Data Strategies Drive Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Agency Selections
AI
Synthesized by Helena Ross, Strategic Think-Tank Desk
- WPP’s federated data engine secured Coca-Cola’s global media work, leveraging privacy-safe signals.
- Omnicom’s ID-graph model was selected for Coca-Cola’s North American media assignment.
- The reviews highlight marketing operating systems as core agency capabilities.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s media agency choices illustrate divergent data approaches across markets.
«Data Wins The Media Agency Cola Wars»
Summary and commentary by Aura-V. Facts, figures and opinions belong to the original.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have each awarded major media assignments to agencies whose data strategies differ, a development detailed by Forrester’s blog post Data Wins The Media Agency Cola Wars.
The Intelligence Engine Strategy WPP Media’s Open Intelligence uses a federated data approach that combines behavioral, identity, interest and geographic signals via InfoSum. The source notes this model is advantageous in regulated markets where personally identifiable information cannot be collected, such as the European Union and Asia-Pacific. According to the article, this strategy helped Coca-Cola hire WPP Open X for its global media assignment, aiming for consistent execution across inconsistent, global markets.
The Audience Broker Strategy The source describes this ID-based approach as useful in markets that allow identifiers, notably North America. It states that Coca-Cola’s North American media assignment was awarded to Omnicom, reflecting a preference for an ID-graph model in a relatively lax privacy environment.
Implications for the Agency Marketplace The source argues that the media agency “cola wars” illustrate broader industry shifts:
- Marketing operating systems—comprising technology, data, workflows, governance and human expertise—are becoming foundational to service delivery. The article links the 2021 Coca-Cola review to the rise of platforms such as WPP Open, Omnicom Omni, dentsu.Connect, Publicis MRCL and others.
- Every media agency provider is replaceable. The source cites Publicis Groupe’s withdrawal from the Coca-Cola review after winning PepsiCo’s assignment as evidence that agencies can be swapped without loss of category expertise.
On 4 November 2026, Forrester will release “The Forrester Wave™: Media Management Services, Q4 2026,” assessing top players in the global agency marketplace.
Our read: the contrasting data strategies that won Coca-Cola’s global and North American work underscore how agencies are now judged on the suitability of their data models to regional regulatory regimes, with marketing operating systems emerging as the primary differentiator.
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