Global beverage giant, Coca-Cola, selects WPP as its worldwide marketing partner network.
In a significant move, WPP has been chosen as the global marketing network partner for Coca-Cola, following a competitive pitch against IPG, Dentsu, and Publicis Groupe. This appointment is part of Coca-Cola's strategy to modernize its marketing, aiming to drive new revenue and growth for its brand portfolio.
The partnership, which excludes North American media that has shifted to Publicis Groupe, will see WPP managing Coca-Cola's end-to-end creative, media, data, and marketing technology across its entire portfolio outside North America through the WPP Open X platform.
WPP, the world's largest parent company of advertising agencies, has positioned itself as a leader in AI-powered marketing innovation. The company has invested heavily in AI technologies, media buying, and hyper-personalized campaigns, enabling them to deliver measurable ROI and deepen consumer engagement for Coca-Cola globally (outside North America).
According to Coca-Cola's annual reports, the company spent $2.78 billion on advertising in 2020, a significant decrease from its $4.11 billion expenditure in 2018, representing an approximately 40% decrease from 2018 to 2020. The partnership with WPP is expected to help Coca-Cola in its efforts to modernize its marketing strategy and create personalized, future-focused marketing at scale.
The extensive geographical reach of the partnership makes it significant, as WPP will generate work for Coca-Cola across more than 200 countries and territories. The partnership aims to leverage AI-driven personalization and integrated marketing solutions to create future-forward, measurable value for Coca-Cola's brand growth.
Despite losing Coca-Cola’s North American media business to Publicis Groupe earlier in 2025, WPP continues to strengthen its global marketing services for Coca-Cola and other clients via AI-enhanced campaigns and data-driven personalization. The company uses tools like AI-driven media buying, digital twins, and data integration across creative and commerce to deliver effective marketing solutions.
In summary, WPP’s role in Coca-Cola’s brand growth strategy after its win is to drive digital transformation and advanced AI-enabled marketing to enhance brand engagement and effectiveness globally (excluding North America), enabling Coca-Cola to create personalized, future-focused marketing at scale.
- The partnership between WPP and Coca-Cola, focusing on the management of Coca-Cola's portfolio outside North America, aims to drive growth for Coca-Cola's brand by leveraging WPP's advanced AI-enabled marketing strategies and data-driven personalization.
- To aid in its brand growth strategy, Coca-Cola has chosen WPP as its global marketing network partner, a move that includes a significant investment in finance, with expectations of creating personalized, future-focused marketing at scale through AI-driven personalization, integrated marketing solutions, and data-driven strategies.
