The 10 Most Significant Agency Account Changes in 2023

For most marketers and advertisers, 2023 was a strangely challenging year. Advertising spend continued to decelerate, and even decline, in some depressed categories like linear TV. Spooked, and fearful of marketers tightening their purse strings yet again, a lot of agencies resorted to layoffs. Meanwhile, several accounts went into review. It's been a tragic year for WPP's GroupM in the U.S., characterized by large losses like Kimberly-Clark, General Mills, Uber and Shell, despite the group's success winning business abroad. It was also another tough year for Horizon Media, which lost Geico in 2023 after losing its Burger King account worth $229 million in 2022. It wasn't bad for all agencies. Several rose above their competitors this year as reviews wrapped and accounts worth hundreds of millions of dollars changed hands. Holding company results are a mixed bag, and Publicis Groupe is now leading in revenue growth on the year relative to its competitors. Several large accounts—T-Mobile and Amazon—are still in the midst of their agency reviews. Those outcomes have potential to tip the scales in another agency's favor in the new year. Agencies' technological prowess, plus their data and integration abilities, decided many outcomes. This is because generative artificial intelligence captivated the professional world this year, and marketers wondered how it could make their strategies better, faster or cheaper to implement. Instead of regarding AI as a threat to their business models, most agencies leaned into advisory roles and positioned themselves as technology experts equipped to advise clients on these widespread changes. This is no surprise, given that clients expect agencies to have a handle on everything from data privacy and government regulation to pop-culture influencers and TikTok trends. To end the year's new business coverage, we compiled the 10 most interesting account wins of 2023: Verizon Previous agency: IPG's McCannNew agency: OgilvySize of account: In 2022, Verizon spent $3.6 billion on marketing, according to public financial documents.Why it's significant: Former Verizon chief marketing officer Diego Scotti hired McCann in 2015, but roster dynamics changed after Scotti left the company earlier this year. Ogilvy previously worked with Verizon on the Verizon Business account, impressing leaders enough that they awarded it the consumer account without ever initiating a formal review. In a staff memo obtained by Adweek, McCann global CEO Daryl Lee wrote, “Over the past year, it has become a client of creative jump balls, making it extremely hard for McCann to do what we do best, which is to create enduring brand platforms that support everything a brand says and does consistently.” After Winning Verizon Business, Ogilvy Snags Telecom’s Consumer Account Uber Previous agency: GroupM's MediaCom (now EssenceMediacom)New agency: Omnicom Media GroupSize of account: In May, Adweek obtained a copy of Uber's request for information document, which listed the account size at $600 million. Why it's significant: Uber consolidated most of its global business with OMG, which now oversees media in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America for the ride-share company. The result is curious, given how Uber approached the review. It allowed each of its regional marketing leads to select the agency they preferred. “Therefore, you are not guaranteed the entire Uber business,” the RFI read. This means that the review will be expansive, and holding companies could present different agencies for consideration, depending on the markets. Uber Launches Global Media Agency Review for $600 Million Account Geico Previous agency: Horizon MediaNew agency: IPG MediabrandsSize of account: Geico spent $1.38 billion last year on measured media, according to COMvergence. Of that, $827 million went to offline spend, including TV, and $553 million went to digital investments. Why it's significant: Until this year, Geico maintained a 29-year relationship with the largest independent media agency in the U.S. market, Horizon Media. It's unclear what prompted Geico to initiate a review, but it did recently add a new CMO and execute a round of layoffs in its marketing department. With this change, Geico consolidated most of its marketing spend with IPG, since it was already partnered with IPG creative shop The Martin Agency. The Geico pitch was one of few led by IPG Mediabrands—the subsidiary group that includes media agencies Initiative, UM and Mediahub. IPG Mediabrands Wins Geico’s $1.4 Billion Media Review Kimberly-Clark Previous agency: GroupM's MindshareNew agency: Publicis MediaSize of account: $901 million, according to public financial documents. Why it's significant: It was another significant win for Publicis Media, and one of several large accounts that severed ties this year with a GroupM agency. It's a defining example of both Publicis Media's banner year in new business and GroupM's struggles with retaining key accounts. Ikea Previous agency: Several. It's launched partnerships with Ogilvy, David Madrid, Ingo, BBH Singapore, Åkestam Holst and Mother London. New agency: McCannSize of account: