Coca-Cola has launched a global media review covering most of its top markets, setting up a competition between incumbent WPP Open X and Publicis Groupe.
Mediasense confirmed to Campaign that they are running the review globally, which is said to cover media, data science, and technology.
According to reports, the pitch is being driven by a desire to modernise how the company reaches consumers by moving away from traditional media planning toward technology-led approaches, including agentic tools.
A spokesperson for WPP told Campaign that they are proud to serve as The Coca-Cola Company’s current global network partner. "The upcoming five-year contract renewal process coincides with Coca-Cola’s Next Chapter initiative, and we will continue to transform our capabilities in lockstep with them. We welcome the opportunity to showcase how our integrated media, data science, and agentic technology platform and solutions will continue to drive future growth across their key global markets."
The review follows Publicis Groupe's March 2025 win of Coca-Cola's North America media business in a closed review also managed by Mediasense. Publicis took the US and Canada media account from incumbent WPP, representing approximately US$785 million in US media spend.
That win challenged WPP's integrated Open X model, which was formed in 2021 to service Coca-Cola's global marketing partnership. Under that arrangement, WPP manages end-to-end creative, media, data and marketing technology across Coca-Cola's portfolio of more than 200 brands.
Despite losing the North America media brief, WPP remains Coca-Cola's global marketing partner. In May 2025, the two companies announced a renewal of their global marketing partnership, covering all markets outside North America.
The current global media review reportedly represents a new phase in the competition between the two holding companies. Both are being evaluated on media capabilities, data science expertise and marketing technology infrastructure across most of Coca-Cola's top markets globally.
The review encompasses three key areas: media planning and buying capabilities; analytics, measurement and insights capabilities; and marketing technology infrastructure including agentic AI tools.
Coca-Cola has not disclosed which specific markets are included or the timeline for completion. The company's global media investment is estimated at approximately US$4 billion annually.
For Asia-Pacific, the outcome could impact media agency assignments across key markets. In 2021, WPP's MediaCom and Publicis' Starcom both handled portions of Coca-Cola's media accounts across various APAC territories, while Dentsu's Carat was selected as a complementary media partner in selected markets.
