Omnicom's new world has no place for advertising's old gods

When Omnicom announced its takeover of Interpublic Group (IPG) a year ago, some collateral damage was inevitable. The deal was meant to create the world’s largest holding company by revenue and give Omnicom the clout to counter the shift of marketing budgets to Amazon, Meta and Alphabet.

That clout has come at a cost. The enlarged Omnicom has now retired DDB, FCB and MullenLowe—three agencies that helped define modern commercial creativity. Their disappearance marks the end of an era.

Creative advertising has faced several such endings in recent years, with consolidation the industry’s reflex response to shrinking budgets and mounting pressure from platforms. Last year, Publicis Groupe folded Publicis Worldwide into Leo Burnett to create Leo. WPP did much the same earlier when it combined Wunderman Thompson with VMLY&R into VML.

“These mergers are not new,” says Arvind Krishnan, co-founder of independent creative agency Manja and former MD of Publicis-owned BBH India. When large networks fold several storied brands into one, he argues, the industry inevitably loses the texture that distinct agency cultures create. “Creative energy has always thrived on those differences.”

The loss, he says, is especially acute in the case of DDB. “DDB helped invent modern advertising as we know it,” he adds. If the network has chosen to retire such a name globally, it is safe to assume the decision was exhaustively weighed. “In terms of cultural impact, DDB sits at the very top.”

In India, the sense of loss is sharper because the consolidation also retires the Mudra name. Founded in 1980 as Mudra Communications, an offshoot of Reliance Industries’ advertising department, it became part of Omnicom in 2011, which merged it with DDB Worldwide to create the DDB Mudra Group. Mudra also established the Mudra Institute of Communications, now one of the country’s leading advertising schools.

Read: Merged into oblivion; the demise of J. Walter Thompson sends Indian ad land into a new age

Speaking personally, Sandeep Vij, co-founder of afaqs!, and former CEO of DDB India and DDB Mudra Group's chief knowledge officer and executive director, says the merger leaves him with a profound sense of loss. “Over the decades I’ve seen Mudra, Ulka, Lintas, Anthem, TSA and many others absorbed by global networks. And now, watching DDB, FCB and MullenLowe head the same way doesn’t feel great.”

“Yes, the merger may be logical—even smart—for growth and clients. But emotionally, it’s hard to celebrate. Nostalgia isn’t a business metric, but it matters,” he adds.

While Vij dwells on the personal and cultural loss, others who have experienced similar industry upheavals emphasise the practical realities of consolidation.

For former DDB Mudra creative head Pallavi Chakravarti, the reasoning is clear: hard-nosed financial considerations drive such decisions. Now the founder and chief creative of ad agency Fundamental, she argues that while it is tempting to romanticise the past, the unstable present demands attention.

“What affects one system affects our entire ecosystem. Clearly, our industry is in choppy waters right now,” she says. “I’d rather we looked back fondly on the good times and spent our energy on steadying the ship, helping those affected, and maybe, just maybe, giving advertising a good name again.”

Chakravarti’s pragmatism points to a broader trend. Even as top networks consolidate, industry veterans see openings for smaller, independent agencies to experiment, innovate, and respond more nimbly to client needs.

Krishnan adds historical and strategic perspective. “The Mudras, the Ulkas, the Chaitras—each of them pushed a particular kind of thinking forward,” he says. But he cautions that this is not an obituary for creativity.

“Every consolidation at the top creates opportunity at the edges. Clients who value agility, instinct and cultural connectedness will increasingly look to independents. This is not about being anti-network. It is about matching the right kind of ambition with the right kind of passion, and I believe that is what will start happening.”

Even as consolidation reshapes the industry and independents find new opportunities, the emotional resonance of legacy agencies lingers for those who helped build them. As Vij reflects, the story of Mudra is far from over.

“What I do wish is that the Mudra brand someday finds its way back, grows again as a strong Indian agency—and if, in the years to come, it can occasionally jab and prick Omnicom… well, wouldn’t that be lovely?”