Avengers Assemble as Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Enter the Mouse House

As accounts go, the Walt Disney Company certainly isn’t Mickey Mouse. Publicis Groupe and Omnicom have won global assignments for Disney, sharing a win estimated to be worth $2.2bn. 

Following its $71.3bn acquisition of 21stth Century Fox in March this year, Disney now commands 35% of the movie market (through studio 20th Century Fox, Disney Studios, Marvel Studios etc). The acquisition also landed Disney with various Fox branded TV networks stakes in National Geographic, Hulu, and Star India. With the launch of streaming platform Disney+ on the horizon, its also gearing up to take on the likes of Netflix and Amazon. Small wonder that insiders at Publicis Groupe are comparing the win to netting the likes of a Unilever or P&G.

The four-month pitch process saw Dentsu, Havas and Horizon duke it out against the eventual winners. Both holding companies put together bespoke integrated solutions – Publicis Imagine and OMG23.

Publicis Groupe has swept up global media assignments across EMEA, APAC and LatAm and in North America, where the Groupe already handles business for the Disney-owned sports channel ESPN, they’ve added responsibilities for the theme park business and the new Disney+. In an internal memo, CEO Arthur Sadoun credited the integration of media expertise from Zenith with the data prowess of Epsilon, the big data firm acquired by the Groupe this summer for about $4bn. The Disney news follows new business wins for Novartis, MOndelez and LVMH this summer. 

Meanwhile Omnicom will be hanging out with Captain Marvel and Elsa as it has won the business for the North America studios account and its North America TV channels.