Mars Inc.'s $1 billion media account has been retained by MediaCom.
Mars Inc., the multinational confectionery, food, and pet care company, has extended its partnership with advertising and marketing firm WPP. The new agreement, which began last month and will run through the end of 2025, includes WPP's media services and its data arm, Choreograph.
The partnership will see WPP working on all three segments of Mars' business: Mars Wrigley, Mars Petcare, and Mars Food. The decision by Mars Inc. to retain the WPP agency was made after an internal review of media agency partnerships.
In addition to WPP, Mars Inc. has also incorporated Essence, a GroupM sister agency, into the partnership. Essence will manage Mars' biddable media, a move aimed at enhancing the company's digital advertising efforts.
The review conducted by Mars Inc. regarding its media agency partnerships in 2021 lasted for 10 months. During this period, the company evaluated various options before deciding to continue its partnership with WPP.
It's important to note that this extension does not mean that Mars Inc. is currently using WPP's data arm Choreograph or has added Essence within its media/media-related partnership post-account loss. The loss of Mars' $1.7 billion global media account to Publicis Groupe in June 2025 indicates that Mars is no longer working with WPP for its media buying and planning needs.
Further details note that WPP was "in the process of deploying Open Media Studio" for a Mars pitch but ultimately lost the account to Publicis. The loss included both Mars and Coca-Cola media accounts, reflecting a major shift of these clients away from WPP to Publicis.
Prior to this, Mars Inc. had consolidated its media business with MediaCom three years ago. The company's decision to extend its partnership with WPP and incorporate Choreograph and Essence suggests a strategic move to leverage WPP's expertise in data-driven marketing and digital advertising.
In summary, Mars Inc.'s partnership with WPP has been extended, and the company will now work with both WPP's media services and its data arm Choreograph. Essence, a GroupM sister agency, has also been added to the partnership to manage Mars' biddable media. However, the extent of any partnership involving WPP's Choreograph or the integration of Essence is either minimal or discontinued as of the latest available information.
- Mars Inc. has chosen to work with WPP's media services and Choreograph, its data arm, for all three segments of its business: Mars Wrigley, Mars Petcare, and Mars Food.
- As part of its strategic move, Mars Inc. has deputed Essence, a GroupM sister agency, to manage its digital advertising efforts, specifically focusing on biddable media.