Projected 2023 global spend for Ikea is $710 million, of which digital accounts for 50%, according to COMvergence.Why it's significant: Before the review, McCann had worked with Ikea on a project basis alongside several global agencies. The outcome makes it Ikea's first official global brand marketing partner, led by McCann Spain, in Madrid. Despite the global relationship Ikea inked with McCann, the brand said it would maintain regional relationships with its previous agencies, like Ogilvy and Mother London. Ikea Chooses McCann as First Global Brand Marketing Partner Shell Previous agency: GroupMNew agency: Havas MediaSize of account: Shell spent roughly $240 million on measured media in 2022, according to COMvergence.Why it's significant: Groups like Extinction Rebellion and Clean Creatives protested this divisive review. Most of the media agencies that participated in the Shell review, either because of their nondisclosure agreements or to avoid industry criticism, wouldn't even admit that they were involved in pitching. The industry's reaction to this pitch showed that fossil fuel accounts are becoming increasingly toxic for agencies, as studies have shown that the next generation of creatives have little desire to work on fossil fuel brands.Havas Media's win was a financial bright spot for the company, but it is a hit to the network's sustainability work. Two agencies in the creative network—Havas New York and Havas London—are registered B Corps. Havas Wins Shell Media Account Following Review—and Climate Protests Intuit QuickBooks and TurboTax Previous agency: QuickBooks previously worked with TBWA\Chiat\Day and Wieden+Kennedy in the U.K, while TurboTax previously worked with Wieden+Kennedy.New agency: QuickBooks hired FCB NY, and TurboTax added R/GA.Size of account: QuickBooks spent $175 million in global advertising last year, according to COMvergence. $52 million of that went to digital. TurboTax spent $239 million on measured media in 2022, with $85 million of that being spent on digital media.Why it's significant: Intuit gave marketing leaders at each brand the freedom to the run their reviews how they liked. For TurboTax, that meant hiring MediaLink to run the pitch, while QuickBooks opted to run it in-house. With this review, QuickBooks dismantled its creative agency roster and consolidated its business with FCB NY. The agency is working on a global platform that will help QuickBooks rebrand itself to consumers unfamiliar with its vast product library. R/GA's first work has yet to debut for TurboTax. Inside FCB New York’s Win as New Global Creative Partner for QuickBooks Dunkin' Previous agency: AnomalyNew agency: Leo BurnettSize of account: Dunkin’ spent $162 million on measured media from July 2021 through June 2022, according to COMvergence. Of that spend, it devoted $94 million to traditional buys and $68 million to digital.Why it's significant: This review wrapped up at the beginning of the year after (you guessed it) a leadership change. The brand promoted Jill McVicar Nelson to the CMO role in September 2022. Nelson's goal is to increase brand resonance with younger consumers, and she's known for scaling the brand's TikTok strategy. Dunkin' worked with Anomaly for only two years before it severed ties, and Leo Burnett had been a runner-up in the 2021 review process. Before news of the review outcome broke, Anomaly laid off 8% of its staff, admitting that budget cuts on the Dunkin’ account contributed to those layoffs. “We see less traditional client revenue, including a significant reduction on Dunkin’, and more ‘forward-facing’ talent needs, including those from innovation, digital transformation, Web3 and media backgrounds," Carl Johnson, founding partner and executive chairman, told Adweek in a statement. Dunkin’ Names Leo Burnett Its Lead Creative Agency Papa Johns Previous agency: Camp + King and HavasNew agency: IPG's The Martin Agency and Dentsu Media's CaratSize of account: The brand spent an estimated $255 million on measured media in 2023, according to COMvergence.Why it's significant: Earlier this year, the pizza brand named former MOD Pizza CMO Mark Shambura as its new marketing leader. Shambura liked that The Martin Agency pitched a consumer-centric strategy, and that Carat showcased its Merkury audience targeting platform, underscoring how agencies' technology and data tools, and how in touch they are with consumer attitudes, are still swaying outcomes. Inside the Pitch: Why Papa Johns Named The Martin Agency Its Creative Agency of Record Pfizer Previous agency: Incumbents included agencies from Dentsu, WPP, IPG and OmnicomNew agency: Publicis Groupe and IPGSize of account: Pfizer spent $2.8 billion on worldwide advertising in 2022, according to public financial documents. Why it's significant: This was one of the year's biggest advertising consolidation outcomes, affecting multiple agencies and holding companies on a global level. Pfizer wrapped up its review in just three months, handing creative to IPG and media to Publicis. It represents a massive win for FCB Health, which has been a driving force of FCB's overall strong growth over the past two years. 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