The holding company mincer is eating agency brands
Welcome to a Tuesday update from Unmade.
Today: Omnicom’s moves in Canada and India point to a future of single brand holding companies. WPP and Dentsu are on the same track.
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The age of single brand holdcos is arriving
Imagine if the Australian operations of Clemenger, CHEP, DDB and TBWA suddenly merged. To make the thought exercise even more interesting, let’s throw Colenso Auckland into the mix too.
It would mean a hell of a lot of lot of brand equity and cultural capital vaporised overnight. Prior to Covid, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was often the most awarded agency globally. And when it was beaten, it was often by Colenso.
The equivalent merger just occurred for real in Canada. BBDO, DDB and TBWA are being brought together under the flag of Omnicom Advertising Group.
The same thing happened in India last year, under the slightly different banner of Omnicom Advertising Services.