Publicis Groupe has secured PepsiCo’s global media business across more than 200 markets, a major advertising account win that has reportedly prompted the French agency group to withdraw from Coca-Cola’s ongoing global media review.
PepsiCo has appointed Publicis as its exclusive lead global media partner, bringing media strategy, planning and activation alongside data, technology and connected identity under a new artificial intelligence-powered operating model known as “One PepsiCo.”
The scale of the mandate is substantial. PepsiCo reported approximately $5.4 billion in marketing expenditure in 2025, including about $3.4 billion spent on advertising, making the account one of the more significant prizes in the global media agency market.
Brandspur Brand News reports that the appointment also represents a major shift in PepsiCo’s agency relationships after more than two decades of working with Omnicom’s OMD in important markets. Omnicom will continue handling other strategic work for the company, while Publicis takes the lead on global media.
PepsiCo selected Publicis following a review of media capabilities rather than a conventional competitive pitch. The two companies already had an established relationship, with Publicis previously handling PepsiCo business in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.
The development has wider implications because Publicis also has an existing relationship with PepsiCo’s biggest soft-drink rival, Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola appointed Publicis as its North American media agency in March 2025, after which the advertising group became involved in a wider review covering additional parts of Coca-Cola’s global media business.
Following the PepsiCo appointment, however, Publicis has reportedly withdrawn from that review, effectively prioritising the expanded PepsiCo mandate rather than competing for additional Coca-Cola business.
The decision illustrates the increasingly complicated relationships between multinational advertisers and the world’s largest agency holding groups, which now operate across media, data, technology, artificial intelligence and consulting in addition to traditional advertising services.
For PepsiCo, consolidating its global media operations under Publicis offers an opportunity to coordinate campaigns, audience data and technology more closely across hundreds of markets.
For Publicis, the win strengthens its position in the global media industry and gives the group responsibility for a substantial portion of the advertising activity behind one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies.
The development also signals a shift in the balance between major advertisers and global agency groups. As agencies build increasingly sophisticated technology and data operations, decisions over competing client relationships can carry strategic importance well beyond the value of an individual advertising account.
