Previous agency: GroupM’s Mindshare
New agency: Publicis Media
Size of account: $901 million, according to public financial documents.
Why it’s significant: It was another significant win for Publicis Media, and one of several large accounts that severed ties this year with a GroupM agency. It’s a defining example of both Publicis Media’s banner year in new business and GroupM’s struggles with retaining key accounts.
Ikea
Previous agency: Several. It’s launched partnerships with Ogilvy, David Madrid, Ingo, BBH Singapore, Åkestam Holst and Mother London.
New agency: McCann
Size of account: Projected 2023 global spend for Ikea is $710 million, of which digital accounts for 50%, according to COMvergence.
Why it’s significant: Before the review, McCann had worked with Ikea on a project basis alongside several global agencies. The outcome makes it Ikea’s first official global brand marketing partner, led by McCann Spain, in Madrid. Despite the global relationship Ikea inked with McCann, the brand said it would maintain regional relationships with its previous agencies, like Ogilvy and Mother London.
Shell
Previous agency: GroupM
New agency: Havas Media
Size of account: Shell spent roughly $240 million on measured media in 2022, according to COMvergence.
Why it’s significant: Groups like Extinction Rebellion and Clean Creatives protested this divisive review. Most of the media agencies that participated in the Shell review, either because of their nondisclosure agreements or to avoid industry criticism, wouldn’t even admit that they were involved in pitching. The industry’s reaction to this pitch showed that fossil fuel accounts are becoming increasingly toxic for agencies, as studies have shown that the next generation of creatives have little desire to work on fossil fuel brands.
Havas Media’s win was a financial bright spot for the company, but it is a hit to the network’s sustainability work. Two agencies in the creative network—Havas New York and Havas London—are registered B Corps.
