WPP Cindy Rose row: Publicis open letter calls 'CEO handshake' claim an insult

Publicis Groupe, the French advertising company, has published an open letter to Cindy Rose, chief executive of its British rival WPP, rejecting her suggestion that Publicis wins big clients through a "CEO handshake" rather than competitive pitches. The letter, dated Thursday, 5 November 2026 and signed "Your friends at Publicis", responds to comments Rose made on WPP's third-quarter investor call. "Claiming we win on a 'CEO handshake' is an insult to clients' intelligence," Publicis wrote. The letter was also posted on Instagram. No public response from WPP had been reported at the time of writing.

In the advertising business, the biggest accounts, such as a global brand's entire media buying, are usually won through long, expensive pitches in which agencies compete for months. Rose's comments suggested that some of Publicis's recent wins came without that process, through relationships at the top. Publicis's reply turns a remark on an investor call into a public fight between two of the world's largest agency groups.

The fight has a clear background in the numbers. WPP's own trading update shows its third-quarter revenue less pass-through costs, which strips out money passed on to media owners, fell 2.1% like-for-like. The company expects that measure to fall by a low-to-mid single-digit percentage in the second half and is pursuing a reorganisation plan it calls Elevate28, with Rose saying she is positioning WPP for a return to growth during 2027. Publicis, by contrast, has added major accounts this year, including Microsoft's global media business.

The Coca-Cola point stings because it is about capability rather than style. WPP chose not to compete in the final North American round of Coca-Cola's media review, and Rose defended that as avoiding six more weeks of pitching. Publicis used her own words against her, saying she cannot be "a passionate defender of pitch culture and plead exhaustion in the same breath."

Communications leaders are divided on the letter. Some see it as a sharp defence of clients' judgement, others as a step too far that makes a personal attack on a rival's chief executive. Either way, it tells clients and investors that the contest for the biggest advertisers is getting more aggressive.

For Indian readers, the row has been covered closely by India's advertising trade press, since the outcome of global account battles can decide which agency networks handle big brands' work in every market, India included.

Peepals calculation: WPP's third-quarter revenue less pass-through costs of £2,411 million was about 74% of its total revenue of £3,274 million (2,411 / 3,274 ≈ 0.736). The difference, about £863 million (3,274 - 2,411 = 863), is money that passes through WPP to media owners and other suppliers rather than staying as agency income. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: The letter keeps WPP's weak quarter and lost pitches in the headlines and puts pressure on Rose to respond, or to show new wins of her own.

Long-term: Clients may take note of both sides' arguments when deciding whether to run full pitches. A more confrontational tone between the top agency groups could make the contest for global accounts even more intense.

Who is affected: WPP and Publicis staff and shareholders, global advertisers choosing agencies, and agency employees in markets around the world, including India.

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