On November 26, 2025, the advertising world permanently changed its shape. Omnicom completed its acquisition of Interpublic Group, officially creating the world's largest advertising holding company by revenue. The deal — valued at $13.5 billion — was approved by regulators without conditions. And its consequences for India are still unfolding.
For the first time in the industry's history, six of India's most prominent creative agencies — DDB Mudra Group, BBDO India, TBWA India, McCann Worldgroup India, FCB Group India, and MullenLowe Lintas Group — now sit under a single global roof.
The new India structure
Omnicom moved quickly to clarify its India architecture. Prasoon Joshi was confirmed as Chairman of Omnicom Advertising India, with Aditya Kanthy elevated to President and Managing Director. The combined entity emerged as the second-largest agency group in India, behind WPP, with an expansive portfolio spanning creative, media, data, health, experiential and technology services.
On the creative side, Omnicom's post-merger model consolidates around three global networks — BBDO, TBWA, and McCann. The fallout for legacy names was significant: DDB and MullenLowe were absorbed into the TBWA network. FCB, DDB, and MullenLowe ceased to exist as independent entities. In India, however, certain brands were preserved. Lintas was revived under the TBWA-Lintas identity. Ulka and Mudra were folded into the BBDO Group, with Josy Paul continuing as Chairman and CCO of BBDO India.
The job cuts
The restructuring came with a human cost. The newly combined group announced over 4,000 job cuts and the retirement of several legacy agency brands globally, with IPG alone shedding around 3,200 roles in the first nine months of 2025 as it prepared for the acquisition.
Client jitters
The merger has not been seamlessly received by clients. Industry executives describe significant uncertainty around reporting lines and decision-making. "Any merger where leadership spends more time managing internal reporting lines than solving client problems is bound to wobble," one senior executive told Storyboard18.
The concern is particularly acute for mid-sized Indian advertisers, who worry about being deprioritised in a system now optimised for global scale. As one industry consultant put it, the real pitch room question has shifted from tools and capabilities to something far more personal: who exactly will be working on my account?
The opportunity no one is saying out loud
The merger's biggest unintended consequence may be the opportunity it has created for independent agencies. As the mega-networks wrestle with integration, founder-led boutiques and agile independents are moving fast.
For Indian advertising, 2025 was not just the year of the biggest merger in history. It was also the year that the case for staying small became considerably more compelling.