In Digiday’s March 2, 2026 piece, WPP Elevate28 transformation sits at the heart of a bigger question: which of the Big Three agency holding companies will be best positioned at the end of 2026, and which model is most resilient in a platform- and AI‑dominated media market.
Journalist Michael Bürgi outlines how WPP, under new global CEO Cindy Rose, is moving fastest to reinvent its structure, shifting to four global units connected by its Open platform and aiming to stabilise a business that has been losing more clients than it gains.
Digiday notes the clear resemblance to Publicis’ “Power of One” model and its Sapient-led consulting offer, while highlighting that Publicis continues to out‑perform rivals on net new business. Omnicom, meanwhile, is depicted as digesting its Interpublic acquisition but emerging with powerful data and commerce assets that could fuel renewed growth.
Against this backdrop, Wall Street’s muted reaction to all three groups becomes a key storyline in itself, signalling investor scepticism about whether these strategies will genuinely unlock long‑term value.
For CMOs, procurement directors and global heads of media, the practical question is not which holding company “wins the year”, but how WPP’s Elevate28 programme will change pitch dynamics, commercial risk and day‑to‑day ways of working. The article makes clear that 2026 is year one of a three‑year reset focused first on stabilising revenue and profit.
David Indo’s observation that this will “force WPP to pitch like crazy, and… defend like crazy” should ring alarm bells for advertisers who don’t want their brands caught in the crossfire of a volume‑driven new‑business push.
Expect more aggressive pursuit of incumbents, sharper pricing and an intense focus on cross‑selling Open‑enabled solutions.
For procurement and media leaders, that raises three priorities: pressure‑test whether your current scope and fees reflect this new, AI‑enabled operating model; demand evidence of how WPP Open tangibly improves outcomes versus legacy delivery; and ensure that any transition or consolidation is governed by clear performance, transparency and governance guardrails rather than purely cost‑saving narratives.
Digiday spotlights a LinkedIn Live session where Tom Denford and David Indo unpack what Elevate28 really means for advertisers. Indo urges brands to go beyond the headlines and interrogate WPP’s new platform model in detail before making big decisions about agency relationships.
As Indo puts it, marketers should secure a “forensic understanding” of how WPP Open is supposed to work for their specific business, not just accept a generic tech story. Later in the piece, Bürgi captures the broader strategic concern from #MediaSnack: "It’s kind of been the case for a number of years that internally, the emphasis has been on media because it’s been more profitable.
But if you’re a CMO, aren’t you a bit worried that you’re losing all these agency brands? And what about creativity? How can you have a creative agency that just says we want to make money from media?"
That question goes to the heart of ID Comms’ advisory stance: don’t let structural simplification come at the expense of creative ambition or long‑term brand value.
Bürgi’s article is essential reading for anyone preparing a major media or creative review in 2026, particularly if WPP, Publicis or Omnicom are on your roster or pitch list. It combines financial context, strategic commentary and external expert views, including those from ID Comms, into a single, highly digestible briefing.
When you read it, pay close attention to three things: how each group is combining media, data, production and consulting; the role of AI platforms such as WPP Open in their commercial promises; and the tension between short‑term cost savings and long‑term capability building.
Those are exactly the pressure points CMOs and procurement leaders should be surfacing in their own governance frameworks.
You can read this full article on Digiday here: https://digiday.com/media-buying/media-buying-briefing-the-big-threes-pieces-are-in-place-lets-see-who-wins