Publicis Groupe’s Spark Foundry has, as expected, won Facebook’s estimated $1bn global media account. Spark Foundry, MediaVest as it used to be, beat Dentsu, which had some Facebook business, and Havas in the final pitches.
WPP’s Mindshare had handled Facebook since 2014 but declined to repitch.
Facebook is now the rather tarnished but immensly profitable jewel in the crown of Mark Zuckerberg’s newly-branded Meta empire.
Facebook says: “We are pleased to announce that Spark Foundry will be our new global media planning and buying partner across Meta’s brand portfolio.
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership we’ve had with Group M and Dentsu since 2014 and are proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish together.
“We also want to thank the teams that participated in the review process. We are privileged to have access to such great talent and appreciate the time and interest in partnering with us.“
Facebook, which is fending off criticism on all fronts, is set to become one of the world’s biggest advertisers. WPP hasn’t detailed why it declined to repitch. WPP’s Essence handles Google media, which may have been an issue.
Dentsu missing out on another big global media pitch is another headache for Dentsu International boss Wendy Clark.
