WPP’s Coca-Cola Agency Chief and CMO Laurent Ezekiel Joins Publicis

Laurent Ezekiel, WPP’s chief advertising and marketing officer (CMO) and the chief government (CEO) of WPP’s bespoke Coca-Cola company, OpenX, is leaving the enterprise for Publicis Groupe, ADWEEK has realized. His exit was confirmed in a memo seen by ADWEEK from Coca-Cola’s world CMO Manuel “Manolo” Arroyo. A second supply with information of the matter confirmed Ezekiel’s departure.ADWEEK was unable to substantiate Ezekiel’s new title or obligations. Ezekiel joined WPP as CMO in 2019 from Publicis. Following the advert community’s Coca-Cola win in 2021, he was appointed CEO of Open X, tasked with constructing a mannequin that unified expertise throughout artistic, media, manufacturing, social, influencer, and different disciplines. His return to Publicis follows Coca-Cola’s $700 million shift of its North American media account out of WPP to Publicis in March. This was adopted by Mars and Paramount shifting their media briefs from WPP to its French rival.In his e-mail to Coca-Cola staff, Arroyo acknowledged that Ezekiel helped “architect” the WPP Open X advertising and marketing mannequin. “He established a full built-in agile trendy advertising and marketing crew consultant of the most effective of WPP throughout main businesses and areas,” the CMO added. Whereas it handed its North America media temporary to Publicis, Coca-Cola introduced in Might that it had renewed different main components of its WPP contract, praising initiatives together with StudioX, a hub that lets Coca-Cola create hundreds of belongings tailor-made for native markets.Arroyo’s memo acknowledged that Coca-Cola was “assured” in the way forward for Open X and can be working with WPP to determine a successor for Ezekiel quickly.ADWEEK has requested remark from Coca-Cola and WPP. On the time of writing, they haven’t replied. Publicis Groupe declined to remark.Ezekiel’s departure marks the most recent high-profile exit at WPP, which earlier this month issued a shock revenue warning following sluggish new enterprise and shopper spending cuts.Longtime CEO Mark Learn will step down as WPP CEO in September, after seven years. He’ll get replaced by Microsoft government Cindy Rose.