Coca-Cola selects WPP as its global marketing network partner
Coca-Cola Partners with WPP to Modernize Global Brand Portfolio
Coca-Cola has entered into a strategic partnership with WPP, the world's largest parent company of agencies, as part of its ongoing strategy to modernize and grow its brand portfolio. The partnership, which began in 2021, leverages WPP's open-source marketing model (WPP Open X) to transform Coca-Cola's marketing capabilities globally.
This collaboration aims to connect better with evolving consumers worldwide by adopting an integrated, tech-driven approach across creative, media, production, PR, and data disciplines. The partnership has already yielded significant creative value, with Coca-Cola being named Creative Brand of the Year at Cannes Lions 2024.
In 2025, Coca-Cola expanded its marketing model by adding Publicis as a complementary partner for its North American media business. This dual-agency strategy allows Coca-Cola to benefit from the complementary strengths and specialized local expertise of both WPP and Publicis.
Despite a decrease in advertising spending in recent years, Coca-Cola has maintained a substantial global advertising budget, reported at approximately $5.15 billion annually. This sizeable budget makes Coca-Cola one of WPP’s most valuable clients.
In 2020, Coca-Cola spent $2.78 billion on advertising, a decrease from $4.25 billion in 2019 and $4.11 billion in 2018. This represents a third of what was spent in 2018. The decrease in advertising spending from 2019 to 2020 was significant, and the partnership with WPP is expected to drive new revenue and modernize Coca-Cola's marketing efforts.
WPP won a competitive pitch against IPG, Dentsu, and Publicis Groupe to secure the partnership with Coca-Cola. The partnership will generate work across more than 200 countries and territories, making it a global endeavour for both companies. Despite the decrease in advertising spending, Coca-Cola remains one of the top advertisers globally.
References:
[1] Coca-Cola Company. (2025). Coca-Cola Partners with WPP and Publicis to Transform Global Marketing Capabilities. Retrieved from www.coca-colacompany.com
[2] WPP. (2025). WPP Secures Partnership with Coca-Cola to Drive Growth and Modernization. Retrieved from www.wpp.com
The partnership between Coca-Cola and WPP, a move that began in 2021, aims to modernize Coca-Cola's global brand portfolio, driving growth and financial success through an integrated, tech-driven approach. This significant decrease in advertising spending from 2019 to 2020, coupled with the strategic addition of Publicis for North American media business, is expected to fuel new revenue and further modernize Coca-Cola's marketing efforts, making it one of WPP's most valuable clients.