Performance Media & AdTech Consultancies · Agency & Consultancy
PHD
Media agency delivering planning, buying, analytics and commerce strategy.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- PHD Media Worldwide
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 1990
- Headquarters
- Bankside 3, 90-100 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SW, UK
- Company size
- >5,000
- Market cluster / sector
- Performance Media & AdTech Consultancies
- Market role
- Agency & Consultancy
- Official website
- phdmedia.com
What PHD does
PHD operates an agency and consultancy model centred on planning, buying and optimisation of media for brands. It creates value by combining strategic advisory work, operational campaign delivery, audience and analytics capabilities, and access to scaled buying power and shared data infrastructure from its parent network. The business is service-led, with proprietary workflow tools supporting client delivery rather than standing out as a broad standalone software vendor.
Category differentiation
PHD is a media agency brand, not an academic degree. It is primarily a managed services agency within a holding-company network, not a standalone DSP or standalone SaaS platform vendor.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
PHD is a media agency network headquartered in the United Kingdom and operating within Omnicom Media Group. It provides media strategy, investment planning, implementation planning, audience management, analytics, commerce strategy, programmatic and direct media buying, and ad operations for advertiser clients. It also uses proprietary planning workflow software, including Omni Studio, within the wider Omnicom Omni ecosystem. The company makes money primarily through managed services for enterprise advertisers, including retainers, project fees, and media-buying related fees or margins. Its customers are brand marketers and marketing leadership teams that need outsourced media planning, execution, measurement and commerce-oriented growth support across channels such as web, social, search and commerce media.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
PHD has appointed Sandra Sotelo as its new EMEA CEO, succeeding Susanne Grundmann, following its ranking as the number one global network for total and net new business in COMvergence's H1 2026 Barometer. Building on its ongoing portfolio momentum, the agency recently managed media planning for OpenAI's German ChatGPT voice campaign. Furthermore, PHD continues to explore emerging consumer behaviours through thought-leadership initiatives on agentic AI in partnership with WARC.
Business model & monetisation
PHD monetises through a mix of agency retainers, project-based consulting fees, and media execution revenue linked to planning, negotiation, buying and bid management. It also captures fees or mark-ups associated with media spend managed on behalf of clients, with additional revenue from analytics, audience services, ad operations and commerce strategy engagements. Its proprietary planning platform supports service delivery and client stickiness, but the dominant commercial model remains managed agency services rather than pure SaaS licensing.
- Media strategy, planning and consulting
- Service Fee
- Media buying, negotiation and bid management
- Media Arbitrage
- Ad operations and implementation support
- Service Fee
- Analytics, audience and commerce services
- Service Fee
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
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German media agency providing planning, buying, commerce and ad operations.
Global media agency network for planning, buying, commerce and analytics.
Global media agency for planning, buying, analytics and commerce.
German media agency for planning, buying and analytics.
Global media agency offering planning, buying, analytics and AI-enabled consulting.
Side-by-side comparisons
Featured market maps
Comprehensive market landscape of media agencies in Germany (2026), mapping the global agency holding groups (WPP, Omnicom Media Group, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu, Havas) alongside leading owner-managed independent agencies (Serviceplan/Mediaplus, pilot, Crossmedia, PIA Media, JOM Group, TRG).
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
PHD names Sandra Sotelo EMEA CEO
Hiring · Recorded impact score: 3/5
Omnicom Media Group has appointed Sandra Sotelo as CEO of its media network PHD for the EMEA region, effective mid-November. She will be based in London and report to Christian Flouch, Global Brand President at PHD, and Blake Cuthbert, Chief Client Success Officer at Omnicom Media EMEA. Sotelo previously served as Managing Director of PHD Spain for six years, where she drove sustainable growth and established cross-border hubs for global clients. She succeeds Susanne Grundmann, who was recently promoted to Global President of Omnicom's Initiative network. PHD has been experiencing a dynamic phase, winning major accounts such as Adidas, Dyson, and SkyShowtime, making it the number one network in new business globally and in EMEA, according to COMvergence. Sotelo will lead a team of over 3,600 employees across the region.
