Digiday Sunday
—Digiday This is Digiday Sunday’s 50th edition! With the start of March, the biggest story themes for 2025 continue to morph in interesting ways. One of those is the future of the agency holding company and we tapped a new format called Bold Call – which is designed to see through the B.S. and take a stance on a topic based on our reporting and analysis. This week’s version posits that the holding company era is over and that the time of the ‘operating company’ is at hand. Also in agency land, we were on the news that Coca-Cola is quietly considering moving its N.A. business out of WPP and reported that, in a rare agency-led ad tech buy, Publicis Groupe will acquire Lotame. And we took a look at the relationship between The Trade Desk and media agencies which seem to be fraying a bit at the edges. Other well-read reporting included a piece on the impact Twitch’s updated monetization and moderation plays mean for livestreaming and a story reporting that T-Mobile is poised to acquire U.K.-based ad tech startup Blis. – James Cooper
Story highlights
Michael Burgi , after chasing down and handful of leads coming across the news desk, had the week’s most-read story that reported that Coca-Cola is on the DL with plans to move its N.A. business out from agency holding company giant WPP. As he reported, ‘Coca-Cola —?is considering a new partner for its biggest market in North America, according to three sources with knowledge of the account. If Coca-Cola does opt for a change, Publicis Groupe is the frontrunner to handle its media dollars in North America, which is reportedly worth $620 million in the U.S., according to Comvergence data — but likely closer to $700 million including Canada, according to those sources.’
Seb Joseph debuted our new reporting franchise ‘Bold Call’ that looked at the evolution of the agency holding company into what looks more like an Operating Company. As he reported, ‘When consultant Matt Ryan emerged from?last month’s meeting?with the CEOs of Omnicom and IPG, one thought stuck with him. Between their fanfare over the proposed union and the swift clap backs from rivals, it’s clear the holding company era is finished. The future belongs to operating companies, where agencies function as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of loosely connected firms.’
Marty Swant reported that Publicis Groupe has?acquire ad tech firm Lotame, expanding the holding company’s global identity and data-management capabilities. As he reported, the purchase is part of a broader push to build out Publicis Groupe’s CoreAI platform, which launched early last year, alongside updates for the Paris-based company’s major AI investments. The purchase also marks a significant expansion of its global identity and data capabilities, especially in APAC and Europe, where its new acquisition has a strong presence.
Sam Bradley pulled together a well-read analysis of the weakening relationship between The Trade Desk and its media agency partners. As he reported, ‘The Trade Desk (TTD) and media agencies are drifting apart — a conscious uncoupling that crept in slowly but is now moving fast.?Agencies say their spending isn’t climbing like it used to, while The Trade Desk is busy ‘chasing direct deals with advertisers. It’s not a full-on breakup yet, but both sides are clearly eyeing other options.’
Alexander Lee checked in with creators for their take on the latest monetization and moderation updates coming out of Twitch and what it means for livestreaming at large. As he reported, ‘Twitch streamers have a more pragmatic view of the announced changes. Seven Twitch creators who spoke to Digiday for this story said that they perceived the open letter as an attempt to curry the favor of livestreaming creators considering a switch from Twitch to alternative platforms such as Kick or YouTube. Although Twitch remains the most popular platform for livestreamed video content, its grip on the streaming community has?loosened significantly?in recent years.’
Ronan Shields chased down an exclusive news break that T-Moble will purchase British ad tech firm Blis. As he reported, ‘According to three separate sources familiar with the developments, Blis has been exploring its exit options in recent weeks, conducting discussions with both private equity and strategic suitors. Founded by CEO Greg Ibister in the mid-2000s, Blis specializes in delivering location-powered programmatic advertising solutions “without relying on personal data.” The company?has?reportedly?raised $33.5 million over several funding rounds, most notably a $25 million round in 2016.’
Tim Peterson ’s edition of the Digiday Podcast featured a chat with Puck CEO Sarah Personette, during which she discussed how to grow a creator-based newsletter business. “You almost have sub-brands under Puck that are franchises anchored by core talent versus in probably that first two years, it was a newsletter anchored by core talent,” she said. Give a listen here
“Quote” of the week
“It’s definitely a really dark moment. If you want to continue to be employed in that part of the business, it’s going to be a lot more difficult at best, and maybe impossible for a lot of people. I’ve already had a couple of colleagues just in the last few months leave for non-journalism jobs.”
—?An opinion section newspaper employee, on the changes happening to editorial boards and op-ed sections at major newspapers like The Washington Post.
Here are the Digiday + Briefings for the week
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See you next Sunday!