesterday’s chat about the importance of Advertising Week by discussing the elephant in the room that is the Omnicom/Publicis Groupe merger. Is it good or bad for the industry? Does it make sense? Well, let’s let the lads weigh in. Note: The overall conversation between our participants actually lasted well over 30 minutes, but seeing as it’s all short attention span theater nowadays, we’re offering up quick soundbites for now. Who knows, maybe we’ll have extended versions to come as they had plenty to say, but for now, on with the show.

 

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Atlanta Agency ASO Mocks Omnicom/Publicis Merger with Parody Pitch Video

For the last few weeks, all we ever think about during our waking hours is the Omnicom/Publicis merger and how lucky we are to be living in a time where something this momentous happens. Truly, we wake up now with a new sense of purpose and self-worth knowing that two giant holding companies merged to make the biggest holding company.

However, not everyone shares our enthusiasm, chief among them Atlanta-based indie shop Ames Scullin O’Haire. They made the above video to convince us that the merger wasn’t a good thing and doesn’t really benefit anyone beyond the rich people in charge of the agency networks who are now richer. “Bigger isn’t always better” says ASO, who is small and would totally say something like that to besmirch the good name of Publicis-Omnicom Groupe.

Will all of Atlanta’s biggest businesses pull their money from large agencies and invest in ASO after seeing this video? To be honest, yes. Definitely.

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IPG Top Brass Weighs in on Publicis-Omnicom Alliance

And so it continues with the industry reaction to Publicom Omnicis Prime or whatever the new entity is called nowadays. We’ve just obtained separate memos to staff sent this morning from IPG chairman/CEO Michael Roth and IPG Mediabrands CEO Matt Seiler regarding their competitors’ merger. The former prefaces his lengthy note with the headline “Too Big to Fail?” while the latter offers a few reasons why IPG is dandy along with a little hint of some good news to come very soon on the UM front. We’ll just leave you with this Seiler tidbit below and let you read Roth’s perspective after the jump.

Says the Mediabrands chief exec, “Later today, we will announce another new business win, this time for UM.  In the words of the newest IPG Mediabrands client, ‘scale matters, up to a point’…IPGMB is ‘big enough’  & then it’s about tailored service, which is where you rise above the rest.…”I think that says it all.” Read on what Roth has to say including IPG’s thoughts on major M&A efforts. We say it’s an interesting read.

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What Does the Publicis/Omnicom Merger Mean for the Industry?

As one might imagine, the announcement (and Vine video) of the biggest merger in advertising history is causing quite a reaction from those in the industry. Above, Keith Hunt, managing partner of M&A consulting firm Results International, hypothesizes about the implications the newly formed Publicis Omnicom Group will have.

As Hunt notes, the merger means the company will be able to buy media very cheaply, leapfrogging WPP in the process. But, Hunt wonders, how far can you push down prices? At one point do vendors draw the line?

Also, Hunt says, there’s the issue of who’s in charge. Co-chief execs, John Wren (Omnicom) and Maurice Levy (Publicis)  are elder statesmen. Levy, the older of the two at 71, is now on the hot seat in terms of naming a successor, that is, if the balance of power between Publicis and Omnicom remains a priority. As WPP’s Martin Sorrell said in an interview today, “It’s a nil-premium merger — effectively a takeover of Publicis by Omnicom [without exchange of money].”

Finally, says Hunt, there’s the matter of positioning. It benefits the new company to frame the merger as one that hinges around new technologies and emerging markets, allowing Publicis Omnicom Group to compete against tech companies outside advertising agencies like Adobe. “Exciting times,” he adds before staring into the camera wistfully. It’s only the beginning.

Check out Wren and Levy bonding after the jump.

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Publicis, Omnicom Group Merge to Become World’s Biggest Advertising Company

In a somewhat surprising weekend move that’s now been broadcast everywhere, French advertising network Publicis and New York-based Omnicom Group announced today that they are merging, supplanting London’s WPP to become to world’s largest advertising firm.

The news comes as a bit of a shock, especially considering the announcement was made on a summer weekend. Reports of merger negotiations first happened on Friday afternoon, followed by more concrete details on the merger coming out yesterday via a report from Bloomberg. The newly christened Publicis Omnicom Group will be led by Omnicom CEO John Wren and Publicis CEO Maurice Levy, who will acts as co-chief executives.

The merger is sending shockwaves throughout the industry, with reaction to news quite mixed. While many agree that shareholders will benefit from the news, looming doubts remain about how the new company will strike a balance of power with its bases split between continents, as well as how Publicis Omnicom Group will go about solving the many client conflicts as competing brands (Coca-Cola and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Taco Bell) are brought under one roof.

Omnicom (whose properties include BBDO, DDB, and TBWA) and Publicis (whose properties include Leo Burnett, DigitasLBi, Saatchi & Saatchi and media giant Starcom) have a combined annual revenue of $23 billion. We’ve heard that Levy has sent out a network-wide email about the merger.

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