- Sandra Sotelo wird CEO von PHD EMEA, Start Mitte November 2026.
- Sotelo folgt auf Susanne Grundmann, die Global President bei Omnicoms Initiative wurde.
How Brands Can Leverage Sports Fandom Year-Round: Roku and PHD Insights
CTV/OTT Advertising, Sports Sponsorship, Brand Strategy · Recorded impact score: 2/5
During an ADWEEK House fireside chat, Roku's Jake Piasecki and PHD's Ashley Arena discussed how brands can leverage sports fandom beyond game days to build loyalty and reach niche audiences. Arena highlighted opportunities for smaller advertisers to engage deeply through podcasts, player content, and pregame coverage, offering more value than limited sports schedules. Burger King, a PHD client, sponsors Roku's college football zone, tapping into fan rituals before kickoff. The conversation emphasized authentic brand partnerships, using data from Omnicom to build consumer profiles, and shifting focus toward long-term customer retention over immediate conversions. Future opportunities include the 2027 Women's World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics to engage new fan communities.
- Jake Piasecki is co-head of enterprise ad sales at Roku.
- Ashley Arena is head of investment at media agency PHD.
PHD’s Leaders and Campaigns Honored at the 2026 M&M Global Awards
Recorded impact score: 2/5
PHD Media secured multiple accolades at the 2026 M&M Global Awards, honoring both executive leadership and regional campaigns. PHD UK CEO Paul Knight was named Media Agency Leader, while Group Innovation Director Ben Fraser was awarded Future Media Leader. Additionally, the network secured three campaign trophies and three Highly Commended recognitions across Spain, Germany, the UK, and the US.
- Paul Knight, CEO of PHD UK, was named Media Agency Leader at the 2026 M&M Global Awards.
- Ben Fraser, Group Innovation Director at PHD EMEA, was awarded Future Media Leader.
PHD Dominates in COMvergence’s New Business H1 Barometer
Recorded impact score: 3.5/5
PHD ranked #1 globally for both total and net new business in H1 2026, according to COMvergence's Global Media Agency New Business Barometer. Parent group Omnicom Media was awarded $3.3 billion in new billings, with total new business of $3.15 billion, placing it in a photo finish for the top slot among global media groups. Three Omnicom Media agencies—PHD, Hearts United, and OMD—held three of the top five spots on the global total new business ranking.
- PHD ranked #1 globally for both total and net new business in H1 2026 per COMvergence's Global Media Agency New Business Barometer.
- Omnicom Media was awarded $3.3 billion in new billings in the first half of 2026.
Bose Media Head: Attention Is Proxy, Not Result
Measurement · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Kelly McArdle, Global Head of Media at Bose, argues that attention metrics are a proxy for, not a measure of, business outcomes. She criticizes ROAS for rewarding channels closest to conversion while ignoring demand creation. Her approach includes evaluating reach, attention, memory, incrementality, and contribution together. She defends long-term brand investment against short-term performance pressure, referencing Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and 'The Long and the Short of It'. McArdle also discusses AI's role in accelerating media decision-making and AI discoverability's growing importance. She identifies range, curiosity, and judgment as essential traits for future media leaders. The piece is an interview published ahead of the Drum Awards Festival.
- Kelly McArdle is Global Head of Media at Bose.
- She previously spent nearly a decade at PHD Media.
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Questions about PHD
What is PHD?
PHD is a media agency network within Omnicom Media Group that provides media planning, buying, analytics, audience and commerce services for brands.
Who uses PHD?
PHD is used by enterprise advertisers, brand marketers, media leaders and retailer-facing marketing teams that need outsourced media strategy and execution.
How does PHD make money?
PHD earns revenue through agency retainers, project fees, and media-buying related fees or margins tied to planning, negotiation, activation and optimisation services.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
16 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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