The pitch for the Coles, a top 10 advertiser, has narrowed to two contenders, Omnicom and Accenture Song.
Industry insiders say Publicis Groupe -- which has been on a strong run of major account wins including Toyota, Lexus, Subway and Johnson & Johnson -- is out of the race, following WPP to the sidelines.
The supermarket group in March threw open its agency roster to pitch, for the first time in more than a decade.
The incumbents were DDB, Big Red, TBWA and OMD. Big Red is out of the pitch process
Three of the big global advertising groups -- Omnicom, Publicis and WPP -- were asked to respond to an operational RFP.
WPP was the first to drop out due to a "conflict” and was replaced by Accenture Song.
Coles wants to create a bespoke model to service the retail group and its evolving business and brand requirements.
It is seeking "greater synergies in the way its creative, media and strategic" work is performed.
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