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Last week, several major holding companies reported quarterly earnings, providing a sense of how the industry is faring during a year of economic uncertainty.
During Q3, Omnicom and Havas clocked 3.3% and 4.5% organic revenue growth, respectively, while IPG reported a 0.4% loss.
Omnicom: The holding company, which owns agencies including BBDO and Omnicom Media Group, earned nearly $3.6 billion in revenue during the quarter. It saw a 9.2% YoY increase in its experiential advertising category. Meanwhile, its advertising and media vertical grew 6.1%, while its precision marketing business experienced a 4.3% bump year over year. Organic revenue in its Latin American market grew almost 20% year over year, while US revenue increased 2.7%. The company confirmed its expectation of 3.5% to 5% full-year organic growth.
IPG: The owner of agencies including FCB and R/GA brought in $2.7 billion in Q3. The holding company saw a 5% drop in organic net revenue in the Asia Pacific region and a 1.2% dip in the US, though other markets experienced growth. In an earnings release, CEO Philippe Krakowsky said “decreases in client activity in the tech and telecom client sector,” as well as “slower-than-anticipated onboarding of some new business,” hampered growth. However, Krakowsky said he expects roughly 1% organic growth in Q4.
Havas: The holding company—which recently named new co-CEOs at its New York office—saw organic growth across Latin America, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, earning ~$698 million in net revenue. It also bought a majority stake in UK shop Uncommon, and acquired Australian PR firm APA and Portuguese firm CV&A. Additionally, it struck a retail media partnership with e-commerce firm Mirakl during the quarter.
Looking back: IPG also clocked losses last quarter, reporting a 1.7% organic revenue decrease. On the other hand, Omnicom and Havas grew 3.4% and 6.3% in Q2, respectively. Publicis reported strong earnings earlier this month at 5.3% organic revenue growth, sustaining growth from Q2.
Wins and losses: Omnicom and Havas both scored some major wins in Q3. Uber tapped Omnicom Media Group to lead its $600 million ad-buying account. It also successfully defended the HSBC media planning and buying account. Drinkware brand Stanley signed Omnicom’s GSD&M as its first TikTok agency of record, as well.
This quarter, Havas gained Shell’s media account. Havas-owned Arnold Worldwide won PNC Bank as a client earlier this year, an account previously held byIPG’s Deutsch New York. As a result, Deutsch cut almost 20% of its staff earlier this month. However, IPG won sexual health brand Durex’s business in the US and Europe, taking it from Havas. IPG Mediabrands stands to lose its business with Amazon, which recently put its media buying account in review. Amazon spent about $20 billion on advertising and promotions last year, according to Ad Age, making it a potential major loss for IPG.