Media Buying Briefing: How are the 2nd tier holdcos separating themselves from the Big Three?
Just under Publics, Omnicom and WPP, the scrum among a handful of holdcos and indies to stand out yields some interesting moves.
The second tier of major agencies, which includes Dentsu, Havas, Horizon, Stagwell, and others, is differentiating itself from the Big Three (Publicis, Omnicom, and WPP) in various ways. These agencies are focusing on their culture, DNA, people, and service to stand out in the market. However, they face pressures to evolve or risk elimination.
Dentsu, in particular, is working on improving its positioning and differentiation. The company unveiled a new tagline for its Carat brand, "Difference Engineered," which aims to set it apart from other holdcos. Despite a failed M&A effort in the past, Dentsu is still considered a stronger player compared to other agencies. Its strengths include being particularly strong in search, technology, innovation, and partnerships on a global basis, particularly in the media and content side of the business.
Other agencies in the second tier, such as Stagwell, are also taking steps to consolidate their media-side assets and tech offerings. Stagwell's recent move to consolidate media-side assets into Stagwell Media, as well as Slavi Samardzija's leadership in positioning the company around AI and technology, reflect their efforts to differentiate themselves from the Big Three.
However, it remains to be seen if these agencies can consistently articulate what makes them different and provide marketers with a compelling reason to choose them.
Written by urgent.news from Digiday's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
