WPP to Retain Global Media Business for Coca-Cola Amid North America Review

Coca-Cola is reviewing its international media arrangements and has reportedly retained WPP's global media business after their latest review. The decision comes as Coca-Cola reviews its global marketing needs, and North America will be handled through a separate pitch.

The partnership between WPP and Coca-Cola began in 2021 when WPP was appointed as the Global Marketing Network Partner, covering over 200 countries and territories. This arrangement brought together creative, media, data, and marketing technology services under one umbrella. Dentsu was appointed as a complementary media partner in selected markets, while Publicis Groupe remained part of Coca-Cola's broader agency roster.

However, the competitive landscape changed when Publicis won Coca-Cola's media business in the US and Canada from WPP in 2025. This took away a major market from WPP's remit under Open X. As a result, Coca-Cola launched another global review to cover media, data science, and technology across several international markets.

The scale of Coca-Cola's advertising operations remains substantial, with the company reporting advertising expenses of $5.4 billion in 2025, compared to $5.1 billion the previous year. This represents Coca-Cola's overall advertising expenditure, not the value of its contract with WPP.