Michael Rebelo. Credit: Publicis
Publicis Media led both the total and net new business global rankings in 2025, generating $10 billion in new client billings, a third of all media spend that shifted between agencies, according to COMvergence's Final 2025 Global New Business Barometer.
The result places Publicis well clear of the four groups that follow, Mediabrands second, dentsu third, Havas Media Network fourth and Omnicom Media fifth, with total new business results across that pack ranging from $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion.
WPP Media was the only Big 6 group to post a negative result in both total and net terms, shedding $6.9 billion, or 27%, of the total media spend that changed hands globally.
The result sits in contrast to WPP's position atop RECMA's Australia qualitative rankings, where the group holds a lead of just two points over the newly combined Omnicom Media entity.
At agency network level, Starcom placed first globally with $2.7 billion in total new business, driven by the wins of Mars and Aldi globally and the retention of Luxottica in the US.
Initiative ranked second at $2.4 billion, with Bayer globally and Paramount Network among its wins. Spark Foundry completed the top three at $2.1 billion.
The overall retention rate across the market hit 21%, the lowest in eight years. Publicis recorded the highest retention rate among the Big 6 groups, while WPP held onto just 16% of its $8.3 billion in client billings reviewed.
COMvergence assessed more than 4,400 media account moves and retentions across 49 countries in 2025, involving 2,335 advertisers and totalling $37.4 billion, down 4% on 2024.
The US accounted for 34% of spend reviewed, followed by the UK at 10% and China at 8%.
Locally, Accenture Song picked up its first sizeable media account in Australia, winning the Optus media account.
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