Executive Summary
Like everyone else in the advertising industry who was watching the Super Bowl, you were probably wondering: Who will win the USA Today Ad Meter?
We all did. February is always about the Super Bowl and its remarkable display of advertising brilliance. Per Fox, Super Bowl LIX set a viewership record with an average of 127.7 million, peaking at 137.7 million during the second quarter. It was the most-viewed Big Game ever. The Super Bowl also reported a record in streaming numbers with 14.5 million viewers. Fox sold 30-second ads for $8+ million (a record) and generated $700 million in ad sales (another record).
As for the rest of 2025, AI advancements, agency restructuring, and evolving consumer trends are shaping the marketing landscape. AI investment is surging, with major tech firms committing $215 billion and agencies integrating AI for creative testing, analytics, and ad performance prediction. Holding companies, such as WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, and Dentsu, are driving M&A activity, with the Omnicom-IPG merger expected to generate $750 million in cost savings (a standard FTC antitrust review is underway). Amazon’s ad revenue soared to a $69 billion run rate, and Netflix’s ad revenue is projected to double to $4 billion in 2025. Publicis and Omnicom reported solid organic growth, as did Stagwell, while others faced revenue declines or announced restructuring.
As agencies adapt to AI-driven strategies and shifting consumer behaviors, the industry continues to undergo major transformations.
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Newsworthy Reports and Recent Developments
At AMS, we approach the agency management discipline as four distinct but complementary practice areas – Talent, Work and Performance, Financials, and Agency Reviews and Roster Changes – which is how we categorize the following developments.
Table of Contents
Talent……………. page 2
Work and Performance………………… page 8
Financials…………………………. page 11
Agency Reviews and Roster Changes……………… page 18
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Disclaimer: Our bimonthly Industry Updates provide a summary and analysis of noteworthy client-agency developments gathered from recent trade-related publications and news media. The information presented is based on publicly available sources and should not be considered exhaustive.
