DEPT® vs Publicis Groupe

DEPT® named media & SEO partner for American Family Care

DEPT® has added new insights and news, including being named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global Digital Marketing Agencies and expanding Google Marketing Platform capabilities to the US.

L'Oréal's Baryshkov: Start with the decision, not dashboard

Kirill Baryshkov, Global Media and Measurement Manager for L'Oréal's Consumer Products Division, argues that media teams should focus on decision-making rather than dashboard metrics. He leads media effectiveness across 38 markets representing over 60% of global ad spend. Baryshkov emphasizes that many metrics fail to show incremental value, and he advocates for a combination of methods, including marketing mix modeling, rather than a single master metric. He cautions against over-reliance on platform-reported outcomes and last-click attribution. While AI helps in pattern detection and forecasting, human judgment remains crucial for defining business questions and trade-offs. He also reframes the brand vs. performance budget debate, noting both serve different purposes and time horizons. For 2026, he prioritizes building measurement capability and a connected view of spend and results to enable faster, better decisions.

• L'Oréal's global media and measurement manager Kirill Baryshkov advocates for decision-first approach over dashboard metrics.
• Baryshkov leads media effectiveness across 38 markets representing over 60% of global advertising investment.
• He criticizes platform metrics and last-click attribution for overstating incremental value.

Coca-Cola CMO Reveals Criteria for Next Agency Partner

Coca-Cola's Chief Marketing and Customer Commercial Officer, Manolo Arroyo, outlined his agency selection criteria at ADWEEK's Brandweek conference. With the beverage giant's $4 billion global media, data, and tech account in review, Arroyo emphasized the need for deeper integration with creators/influencers, retail media, and strong capabilities in tying investment to sales. He noted the importance of shifting metrics from brand love to actions and consumption. Incumbent WPP is favored to retain the business, with Publicis Groupe withdrawing to focus on PepsiCo's account. The remarks signal a strategic focus on performance-driven marketing and commerce integration in the next agency partnership.

• Coca-Cola's global media, data, and tech account worth $4 billion is in review.
• Coca-Cola CMO Manolo Arroyo said at Brandweek he prioritizes creator/influencer integration, retail media, and sales attribution in agency partners.
• WPP is the incumbent and favored to win the global account; Publicis Groupe withdrew from the pitch.

Axa and Publicis Sapient Partner to Build Global AI Hub

Axa, the French insurance group, has entered a strategic partnership with Publicis Sapient, a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, to accelerate its enterprise-wide AI transformation. The collaboration focuses on advancing Axa's Global AI Hub, which provides a vendor-neutral infrastructure for implementing, managing, and operating AI capabilities across the group. The first version of the hub was deployed in July and is now used by five Axa entities: Germany, France, Switzerland, the UK, and Axa XL. Use cases include automating car damage claims, handling customer emails, and enterprise knowledge management. The hub aims to ensure governance, FinOps, SafetyOps, security, compliance, and human oversight throughout the AI lifecycle. Both companies are headquartered in France, and Axa has previously worked with Publicis Groupe's agencies for advertising campaigns.

• Axa and Publicis Sapient have formed a strategic partnership to develop a Global AI Hub.
• The Global AI Hub was first deployed in July 2026 and is now used by five Axa entities.
• The hub provides a vendor-neutral infrastructure for scaling AI agents across Axa's operations.