Following its acquisition of IPG, Omnicom is undergoing a major reorganisation spanning leadership, media, data platforms and workforce reductions. Beneath the transformation, the holding company has quietly introduced new branding developed internally, signalling a shift from agency legacies toward a unified, technology-led global identity.
Much is changing at Omnicom, and the scale of transformation following its acquisition of Interpublic Group is difficult to overstate. The deal has triggered one of the most sweeping reorganisations the global advertising industry has seen in decades, reshaping leadership structures, collapsing long-standing agency networks, integrating vast data and technology platforms, and driving a planned reduction of more than 23,000 roles since the end of 2024. At the surface, it is a story of consolidation, efficiency and power. Beneath it, however, sits a quieter but telling signal of how Omnicom now sees itself and wants to be seen: a new brand identity for what is now the world’s largest agency organisation by revenue.
The new Omnicom that is emerging is organised around six business groups, each designed to simplify the company’s vast sprawl while aligning it more closely to client needs rather than agency legacy. While the company has not framed the shift as a dismantling of creativity, the consequences have been stark. Three of advertising’s most storied creative networks—DDB, FCB and MullenLowe—are being eliminated as standalone brands, closing chapters that span decades of award-winning work, cultural relevance and industry influence. For many inside and outside the company, the move has underscored how decisively Omnicom is prioritising scale, integration and operational coherence over sentiment or heritage.
Media operations, too, are undergoing big change. Long treated as a distinct pillar of agency power, media is being more tightly woven into the broader Omnicom ecosystem, alongside creative, commerce, experience and performance. Data and technology platforms from Omnicom and IPG are in the process of being integrated, creating what the company believes will be a more powerful, unified backbone for targeting, measurement and optimisation. This integration is positioned as essential to competing with platform-driven marketing ecosystems and consulting firms that have steadily encroached on agency territory.
The human cost of this reset is substantial. More than 23,000 jobs are expected to be cut from the combined workforce since the end of 2024, a figure that reflects not just overlap between Omnicom and IPG, but also a deliberate recalibration of how work gets done. Automation, AI-assisted production and centralised services are reducing the need for duplication across markets and disciplines. For employees, it marks the end of an era defined by agency brands as identities; for Omnicom, it is framed as a necessary step toward future resilience.
Against this backdrop of large-scale structural change, the introduction of new branding might appear secondary. In reality, it is deeply symbolic. Branding is how companies explain complexity to the outside world and coherence to themselves. The updated Omnicom identity was developed by an internal design centre known as Design by Disruption, rather than an external agency. That choice alone signals something important: the company wants to demonstrate that its creative and strategic capabilities now live at the centre, not the periphery, of its own operations.
Design by Disruption was tasked with translating Omnicom’s reinvention into visual and verbal form. While details of the new branding have been shared selectively, insiders describe it as an expression of clarity, modernity and scale rather than flourish. This aligns with the broader direction of travel for the company. Where agency holding companies once competed on the distinctiveness of their individual networks, the future Omnicom appears intent on competing as a single, unified system—one that promises clients simplicity in a fragmented marketing landscape.
The decision to house the branding exercise internally also reflects the changing power dynamics within large agency groups. In a world where clients demand faster turnaround, deeper integration and demonstrable value, the idea of outsourcing a core act of self-definition may feel increasingly anachronistic. By relying on its own designers and strategists, Omnicom reinforces the message that it is no longer a federation of agencies, but an operating company with a shared philosophy and toolkit.
That philosophy is increasingly shaped by data and technology. The integration of Omnicom and IPG platforms is intended to create a single source of truth across customer intelligence, media activation, creative performance and commerce outcomes. Branding, in this context, is no longer just about aesthetics; it becomes an interface between systems, people and markets. The new Omnicom identity is expected to be adaptable, functional and globally consistent, able to live across dashboards, product platforms, client presentations and consumer-facing work.
The elimination of DDB, FCB and MullenLowe has inevitably coloured perceptions of the rebrand. These names carry enormous weight in advertising history, associated with iconic campaigns, influential leaders and defining moments of creative culture. Their removal underscores a belief within Omnicom that brand equity now resides less in agency logos and more in outcomes delivered. Clients, the thinking goes, are buying intelligence, scale and execution rather than creative mythology.
Still, the emotional resonance of these changes should not be underestimated. For generations of practitioners, agency names were badges of honour and career milestones. Replacing them with a master brand risks flattening identity and blurring specialisation. Omnicom appears to be betting that the benefits of cohesion outweigh the loss of romance. The new branding is part of that bet, designed to project confidence and purpose amid disruption.
For clients, the shift offers both promise and uncertainty. On one hand, the streamlined structure and unified brand suggest fewer silos, clearer accountability and faster decision-making. On the other, clients accustomed to the nuances of individual agency cultures may wonder how distinct perspectives will survive within a single umbrella. Omnicom’s response lies in its emphasis on customised teams and bespoke solutions, even as the external branding becomes more singular.
Industry observers see the rebrand as a signal of where the holding company model itself is headed. As pressure mounts from consultancies, technology platforms and in-house teams, scale alone is no longer enough. Holding companies must articulate what they stand for in a way that resonates beyond procurement logic. Omnicom’s new identity, shaped internally and launched alongside profound structural change, suggests a desire to be seen not as a collection of agencies, but as a modern marketing partner built for complexity.
In that sense, the branding refresh is less about novelty and more about narrative control. Amid job cuts, network eliminations and integration challenges, Omnicom is asserting authorship over its own story. By framing these changes within a cohesive visual and strategic language, it aims to shift the conversation from loss to evolution, from dismantling to design.
The success of that effort will depend on execution. Branding can set intention, but lived experience determines credibility. As the new Omnicom takes shape across six business groups and a unified technology spine, its identity will be tested daily—by clients navigating the transition, by employees adapting to new ways of working, and by a wider industry watching closely.
What is clear is that Omnicom is no longer content to tweak at the edges. The acquisition of IPG has catalysed a fundamental rethink of structure, scale and self-image. The quiet introduction of new branding amid all this noise is not a footnote, but a declaration. It says that in an age of consolidation and disruption, identity itself has become a strategic asset—and Omnicom intends to define its own, on its own terms.
