The stock market rendered its verdict on agency stocks in 2025, and it wasn’t kind. WPP has plunged 62% and is dropping from the FTSE 100 after 27 years.
The 2025 Scorecard:
WPP: -62% YTD, market cap collapsed from £24B to £3.1B, exits FTSE 100
Publicis: -25% YTD, but analyst ratings at multi-year highs (data + AI capabilities lead)
Omnicom: -18% YTD, IPG merger closed, world’s largest holding company
Dentsu: Strategic review, overseas operations under evaluation
WPP’s fall is particularly instructive. The company lost a string of high-profile clients (including Coca-Cola’s US and Canada media business to Publicis), issued two profit warnings, and saw new CEO declare the previous trajectory “unacceptable.”
The Pattern: Winners invest in technology platforms and data assets. Losers optimize legacy operations. The gap compounds as AI capabilities scale.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
