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Starcom has capped a stellar 2021 for Publicis Media in the US by winning McDonald’s from Omnicom’s OMD. OMD has lost McDonald’s $1.6bn national media planning and buying to Starcom after nearly 20 years. it’s not a complete break though; OMD will continue to work on McDonald’s USA local media as well as some unspecified international markets, McDonald’s said.
The move follows the appointment of Tariq Hassan as McDonald’s CMO in August. Hassan is also digital customer experience officer for McDonald’s where he works with Publicis.
Hassan says: “Since we started working with Publicis last year, they have demonstrated a deep understanding of McDonald’s consumers, real clout in the digital marketplace and a proven track record of innovating toward our digital ambitions.
“They are the right team to help McDonald’s maximize our marketing investments, both in the near-term and as we look to the future. We’re grateful to OMD USA for their many years of partnership and helping us reach the position of strength the brand is enjoying today.”
Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun says: “We are proud to expand our partnership with McDonald’s in the US, working together to place the customer at the heart of their business. With the team at Starcom, we look forward to driving a truly personal, omnichannel experience for all the fans of this iconic brand.”
Publicis has invested heavily in digital over the past two decades but its more recent purchase of, first, Sapient and then Epsilon – both data-based businesses – is clearly paying off as digital takes an ever larger share of the global media market, a shift accelerated by the pandemic and the rush to online commerce.
