Omnicom CEO John Wren kept notes from his failed attempt to merge with rival Publicis Groupe in 2014, because he knew he’d want to do it again.
“What I knew that nobody else knew was there was too much supply in the industry, and I was gonna buy somebody,” he told ADWEEK.
Over a decade later, he finally did: Interpublic Group.
It was a rough start when the deal closed in December. Iconic agency brands like FCB, DDB, and MullenLowe ceased to exist. “Some of the things we did were shocking,” Wren said.
About 10,000 people also lost their jobs, and top executives fought for duplicative posts.
