Publicis Media India won PepsiCo India’s media mandate following a competitive pitch that included Omnicom, Dentsu and IPG Mediabrands. The scope of the mandate covers integrated media planning and buying duties.
In June 2022, the Publicis Groupe-owned media investments firm's creative stablemate Leo Burnett India scooped PepsiCo's creative and digital business.
And now, with this latest move, PepsiCo India has consolidated its media, creative and digital business with Publicis Groupe.
PepsiCo, which owns brands like 7Up, Pepsi, Lay's, Kurkure and Quaker Oats, has ended its three-decade-long partnership with WPP Group-owned agencies including media investment company Mindshare and creative agency Wunderman Thompson, after rival Coca-Cola signed the network as its partner globally.
WPP agencies in India didn't participate in PepsiCo's creative, digital and media pitches.
A person familiar with the developments told Storyboard18 that Coca-Cola handing over the lion’s share of its $4 billion business to WPP has essentially led its aligned agencies to resign from Pepsi's account in India.
Even if WPP agencies had been invited to the PepsiCo pitch, they couldn't have participated because Coke wouldn't allow it, said the person, an ad executive familiar with the matter.
WPP's departure created a massive opportunity for agencies in India to work with PepsiCo, which spends close to Rs 350 crore worth of advertising money in promoting its bouquet of brands. And with annual media billing to the tune of Rs600 crore, this is a huge win for Publicis Groupe.
George Kovoor, Senior Vice-President, PepsiCo India, said Publicis Media's "expertise in areas such as media, data, digital, analytics, content, commerce, and ability to orchestrate and leverage diverse capabilities for seamless brand experiences led them to be our partner of choice."
Tanmay Priyadarshi Mohanty, CEO, Media Services, Publicis Groupe India, said: "PepsiCo India has iconic brands, and we look forward to bringing in media excellence and innovation for them and generating the right business outcomes.”
“Publicis Groupe looks forward to working with PepsiCo India, channelising our full spectrum of media, creative and digital capabilities and driving stronger consumer connects and powerful communications for its brands," said Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia.
She added, "We look forward to harnessing and mobilising the best talent, resources, proprietary tools and capabilities from across the Groupe and helping PepsiCo India accelerate and devise consumer strategy.”
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