PepsiCo Poised To Unify Strategy Across 200 Markets, Picks Publicis Groupe As Exclusive Media Partner

PepsiCo has appointed Publicis Groupe as its exclusive global media partner, ending a relationship with Omnicom’s OMD network that spanned more than two decades in key markets including the United States and United Kingdom.

The appointment, confirmed by PepsiCo, followed a media capabilities review rather than a competitive pitch process. Under the new arrangement, dubbed the “One PepsiCo” model, Publicis will unify media strategy, planning, activation, connected identity, and technology across more than 200 markets for brands including Pepsi, Lay’s, and Gatorade, with artificial intelligence and data positioned at the centre of the approach.

The exact amount spent on the contract is unknown as one news source places the size of the PepsiCo’s global media account at $1.9 billion, while another puts the account at approximately $1.7 billion. PepsiCo however reported total marketing expenditure of $5.4 billion in 2025, including $3.4 billion spent specifically on advertising.

Omnicom’s stock fell roughly five percent following news of the account shift, reflecting the scale of the loss for the holding company, which is also navigating an integration following its acquisition of rival Interpublic Group last year. Omnicom will, however, retain creative, sports, and public relations duties for PepsiCo through agencies including BBDO, TBWA, and Goodby Silverstein.

Publicis had handled PepsiCo’s media accounts in select Asian and Eastern European markets including India, China, South Korea, and several Southeast Asian countries, prior to the global appointment.

The win has ripple effects beyond PepsiCo. Publicis is expected to withdraw from an ongoing global media review for Coca-Cola, PepsiCo’s chief rival, to avoid a direct conflict of interest. That review, covering an account estimated at roughly $4 billion internationally, now leaves WPP as the primary contender for Coca-Cola’s international media, data science, and technology business. Publicis already retains Coca-Cola’s North American media account, won in 2025.

In a separate development, PepsiCo is running another global review focused on AI-driven marketing transformation, with Omnicom, Accenture, Deloitte, and Publicis’s Sapient unit reportedly among those competing for that assignment.