WPP, Publicis Groupe and Omnicom are vying for Coca-Cola’s global media account after Dentsu failed to make the final round, according to a report in Campaign.
Citing industry sources, Campaign reports Publicis is currently viewed as the frontrunner in the review, although Coca-Cola has not confirmed a decision.
WPP Media, via a bespoke Open X model, is the incumbent for most markets around the world, including Australia, Asia, the UK and Europe, most of Latin America, and the Middle East.
In Australia, EssenceMediacom is the media agency of record, while VML, Ogilvy and the independent creative agency Emotive work on creative, PR and other communications. Creative and PR are not part of the review.
North America, which includes the US, Canada and Mexico, was won by Publicis in 2025 and is not part of this review. Nor are Japan and Korea, who are both served by Dentsu.
The Coca-Cola Company reported $5.4 billion ($7.8 billion) in advertising expenses during 2025, which includes around $2.5 billion in paid media.
Coca-Cola is one of the largest and most sought after advertisers. It also is a sponsor of several major events including the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup. Olympic Games and NRL.
Recently, Coca-Cola South Pacific senior director of marketing Martyn Ferguson told B&T the brand viewed the World Cup, which is currently being played in America, as a huge opportunity to show up in a culturally relevant moments.
