New York, USA – Omnicom has unveiled the Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG), a new global entity that consolidates top creative networks BBDO, DDB, and TBWA with premier agencies from the Advertising Collective, including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, GSD&M, Merkley & Partners, and Zimmerman.
In an official announcement, Omnicom stated that uniting these agency brands under a single leadership will better meet clients’ demands for unprecedented creative solutions.
Under OAG, each agency will retain its distinct brand, culture, and team while benefiting from OAG’s collective investments in cutting-edge tools, technologies, specialist capabilities, and AI platforms. This framework aims to boost the agencies’ capacity for delivering world-class creativity, accelerate growth, and create expanded opportunities for the personal and professional development of their talent.
With the launch of OAG, Omnicom has also appointed TBWA CEO Troy Ruhanen as global CEO. Ruhanen will head the new global organisation alongside Deepthi Prakash, who has been named chief operating officer, and Denis Streiff, who takes on the role of global CFO.
Speaking on the launch, Ruhanen said, “OAG will make the best even better. One of the most exciting parts of this new division is that we can collectively invest in innovative offerings, such as Omnicom’s recent first-mover partnerships in GenAI.”
“This will take our world-class creativity to the next level and keep our clients at the top of their industries. While we are excited to grow together, we will continue to celebrate and protect the uniqueness of each agency’s culture and entrepreneurship,” he continued.
Within the agency networks, Nancy Reyes will serve as global CEO of BBDO, Alex Lubar will lead DDB as global CEO, Erin Riley will advance to CEO of TBWA\Worldwide from her previous role as CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day US, and James Fenton will remain the CEO of the Advertising Collective.
The leaders of the agency networks within OAG will report to Ruhanen.
Omnicom clarified that existing clients will continue to be serviced by their current agencies and teams, now benefiting from the enhanced capabilities of the expanded group. These changes will be implemented on January 1, 2025.
John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom, said, “Clients want best-in-class talent, innovation, and seamless delivery of creative services around the globe. OAG will deliver on that promise while allowing our agency cultures to remain strong and evolve through shared investments and best practices. With Troy at the helm of this new division, I’m confident our creative agencies and all our incredibly talented minds will continue to set the bar for the industry.”
OAG is the latest addition to Omnicom’s portfolio, which also includes Omnicom Media Group (OMG), Omnicom Health Group (OHG), Omnicom Precision Marketing Group (OPMG), and Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG). The organisation has been strategically aligning its agencies into specialised marketing disciplines to deepen service offerings and foster greater collaboration across the group.