Business Director

Omnicom Media CEO: Agencies will need to weigh AI costs against value. September 24, 2026 11:52 Media agencies will need to think twice about which AI tools they use as the technology comes with increasingly hefty price tags, according to Omnicom Media Group Australia CEO Kristiaan Kroon. Speaking on a panel of leaders at the Media Federation of Australia's MFA EX event, Kroon said agencies would increasingly need to weigh the cost of different AI models against the value they provide, with more expensive technology reserved for tasks that justify the investment. "We've always been dependent on other people's technology and tools in different parts of what we do. I think as AI increases its costs... within our own businesses, it'll be how we manage the commercials," he said. "It's what you use AI for, and then also what type of AI is used for specific tasks." Kroon said the industry was experimenting with increasingly "expensive and complex" AI software, meaning agencies would need to take a more "layered" approach to how the technology was deployed across their businesses. "[Expensive and complex AI] is not generally available to most staff because it's not needed and it comes with a higher cost. So, I think you'll start to see it layered depending on the task you're completing," he said. That approach will also mean some agency tasks remain better suited to humans, Kroon argued, where AI is less efficient or does not justify its cost. "For me, there's a whole maturing that will come with it. We also have a lot of experience that's come before this. AI will fit into those economics and ways of working," he said. However, he added: "AI is awesome. It closes the time to value gap. Great. It's also extremely confident in what it presents to people, and it sounds great. The question for a client is, is it right? Is it not right? That judgment piece sits with effectiveness." Kroon was joined on stage by fellow industry heavyweights: Aimee Buchanan, CEO of WPP Media ANZ; Imogen Hewitt, chief media officer of Publicis Groupe; and Jimmy Hyett, CEO and founder of indie agency This Is Flow. Beyond the question of cost, panellists also weighed AI's wider impact on agency business models, job security and oversight. Buchanan argued the AI surge has changed the types of skill sets agencies need to have on board, but pushed back against the suggestions that automation and offshoring were decimating entry-level gigs. "If I told you we were looking for AI architects, data scientists, engineers 20 years ago, you would have looked at me sideways, and the same will be true for the next 20 years," she said. She said WPP Media had hired 100 entry-level employees this year, but acknowledged those jobs were no longer necessarily appearing in the same parts of the business they once did. "They're not in all the places that we hired five years ago, but they're in things like creative and things like data technology. They're in things like GEO - there's new areas that are evolving," she said. "I don't worry that there won't be entry-level roles, but I think the way those entry-level roles come about will be fundamentally different and be better at servicing what our clients need into the future." Hyett echoed Buchanan's prediction, rejecting fears that AI would gouge out agency work. "We're not losing our jobs to AI. I think that is not going to happen. I think our jobs may change a little bit," he said. Hyett said the pace at which the technology is developing creates another challenge for agencies, arguing AI is advancing at a rate humans cannot necessarily match. "AI is growing at such an incremental rate, but humans are still quite linear in how we learn," he added. "So there's this huge gap... I think we will have a huge role in terms of how we drive and how we think and how we build on with the AI side of things." Zac Nikolovski is a reporter for Mumbrella. He graduated from UTS with a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism/Media Business) in 2025. During his studies, he completed placements at 2SER, UTS' Central News, and the ABC. Have your say. Or comment anonymously Your comment will be marked as unverified

WPP Media wins Wolt. Published: 23 September 2026, 23:05 The assignment covers the brands Wolt, DoorDash and Deliveroo. Photo: Press/Wolt WPP Media's collaboration with DoorDash, which includes Wolt, is going global. After a global pitch, it is clear that WPP Media wins the media assignment for DoorDash, which includes the brands DoorDash, Deliveroo and Wolt. WPP Media has had a partnership with DoorDash in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the past eight years. The assignment is now being expanded to become global and cover more than 40 markets worldwide, including the Nordics. "We look forward to expanding the collaboration with DoorDash, Deliveroo and Wolt and ensuring a unified global strategy, without losing the nuances that make each market's approach unique and locally relevant," says Tim Castree, head of marketing at DoorDash, in a press release. WPP Media will work closely with the brands' in-house teams in media and marketing. The global collaboration starts in early 2027.

Hamdard partners with WPP Media for Safi Gen Z push. Herbal brand reframes 'true skin health starts from within' proposition through OOH, influencer and digital-led storytelling across four cities. Hamdard, in partnership with WPP Media, has launched a brand-building initiative for Safi to connect the herbal blood purifier with Gen Z through a mix of strategic Out-of-Home (OOH), influencer, meme and digital marketing. The initiative was announced in Mumbai on 11 September 2026. Hamdard takes Safi's 'true skin health starts from within' proposition to youth culture through OOH, influencer and digital-led storytelling. Building on Safi's core proposition, the campaign reframes the skincare conversation for a generation navigating increasingly complex beauty and wellness routines. At the heart of the OOH campaign is the provocative thought, 'Skin problems? Your skincare might be working on the wrong side.' The campaign spans approximately 30 outdoor sites across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Lucknow, with placements in high-footfall youth hubs designed to capture attention and spark conversations around skin health beyond surface-level solutions. The OOH campaign is amplified through a diverse influencer ecosystem spanning Mega, Macro and Micro creators, extending beyond traditional beauty voices to include automobile, sports, travel and lifestyle creators, alongside dermatologists. Content brings everyday triggers such as pollution, stress and diet into the conversation, while meme pages translate the campaign thought into relatable youth humour and shareable content. The campaign has also extended to LinkedIn, while the digital platform 'Safi, Har Ghar Ka Specialist' brings the message to Gen Z, including college-goers and young professionals with an affinity for wellness and personal care. The initiative marks a shift from traditional product-benefit communication to a more contemporary, conversation-led approach to brand building. The creative has been conceptualised by Candy Shop Communications, while WPP Media has brought together OOH planning, influencer and meme marketing, and digital amplification to help Safi build greater relevance among younger consumers while retaining its established equity as a trusted skin health brand. For a heritage brand, the approach is positioned as understanding where and how Gen Z engages, and building conversation around them across OOH, creators, culture and digital, meeting audiences in spaces they naturally engage with. Abdul Majeed, chairman and managing trustee, Hamdard Laboratories, said, "The way younger consumers think about skincare has evolved, with growing interest in wellness, prevention and what goes on beneath the surface. Through this initiative, we wanted to bring Safi's long-standing proposition into a more contemporary conversation without losing the trust and authenticity associated with the brand. The combination of OOH, creators and digital allows us to engage audiences in spaces and formats that are relevant to how they discover, discuss and make choices today." Navin Khemka, president, client solutions, WPP Media, South Asia, said, "For a heritage brand, staying relevant to a new generation is about more than changing the message; it is about understanding where and how that audience engages, and building the conversation around them. We started with a simple yet disruptive thought and used audience insights to orchestrate it across OOH, creators, culture and digital, meeting Gen Z in the spaces they naturally engage with. By moving beyond conventional beauty communication and bringing together voices from sports, travel, automobiles, lifestyle and dermatology, we have created a broader cultural conversation around skin health while keeping Safi's core proposition at the centre." About WPP Media, it is WPP's global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, it brings platform, people, and partners together to create opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com. WPP Media is part of WPP, the growth partner for leading brands. Powered by talent and its agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions, and strategic counsel.