Forrester finds 12 big agencies growing harder to tell apart

By Nathan Brooks

Forrester assessed 12 large media groups on 19 criteria. Omnicom, Publicis and WPP ranked as “leaders,” but the research firm found growing sameness among the largest firms after years of consolidation.

That surprised Jay Pattisall, Forrester vice president and senior agency analyst. He expected acquisitions to create clearer separation, citing Omnicom’s IPG purchase, Publicis’ technology and segment deals, and private-equity-backed Wpromote’s purchase of Giant Spoon. “Once you look outside of scale and size, then the differences are much more subtle,” Pattisall said.

The leaderboard resembles three branches of one chain, though smaller groups can still post stronger execution scores.

Who lands in each tier?

Forrester’s opening Venn-style graphic separated 12 groups, which it calls media management services, into three assessed categories:

• Leaders: Omnicom, Publicis and WPP.
• Strong performers: Dentsu, Havas, Wpromote, PMG, Tinuiti and Horizon Media.
• Contenders: Stagwell, Dept and Rise, a Quad agency.

The criteria covered agentic media buying, customer lifecycle management and global delivery strategy. Monks, Crossmedia and Brainlabs did not appear because they fell below the report’s $3.1 billion billings threshold or lacked enough interest among Forrester clients. Both tests matter: a company can miss inclusion for commercial scale, not weak service.

What did the leaders actually score?

Publicis earned the highest average strategy score, 4.4 out of 5. Forrester credited its media buying, principal media, and data and marketing sciences, calling the combination a source of client value. Customer lifecycle management also scored well because global client leads coordinate resources and keep implementation teams involved after launch.

The caveats were specific. Among the three leaders, Publicis received the lowest possible score, 1, for agentic media buying because Forrester found no tangible pilots, scaled partnerships or evidence of meaningful client impact. It also scored 1 for SEO and AEO because the report found too little proactive experimentation.

Publicis alone declined Forrester’s outreach, including requests for explanations and client-side input. Its successful client wins and poaches may explain why it sees no need to court prospective clients through the report, though some industry observers call the refusal arrogant.

Omnicom treated the report as validation for its IPG acquisition. Forrester called it the largest buyer domestically and globally. Omnicom Media CEO Florian Adamski said AI, commerce and complex consumer journeys increase the value of connecting intelligence, technology, partnerships and buying power to measurable results.

WPP’s capabilities exceed its market perception, Pattisall said, because Wall Street punishes the British-owned group for prior management’s decisions. A share price will not determine client value, which is what Forrester measures. WPP’s Lauren Wetzel said advantage comes from extracting intelligence from data, not merely owning the most.

Where smaller agencies scored well?

Wpromote, the highest-ranked independent by offering strength, reached the strong-performer tier. Forrester praised its agentic media buying and AEO work, which combine paid, owned and earned authority-building with measurement of visibility, sentiment and traffic quality. Pattisall cited measurement, precision, planning and optimization.

Wpromote CEO Andrea Bendzick said AI, new routes to consumers and pressure to connect spend with business outcomes give independents a chance to invest and build around clients’ future needs. That is a route to share gain, not proof: Forrester measured capabilities, while inclusion thresholds and client interest also shaped the field.

Stagwell, often not treated as a traditional holding company, averaged 2.4 in strategy and 2.44 in current offering. Only Rise and Dept posted lower strategy averages, at 1.6 and 2.2.

Pattisall called Stagwell Media’s strategy a calculated move to combine compatible group-level capabilities when needed. But it had operated at that level for only months, leaving its mission, vision and market position less sharp.

What changed after the report?

Publicis closed its $2.2 billion LiveRamp acquisition after Federal Trade Commission stipulations required neutrality. LiveRamp serves competing agencies and clients, so Publicis ownership creates a conflict the conditions do not erase. Havas and Dentsu are staying for now; Omnicom and WPP offer competing services.

Jitendra Kumar, head of commercial, advertising, at Hightouch, said: “A neutrality pledge is a promise; neutrality by design is an architecture. More brands want their identity and audience data to stay in their own warehouse, under their own control, so they can work with any agency or partner without routing everything through one company’s pipes.”

Kumar said the deal did not create that shift but had accelerated it.

Other agency changes included:

• Horizon Global, the joint venture between Horizon Media and Havas, won global media duties for Harley-Davidson after a review.
• Stagwell hired Kate Richling as chief brand and communications officer for Stagwell Media, its expanded version of Assembly. She came from Monks, where she was global chief marketing officer.

How much did the midterms cost?

Political advertising estimates for the completed midterms range from $11.4 billion, according to AdImpact, called the most reliable estimate, to $11.9 billion from OpenSecret, based on Federal Election Commission disclosure data. Both figures set a record. The report expects 2028 to raise the bar, although candidates may spend beyond 30-second television commercials.

What else did the briefing track?

The briefing pointed to a late-October Media Buying Summit recap and reported that clients and junior agency staff are using AI too heavily for briefs and pitches, adding bloat.

It also flagged optimism around retail and commerce media as in-store media grows, Liquid Death’s move away from LiveRamp, and advertisers’ reduced assumption that Google search will appear in every plan. The package also promoted Digiday’s Dec. 1-3 Programmatic Marketing Summit in Nashville.

For now, Forrester’s rankings measure capability, not the market-share gains smaller independents may seek.