WPP set to retain Coca-Cola global media business

WPP is set to retain The Coca-Cola Company’s global media, data and technology business, according to Ad Age, extending a relationship that began with one of the advertising industry’s biggest global pitches nearly five years ago.

Ad Age reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that WPP is set to win Coca-Cola’s global review and will not participate in the beverage giant’s forthcoming North America media pitch. WPP continues to handle Coca-Cola’s global creative and public relations work.

READ MORE: Coca-Cola launches global media review, pitching WPP against Publicis

READ MORE: Publicis takes PepsiCo’s US$1.7bn media account from Omnicom

Five years of Open X

Coca-Cola appointed WPP as its Global Marketing Network Partner in November 2021 following a major review of its agency arrangements.

The result led WPP to establish Open X, a bespoke operation bringing together creative, media, data and marketing technology for Coca-Cola’s portfolio. At the time, the remit covered more than 200 countries and territories, while Dentsu was appointed as a complementary media partner in selected markets.

Publicis Groupe was the other finalist for the main global partnership and remained part of Coca-Cola’s broader strategic agency roster.

That arrangement was tested in 2025 when Publicis won Coca-Cola’s media account in the US and Canada from WPP. The North America move carved a significant market out of WPP’s otherwise broad global remit.

Coca-Cola put the wider business back under review

Coca-Cola launched its latest global review earlier this year as the original five-year WPP partnership approached its renewal cycle.

The MediaSense-managed process focused on media, data science and technology across most major international markets. Global creative and PR were not included and remained with WPP Open X.

North America was also initially outside the global review because Publicis held the business there, while Japan and Korea remained with Dentsu.

In Australia, Coca-Cola’s media account sits with EssenceMediacom as part of the WPP Open X structure.

The scale of the relationship is considerable. Coca-Cola reported US$5.4 billion in advertising expenses for 2025, up from US$5.1 billion a year earlier, although that figure represents the company’s total advertising expense rather than the value of any individual agency contract.

Publicis’ PepsiCo win reshaped the race

The competitive picture changed sharply this month when Publicis was appointed PepsiCo’s exclusive lead global media partner, taking over an account estimated at US$1.7 billion and covering more than 200 markets.

The PepsiCo appointment prompted Publicis to withdraw from Coca-Cola’s global review, leaving incumbent WPP in a much stronger position to retain the international business.

The North America question is now being dealt with separately. While WPP lost that business to Publicis in 2025, Ad Age is reporting that WPP will not compete in Coca-Cola’s forthcoming North America media pitch.

A formal global appointment has not yet been announced by Coca-Cola or WPP.