As Omnicom’s US$13 billion takeover of IPG nears completion this month, speculation is intensifying across the GCC advertising sector about an impending wave of restructuring and job losses.
Globally, IPG has already cut 3,200 roles in the first nine months of 2025, including 800 in the September quarter alone, as it prepares to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Omnicom. The restructuring will cost up to US$475 million but is expected to deliver long-term “structural expense savings.” Omnicom, for its part, spent nearly A$200 million on severance costs this year and has also shed around 3,000 roles since 2024.
Combined, the two holding groups now employ around 128,000 people worldwide — a figure expected to fall to “just over 100,000” once the merger and integration are complete. That implies a potential 20% global headcount reduction, which Communicate estimates could translate to several hundred roles across the GCC.
In MENA, Omnicom Media Group (OMG) and its network of creative agencies across 5 markets employ roughly over 900 people, while IPG’s footprint — through MCN Network (partly owned by IPG), is estimated at twice the scale with approximately 2,000 employees across 11 markets. Communicate estimates and industry sources also confirm as many as 500 regional roles could be affected across the merged entity.
Industry chatter points to potential consolidation at the top. Insiders suggest all creative agencies may be grouped under a single regional chief, with a similar move possible on the media side.
Analysts believe smaller markets like the GCC, with leaner operations, could feel a sharper impact than larger bases such as the US or UK.
Communicate reached out to Omnicom and MCN for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication. A message sent via WhatsApp also went unanswered. Attempts to contact IPG’s US communications team by email were similarly unsuccessful.
The merger, aimed at saving US$750 million annually and creating the world’s largest advertising group, could redefine the region’s agency landscape, driving both efficiency and consolidation amid AI-driven disruption and tighter client budgets.
