As Omnicom enters its first Cannes Lions Festival following one of the biggest consolidations in advertising history, industry attention has largely focused on scale. Bigger networks, larger datasets and deeper technology capabilities have dominated conversations around what the ‘new Omnicom’ represents.
But Jarrod Martin, Chief Transformation Officer at Omnicom Media Group and CEO of Acxiom, believes the industry’s future will not be determined by size alone. Instead, the winners will be those who can connect fragmented data, measure performance across platforms and make independent decisions in an increasingly complex media ecosystem.
Speaking to Neeta Nair, Editor of IMPACT at Cannes Lions 2026, Martin outlined why identity is becoming more important than data, how AI is simultaneously simplifying and complicating marketing, and why agencies must evolve beyond traditional media buying to remain relevant.
While Omnicom’s scale has been widely discussed since the consolidation, Martin argues that the more meaningful shift lies in bringing together capabilities that previously operated separately. “One of the most significant additions is Acxiom’s identity infrastructure. Historically, Omnicom relied on third-party providers for much of its data and identity capabilities. The era of AI, ownership of data and identity assets is increasingly important,” Martin explains. “It allows us to organise information in ways that help AI deliver better outcomes.”
Watch the full interview here:
However, Martin is quick to point out that the future competitive advantage is not necessarily having more data than platforms such as Amazon, Google or Meta. “We will never have greater first-party data assets than Amazon,” he says. Instead, he believes identity—the ability to connect and interpret disparate data sources—is becoming the industry’s most valuable asset.
As brands, publishers and platforms become more willing to share information in privacy-safe environments, the ability to stitch together those datasets and create a unified understanding of consumers becomes increasingly critical. According to Martin, agencies that can connect these fragmented ecosystems will be able to unlock better insights, better audience strategies and more effective measurement.
That challenge becomes even more pressing as AI transforms marketing workflows. He adds, “When we think about workflows and how we manage work, from receiving the brief to going live with a campaign, that process is becoming faster, simpler, and easier to produce.” But he mentions that the activation side of the business is becoming significantly more complicated.
Brands today face millions of potential pathways to reach consumers across demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, publisher-direct relationships and curated media environments. Determining where to invest and how to evaluate performance across those channels is becoming increasingly difficult. “AI is making certain things simpler, but making other things more complex,” Martin says.
This complexity is also changing how agencies demonstrate their value. Historically, brands invested in platforms and relied on their internal optimisation systems to drive performance. Increasingly, however, marketers are seeking independent ways to evaluate outcomes across multiple platforms rather than relying solely on platform-reported results.
Martin believes agencies must play a central role in that process by helping clients understand incrementality, attribution and performance across an increasingly fragmented media landscape. That fragmentation is also being accelerated by the growth of retail media and quick-commerce ecosystems.
While Martin expects quick-commerce platforms to command a growing share of marketing budgets, he does not see them replacing the dominant technology platforms anytime soon. Instead, he envisions a tiered ecosystem, with major global platforms occupying the top tier and numerous retail media and commerce networks creating value in specialised areas.
The real opportunity, he argues, lies in connecting those ecosystems and creating value exchanges between retailers, financial institutions, advertisers and consumers.
For all the excitement surrounding AI, data and automation at Cannes this year, Martin believes the industry’s long-term success will ultimately depend on a simpler question: can agencies help brands make smarter decisions? “In my opinion,” he says, “an agency or a holding company that can’t make smart decisions between platforms doesn’t have a long-term future.”
As media ecosystems continue to fragment and AI accelerates the pace of change, that ability may prove to be the industry’s most valuable capability of all.
