Two ad agency conglomerates offer positive, if cautious, outlook for 2025
Two big advertising agency conglomerates are offering positive, if cautious, news about 2025 advertising, reports Inside Radio. Executives at Omnicom and Publicis said it remains a watch-and-wait situation for most of their clients, with no widespread retreats in their ad spending. They warn the outlook may shift later in 2025, but marketers remain focused on maintaining brand strength and market share.
John Wren, above, the CEO of Omnicom Group — parent to media agencies like OMD and PHD — said client ad spending “remains strong” as marketers stick with their 2025 plans for now.
“As you’re all keenly aware, there’s been increased volatility in the economy and the markets,” he said on an earnings call. “As in past periods of uncertainty, our clients must continue to compete for share in a dynamic marketplace by investing and leveraging the strength of their brands and increasing and actively expanding their connection with customers.”
According to Inside Radio, Omnicom’s media and advertising business was up 7% during the first quarter. But faced with what Wren concedes is “uncertainty” in the market, Omnicom adjusted its overall outlook for the year. It now expects organic growth of 2.5% to 4.5% vs. an earlier forecast of 3.5% to 4.5%. growth. “We didn’t change the forecast on those where if we had doubts, it was really more in the events business as companies probably get a little bit more conservative,” Wren explained.
Publicis Media, the Paris-based home of media shops including Starcom, Zenith and Digitas, offered a similar assessment.
