The growing dispute between Publicis Groupe and WPP over the appointment of global advertising agencies has reopened a critical debate about how brands select agency partners, the relevance of competitive pitches and whether established relationships and demonstrated capabilities should take precedence over conventional procurement processes.

Beyond the rivalry between the two global advertising powerhouses, the disagreement raises important questions about agency accountability, the cost of pitching, technological investments and the ability of smaller independent agencies to compete in an increasingly demanding industry.

Against this backdrop, MARKETING EDGE has brought the conversation to Nigerian advertising professionals to examine the controversy and its implications for local brands, agencies and the future of the Nigerian advertising industry.

The disagreement followed two significant global media account movements involving PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company. First, PepsiCo awarded its consolidated global media account to Publicis Groupe without a formal pitch, ending Omnicom’s more than 25-year relationship with the beverage company across most global markets. Following the appointment, Publicis withdrew from the Coca-Cola media pitch.

Subsequently, on October 22, 2026, Coca-Cola announced its media agency arrangements, retaining WPP Open X as its global media partner outside North America, Japan and South Korea. Omnicom secured the North American media business, while Dentsu retained its existing responsibilities in Japan and South Korea, which were outside the review. WPP Open X also continued as Coca-Cola’s global creative partner, a responsibility not covered by the media review.

The developments triggered a public disagreement over the legitimacy of securing major accounts without conventional competitive pitches. WPP Chief Executive Officer Cindy Rose, speaking to investors on October 29, questioned the industry’s encouragement of clients to bypass proper due diligence.

However, Publicis responded through an open letter on November 5, rejecting the suggestion that its appointment resulted from a mere CEO handshake. The group argued that such a characterisation undermined clients’ intelligence, explaining that its capabilities had undergone months of scrutiny involving marketers, engineers, data architects and procurement professionals.

For Nigerian advertising professionals, the distinction between a pitchless appointment and an appointment without due diligence is central to understanding the controversy.

Angela Ukara-Makinwa, FNIMN, FRPA, Director, Client Engagement, Strategy and Creative at EXP Marketing Nigeria and Vice President of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), believes the debate offers an opportunity to examine how Nigerian brands select agencies and how agencies demonstrate their professional worth.

Speaking in an interview with MARKETING EDGE, Ukara-Makinwa acknowledged that relationships influence business decisions in Nigeria, just as they do elsewhere. Nevertheless, she maintained that relationships should complement demonstrated competence rather than replace it.

Using experiential marketing as an example, she explained that a brand could appoint an agency without a conventional pitch after examining its previous performance, verifying its ability to execute nationwide campaigns, agreeing on sales targets and conducting a paid pilot.

Such an arrangement, she argued, provides a credible basis for an appointment because the client has evaluated the agency’s capabilities and commercial value. Conversely, credibility suffers when personal connections determine appointments or when agencies participate in pitches after clients have effectively made their decisions.

Beyond relationships, the EXMAN VP  identified artificial intelligence, data and technology as increasingly important factors shaping agency competitiveness.

Although Nigerian agencies possess different levels of technological capacity, she believes they can compete by combining their understanding of local consumers, culture and trade channels with technology that improves campaign delivery and demonstrates commercial results.

In experiential marketing, for instance, she argued that agencies should move beyond reporting consumer reach to tracking the journey from product trial to purchase, identifying conversion gaps and adjusting campaigns while activations are still running.

Similarly, artificial intelligence can help agencies analyse field reports more quickly. However, clients must also be satisfied that the underlying data is reliable, properly managed and used to inform meaningful decisions.

On the traditional pitch process, the experiential marketing professional  questioned whether the system provides equal opportunities for agencies with different financial capacities.

She explained that when advertisers require several agencies to develop comprehensive strategies, creative concepts, production plans and cost estimates without compensation, financially stronger agencies enjoy an advantage because they can absorb the cost of unpaid work.

Although foreign affiliations may provide access to specialist expertise and technology, she identified the financial capacity to undertake extensive unpaid pitch assignments as another significant competitive advantage.

Rather than making financial strength the principal determinant of competition, she advocated shortlisting agencies based on relevant experience, the strength of their proposed solutions and the actual teams responsible for delivery.

Consequently, she called on the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) to bring advertisers, procurement professionals and agency associations together to establish clearer standards for competitive pitches and direct agency appointments.

For competitive pitches, she recommended that clients communicate their expectations, evaluation criteria, decision timelines, pitch-fee arrangements and ownership rights over submitted ideas. For direct appointments, advertisers should document their reasons for selecting an agency, how they assessed its capabilities and fees, and how they addressed potential conflicts of interest.

She also urged agencies to present credible case studies, identify the teams they intend to deploy and agree on measurable performance indicators before commencing assignments.

On pitch fees, her position was unequivocal: the industry must retain the practice and consistently pay agencies that participate in the pitch process.

CAPABILITY SHOULD DETERMINE ACCOUNT APPOINTMENTS

Offering another perspective, an industry professional who requested anonymity challenged the tendency to question the integrity of agencies that secure major accounts without formal pitches.

According to the professional, the more important question should not be which agency wins an account, but why the client considers that agency the right partner for the assignment.

He argued that major account appointments can follow substantial investments in integrated solutions, infrastructure and technological capabilities, even when clients do not subsequently organise conventional competitive pitches.

Pointing to the investments agencies have made in 360-degree solutions over the past two years, he noted that capabilities across media, data and influencer marketing have expanded considerably.

Therefore, an agency that secures an account without pitching may already have demonstrated its competence through credentials presentations, previous engagements and specialist solutions that convince the client of its suitability.

In his view, such appointments should not automatically attract criticism because clients have legitimate reasons to select agencies whose capabilities align with their business needs.

He also highlighted the growing importance of specialised influencer marketing solutions, explaining that agencies are consolidating acquired capabilities to provide end-to-end services covering influencer identification, selection, engagement, management and performance measurement.

Through integrated platforms, he noted, agencies can offer brands greater transparency and visibility into influencer activities while helping them assess campaign returns.

More importantly, he advised agencies to move beyond generic presentations of their capabilities and concentrate on solving specific problems confronting clients.

For brands, he recommended adopting multiple evaluation criteria when selecting agency partners rather than relying exclusively on conventional pitches. Conversely, agencies must demonstrate how their tools, expertise and solutions address actual business challenges.

Using influencer marketing as an example, he explained that an agency capable of improving influencer selection, campaign management and return-on-investment measurement could distinguish itself by presenting a solution that directly addresses brands’ concerns.

Once an agency demonstrates its ability to solve a particular problem, it can earn the client’s confidence and potentially expand the relationship into other service areas.

SMALL AGENCIES MUST PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS

The debate also raises concerns about the opportunities available to emerging agencies if brands increasingly favour established relationships, technological investments and extensive capabilities over open competitive pitches.

Addressing this concern, the anonymous professional acknowledged that smaller agencies may struggle if they attempt to compete with larger networks across every service area.

However, he maintained that their best opportunity lies in identifying their strengths and developing specialised solutions rather than attempting to match bigger agencies capability for capability.

For instance, an emerging agency with strong digital content production and community management capabilities could demonstrate how efficiently and consistently it can deliver those services at scale.

He further observed that brands increasingly work with different agencies for different purposes, creating opportunities for specialist firms to secure assignments based on their individual strengths.

Accordingly,  he  suggestedthat smaller agencies should identify emerging market opportunities, understand specific client needs and develop solutions that demonstrate their ability to deliver.