Publicis has responded to WPP CEO Cindy Rose's call for clients to exercise 'due diligence' when awarding business without pitches, defending its recent account wins.

The exchange follows Publicis Groupe securing PepsiCo's USD 1.9 billion global media account without a competitive pitch. The development came while Publicis was participating in a pitch for Coca-Cola's global media business against WPP. Publicis subsequently accepted the PepsiCo mandate and withdrew the group from the Coca-Cola contest.

The Coca-Cola business was eventually split across agencies, with WPP securing the global account, Omnicom taking North America and Dentsu handling select APAC markets.

The timing of the PepsiCo and Coca-Cola developments made them a talking point during WPP's third-quarter trading results, with analysts questioning Rose about the increasing number of client briefs being awarded without a formal pitch.

While Rose stopped short of naming Publicis, she urged clients 'to undertake proper due diligence before making such decisions'.

Publicis was quick to respond, publishing an open letter addressed to Rose. The response challenged the suggestion that its recent business wins were a result of informal agreements rather than rigorous evaluation by clients.

The letter described the idea of winning business through a 'CEO handshake' as an insult to clients' intelligence, arguing that large global mandates involve months of evaluation by marketing, technology, data and procurement teams. It also drew attention to WPP's decision not to re-enter the Coca-Cola North America pitch, questioning whether the group's withdrawal was a matter of capacity or capability.

Taking a broader swipe at WPP, Publicis argued that enterprise partnerships are increasingly determined by connected identity and media solutions, intelligent creativity and AI-led capabilities, rather than traditional pitch presentations and legacy credentials.

Publicis concluded its letter by calling for greater recognition of the work done by agencies and their clients, while making it clear that it had little intention of letting Rose's comments go unanswered.

The letter

Dear Cindy,

We’ve had a busy few days, as you may have seen, but of course we didn’t miss your earnings call last week.

We’ve always enjoyed a bit of industry back and forth, a la Maurice (Levy) and Martin (Sorrell), so we couldn’t let your theory on how we win new business slide without a word.

Although it might make for a good headline, claiming we win on a 'CEO handshake' is an insult to clients’ intelligence.

We all know global companies don’t hand over their data, media, and tech keys over a friendly espresso. It takes months of hard testing by marketers, engineers, data architects, and procurement teams. So let’s be really clear here: skipping an old-school pitch circus isn’t skipping due diligence. It’s clients knowing what they need and testing us to the limit.

Having worked at one of the companies that chose us this year, you know its leaders really well, and your comments sell them remarkably short. They would never have entrusted us with a task of this magnitude on a wink and a handshake.

It’s as believable as saying your troops were too tired to try and win back your biggest client’s biggest market. You can’t be a passionate defender of pitch culture and plead exhaustion in the same breath. If an extra six-week run was enough to sideline your teams, it’s not an endurance problem; it’s a capability one.

Take it from us, investing in tech and talent really helps on that front.

Because in the real world, enterprise partners aren’t chosen after a cosy tete-a-tete or legacy slide decks. They are chosen on connected identity and media solutions, intelligent creativity, and AI engines that drive business.

Don’t get us wrong. We didn’t expect a basket of muffins or a thank-you note for clearing the path to your global renewal. We understand the pressure of building a narrative for the financial markets and the urge to celebrate a win - a victory lap is fun even when you’re the only one who ran. But it shouldn’t require denigrating our clients, our people, and all of our efforts.

Our industry does extraordinary work. Let’s give it the credit it deserves.

Very best

Your friends at Publicis