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PepsiCo is shifting its global media work to Publicis Groupe. Omnicom had looked after large parts of the business for decades. For PepsiCo, Publicis is now to build a new “One PepsiCo” model that more closely combines media strategy, planning, activation, data, Connected Identity and technology.
The switch is relevant beyond its size. As a consequence, Publicis is also withdrawing from the ongoing pitch for Coca-Cola's global media business. This brings an old agency rule back into focus: how sensible is category exclusivity still when the same data, technology and platform providers already work for direct competitors?
PepsiCo brings media, data and technology together
PepsiCo confirmed the move to Marketing Dive. According to the company, the goal is a media model for the “next era of marketing” in which strategy, planning, activation, data and technology are more tightly integrated.
This fits a broader shift in the advertising market. Large advertisers no longer simply buy classic media planning but increasingly expect data infrastructure, identity solutions, automation and AI capabilities from a single system. Publicis itself strongly attributes its recent account wins to this integrated data and AI positioning.
The trend is also visible elsewhere: at Campbell's, 85 percent of the working media budget is to flow into digital channels such as social, influencer, e-commerce and AI-driven platforms. At the same time, retail media full-funnel reach and incrementality are moving more into the spotlight.
Publicis exits the Coca-Cola pitch
The consequence for Coca-Cola is particularly striking. Publicis was in the race for its global media business but is withdrawing from the pitch after PepsiCo's win. At the same time, Publicis already manages Coca-Cola's media and data mandate in North America.
ADWEEK columnist Mark Ritson uses this as an occasion to fundamentally question the traditional “exclusivity norm”. His thesis: in the media world, the strict separation of competing clients has grown historically, while platforms such as Google, Meta and Amazon have long been working for direct competitors at the same time.
The argument is not entirely without merit. Especially in media, the actual tasks today differ greatly from the classic full-service agency of earlier decades. Campaigns run on standardised platforms, data access can be separated technically and organisationally, and many of the most important systems are in any case used by several competitors in parallel.
Nevertheless, exclusivity remains a legitimate control instrument for clients. Media agencies gain insight into budgets, audience logic, bidding strategies, campaign calendars and in some cases strategic planning. For some brands, avoiding potential conflicts of interest therefore remains more important than maximum scale efficiency.
Why the case matters beyond Pepsi and Coca-Cola
The real structural change lies less in the cola rivalry than in the consolidation of advertising infrastructure. Holding companies are trying to link media, data, identity, measurement and AI more closely within their own platforms. Whoever controls these systems can serve global accounts with less fragmented setups.
Publicis is pursuing exactly this direction. The group is further expanding its data and adtech capabilities; our overview of the adtech consolidation around Publicis, LiveRamp, Nielsen and DoubleVerify shows how closely agency business, data and measurement have now moved together. In parallel, WPP is also trying to align its agency model more strongly with AI and shared technology.
For advertisers, the selection question is shifting as well. In the past it was more about which agency offered the best planning, buying power or creative collaboration. Today it is at least as important how well data, activation, measurement and AI workflows are connected.
What marketers can take away
The PepsiCo switch shows three things above all: large media mandates are increasingly understood as technology and data decisions. The boundary between agency and platform is becoming blurrier. And classic conflict rules come under pressure when integrated systems matter more than agency brands operating in isolation.
This does not mean category exclusivity is disappearing. But companies should define more precisely which specific information and processes really must remain exclusive – instead of automatically applying the same rules to media, creative, data and technology.