Integrated, disintegrated? After media account shifts, Johnson & Johnson moves creative out of DDB, Publicis tipped as frontrunner as holdcos vie for full service supremacy

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Tags: Johnson & Johnson Omnicom OMD DDB Publicis Groupe

Johnson & Johnson and DDB have severed ties, marking the end of the Omnicom-run integrated, full service unit – codenamed 'Project Josephine' – spanning creative, media and digital. While the media business shifted into Publicis in December, the creative account was expected to stay with DDB. Where it lands may signal J&J's appetite to continue with its integrated model – or otherwise.

What you need to know:

Johnson & Johnson tasked Omnicom with delivering an integrated, cross-discipline team after a pitch between most of the major holdcos.
Set up in March 2020, DDB was lead agency.
OMD exited in December 2021. DDB was initially expected to continue, but is now out.
Via Spark Foundry, Publicis took on media and the broader digital remit as of December.
It may yet land creative – if J&J remains committed to an integrated approach.

Change of plan

Johnson & Johnson has moved creative out of DDB, fully severing a relationship with Omnicom originally designed to deliver media, creative and digital via an integrated unit dubbed ‘Josephine’.

Publicis Groupe, which took on media, digital, CX and retail duties late last year, is now in the driving seat to take on creative, and – if appointed – will be tasked with making the full service model work.

Josephine was intended to join the dots between media and marketing while better aligning disciplines across some 30 consumer brands. Holdcos WPP, Publicis and IPG also originally pitched for the business. Omnicom won and the integrated unit launched in March 2020 with roughly 20 people servicing the consumer healthcare business.

Within weeks Covid upended product and marketing strategy. The upshot was that OMD’s relationship finished in December 2021. It had been reported that DDB would remain as creative agency of record but that relationship subsequently ended in January.

Prior to publication Johnson & Johnson did not respond to requests for confirmation that the account had moved. Neither Publicis nor DDB would comment.

Toothpaste, tube

Global brands in recent years have experimented with integrated marketing services models in a bid to reduce complexity and increase speed to market, with varying degrees of success.

Locally, holdcos are enjoying mixed fortunes. Current standout examples include Samsung and Omnicom-owned CHEP (via Clemenger), thought to be one of Australia’s largest integrated accounts, with the holding company’s big guns DDB and OMD also long-term partners to McDonald’s via a dedicated unit.

Publicis, which alongside Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 has a single P&L across creative, media and broader digital disciplines, appears to be making gains, with its so-called ‘power of one’ model in evidence at Westpac, Arnott’s and Toyota.

Landing all of Johnson & Johnson’s business would, arguably, further validate the unitary approach – for now at least. Unless the creative account ends up elsewhere.