Omnicom is set to lay off more than 4,000 employees following its $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group. The advertising giant will also shut down three well-known advertising agency brands — with FCB, DDB and MullenLowe set for integration into its own TBWA agency. The acquisition of Interpublic Group was first announced in December 2024 and created the world’s largest advertising holding company by revenue.
According to a Reuters report, more than 4000 jobs will be cut as part of the IPG integration. The layoffs will mainly affect administrative roles plus some leadership positions. Roughly 85% of the roles will be client-focused after the cuts while 15% will be administrative. A statement from the company indicated that the financial benefits would surpass $750 million in annual cost savings initially projected to investors.
Acquisition of Interpublic Group
The high-stakes acquisition of Interpublic Group was concluded in November and aims to regain momentum in a shifting landscape — contending with fierce competition from French ad giant Publicis and WPP in UK. The deal merges Omnicom — the world’s third-largest ad buyer — with the fourth-largest to create what is now the largest advertising agency on record. Traditional players have found themselves increasingly competing with Big Tech firms amid the rapidly accelerating use of AI.
Ommicom received regulatory clearance from the Competition Commission of India in June with a similar nod from the Australian ACCC coming in the next month. The EU commission gave its unconditional approval to the deal in late November — clearing the last of legal hurdles.
Continued reduction of workforce
Both companies have laid off thousands of workers over the past two years — even before the latest blow to employees. A regulatory filing cited by Reuters indicated that Interpublic Group had already laid off about 3,200 employees in the first nine months of 2025. Meanwhile Omnicom reduced its staff by 3,000 to about 75,000 during a previous year.
