By BrandiQ Analyst
In the choreography of global advertising, few moves are as closely watched as a media account review by a brand the size of adidas. The German sportswear giant has quietly begun reassessing its global media mandate, according to multiple agency executives familiar with the process, setting off another round of speculation in an industry already defined by consolidation, reinvention and relentless competition.
At the centre of the review is EssenceMediacom, part of WPP Media, which has held the account since 2018. The relationship itself is the product of earlier disruption. That year, MediaCom, now part of EssenceMediacom following WPP’s 2023 merger of Essence and MediaCom, wrested the business from Carat, the Dentsu-owned agency that had managed adidas’s media for nearly two decades. In effect, the account has already lived through one generational shift. It may now be on the cusp of another.
The mandate under review is expansive. It spans full-funnel media planning and buying, consumer insights and measurement across global markets. In contemporary marketing terms, this is not merely about placing advertisements. It is about orchestrating how a brand thinks, learns and competes across fragmented audiences and platforms.
A review in a season of spending
The timing is instructive. Adidas is not retrenching. It is spending. The company increased its marketing and point-of-sale expenditure by 8 per cent to €3.079bn in 2025, with marketing intensity rising to 12.4 per cent of sales. This is not a defensive posture; it is an offensive one.
That investment has underwritten a series of high-profile campaigns. “You Got This,” a multi-year brand platform, seeks to blend global storytelling with local resonance. “The Original” reconnects younger consumers with heritage silhouettes that have long defined adidas’s cultural footprint. Around these sit a constellation of product launches and partnerships, from the Evo SL and Superstar to collaborations with Liverpool FC and Oasis, all amplified through market-led activations.
The brand has also expanded its partnership portfolio, aligning with properties such as the Audi Formula One team, Penn State, the Argentine Football Federation and basketball star Anthony Edwards. Each partnership is a node in a broader ecosystem that links sport, culture and commerce.
This is the context in which the media review must be understood. Adidas is not questioning the value of marketing. It is questioning how best to execute it.
The shadow of the World Cup
Hovering over the review is the FIFA World Cup 2026, one of the most commercially potent events in global sport. For adidas, a long-standing football powerhouse, the tournament represents both an opportunity and a risk.
The company has already begun laying the groundwork, from launching home kits to preparing large-scale campaign activations. Media strategy will be central to how effectively these efforts translate into sales and brand equity.
Any transition in agency leadership ahead of such a moment is delicate. Media accounts are not switched like light bulbs. They involve data systems, planning frameworks and institutional memory that take time to rebuild. A misstep could blunt the impact of one of the most important marketing cycles in the brand’s calendar.
Why review now?
Account reviews are rarely about a single factor. They are usually the product of accumulated pressures.
One is structural change within agencies themselves. The creation of WPP’s EssenceMediacom in 2023 was part of a broader trend towards consolidation, as holding companies attempt to integrate data, technology and media capabilities. While such mergers promise efficiency and scale, they also introduce complexity. Clients often use reviews to reassess whether the new structure still aligns with their needs.
Another factor is the evolving nature of media. The traditional distinction between planning and buying has blurred. Platforms now offer end-to-end ecosystems, from audience targeting to measurement. Brands increasingly expect agencies to function as strategic partners rather than executional vendors.
There is also the question of performance. While no public dissatisfaction has been expressed, reviews often reflect a desire to benchmark current arrangements against alternative offerings. In a market where rivals are continually refining their capabilities, standing still can feel like falling behind.
Finally, there is the competitive dynamic. The presence of players such as Dentsu, whose Carat once held the adidas account, ensures that any review will attract serious contenders. For agencies, this is not merely about winning business; it is about signalling relevance in a high-stakes global market.
The economics of media control
Behind the choreography lies a deeper economic logic. Media accounts are among the most valuable assets in the advertising ecosystem. They generate revenue not only through fees but also through data, insights and long-term client relationships.
For holding companies, retaining a client like adidas is about more than prestige. It is about sustaining scale in a business where margins are under pressure and differentiation increasingly depends on technology and analytics.
For adidas, the calculus is different. The brand is effectively deciding how to allocate billions of euros in marketing spend across a fragmented media landscape. The choice of agency influences not only where ads appear but how audiences are understood and engaged.
This is why the mandate includes consumer insights and measurement. In an era of privacy regulation and signal loss, the ability to generate reliable data has become a strategic asset. Agencies are no longer just intermediaries; they are data partners.
A broader industry signal
The review also reflects a wider pattern in global marketing. Large advertisers are increasingly unwilling to treat agency relationships as static. Periodic reviews have become a mechanism for injecting competition, driving innovation and ensuring alignment with evolving business goals.
This is particularly true in sectors where culture and commerce intersect as closely as they do in sportswear. Brands like adidas operate at the intersection of performance and identity. Their marketing must speak not only to athletes but to subcultures, communities and digital tribes.
In this environment, media strategy is inseparable from brand strategy. The channels through which messages are delivered shape how those messages are perceived. A campaign that resonates in Berlin may require a different expression in Lagos or São Paulo.
Implications for emerging markets
For markets across Africa and the global south, the outcome of the review carries indirect significance. Global media strategies often cascade into regional execution. The choice of agency and the frameworks it deploys can influence how budgets are allocated, how local insights are integrated and how cultural nuance is interpreted.
Adidas has already demonstrated an interest in localised activations, using physical events and partnerships to connect with specific audiences. The next iteration of its media strategy will determine whether such localisation deepens or remains peripheral.
There is also a symbolic dimension. As global brands refine their media ecosystems, the question of representation becomes more salient. Whose stories are told, and how, is increasingly a function of data, algorithms and strategic priorities. Agency selection plays a role in shaping those priorities.
What comes next
For now, the review remains just that a review. No outcome has been announced, and EssenceMediacom continues to hold the account. Yet the very act of reassessment is significant. It signals that even long-standing relationships are subject to scrutiny in a market defined by rapid change.
For WPP, the stakes are high. Retaining adidas would validate its integrated model and reinforce its position in the global media landscape. Losing it would raise questions about the effectiveness of consolidation strategies.
For adidas, the decision will shape how it navigates a critical period marked by rising competition, shifting consumer behaviour and the looming spectacle of the World Cup.
In the end, the review is less about agencies than about control. Control over data, over narrative and over the pathways through which brands reach their audiences. In a world where attention is both scarce and fragmented, that control is perhaps the most valuable asset of all.
