Pepsi Spikes Coke's Global Media Review with Surprise Publicis Win

Coca-Cola's global media review has been shaken up after Publicis Groupe won PepsiCo's $1.7 billion account without a traditional pitch, leaving Madison Avenue stunned.

The move is seen as a masterstroke by Arthur Sadoun's company, which previously clinched Microsoft's media business in April without a formal pitch.

Pepsi's marketing team seized the opportunity to strike before Coca-Cola confirmed its global media review in June, and Publicis has withdrawn from Coke's global pitch, set to resign the North America account worth $805 million.

The complexity involved in such reviews makes industry insiders surprised that Publicis' move came as the Coke review was well underway.