How agency brands still matter, with FCB’s Tyler Turnbull
Plus: WPP’s CEO departure, more churn at Dentsu, and the FTC’s conditions for IPG and Omnicom
Agency Business is brought to you by Brian Wieser’s Madison and Wall, in collaboration with Olivia Morley's FusionFront Media. We publish new podcast episodes every Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern.
Hello and welcome to Agency Business for the week of June 2, 2025. Episode 26 is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Inside this week’s episode
This week, we’re joined by Tyler Turnbull, global CEO of FCB. Tyler shares how the 152-year-old creative network is positioning itself in a shifting global agency landscape—and why he believes empowered leadership, local flexibility, and premium creative output still offer a competitive edge.
We discuss why FCB maintains independent P&Ls at the market level, how its operating model differs from sister agency McCann, and why Tyler thinks “talent is choosing brands” in a holding company world. He also walks us through FCB’s evolving approach to integrating audience planning with creativity, and where the agency is investing in AI—not to cut costs, but to improve the work and expand services.
News of the week: Discussed in Episode 26
Unusual consent decree for IPG–Omnicom transaction
MW: This news is unsurprising but of course very troubling. The new normal for the United States is that marketers—and agencies—need to be very careful in terms of whether or not their choices reflect the preferences of the government.
FFM: This raises real concerns for how agencies operate in politically charged environments—especially if these types of conditions become more common. It’s not at all clear how a “group boycott” clause would be enforced. Agencies and marketers base media investments on a range of factors: ROI, audience targeting, brand values, and brand safety. If the FTC is referring to blocklists, which can exclude platforms like Breitbart from programmatic buys, is that considered a boycott? Or just a brand decision? The ambiguity here could have a chilling effect on how agencies navigate media strategy going forward.
MW: This news was also unsurprising as it was just a matter of “when,” not “if.” While there will be a lot of focus on replacement candidates, there probably should be more focus on the board of directors and whether or not they’ve been too conservative—and whether they will support bold and risky change in the near future.
FFM: There are several prominent internal candidates, but I appreciated this article as a useful who's who for viable external candidates. The more interesting question is what kind of background the board will prioritize. In North America, WPP Media (formerly GroupM) has experienced a series of account losses, and the broader organization has steadily consolidated under Mark Read. Will the board lean toward a media leader—or someone who’s led a unified agency brand model before?
Jeff Greenspoon departs Dentsu for Kantar
MW: While the new role Greenspoon is going to will undoubtedly be a great opportunity, this marks yet another senior departure from among Dentsu’s non-Japanese management. It’s not clear Dentsu has a strategy to compete and grow outside of Japan—not least with minimal senior executive presence outside of Japan.
FFM: There’s so much churn in Dentsu’s leadership outside Japan. It’s not just turnover, but fast turnover. The people who step in don’t tend to stick around. That instability raises real questions about whether the “One Dentsu” model can actually work.
Madison and Wall’s new agency forecast
MW: Madison and Wall published a new agency forecast for 2025 with an expectation of 2% growth this year. Although there are many concerns about the durability of the business, this will generally be a function of whether or not they invest meaningfully in their businesses.
FFM: Madison and Wall characterizes 2% U.S. growth as “tepid”—not bad, not great. But alongside Brian’s recent forecast revision, it suggests the ad (and agency) economy is holding steady for now. Of course, in a market this volatile, stability can be short-lived.
Up next on Agency Business:
Next week’s guest is Tim Ringel, global CEO of Meet The People. Watch for the episode next Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern.
As always, Agency Business is not pay-to-play. We welcome guest pitches, especially from women and leaders of color in the industry. Send us a note if you’d like to come on the show or learn about sponsorship opportunities.