OMNICOM MEDIA STUDY REVEALS NEW RULES FOR BRAND GROWTH IN THE ERA OF FRAGMENTED INFLUENCE

Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) released The Future of Brand Influence on January 5, 2026, reporting how a fragmented influence ecosystem is reshaping brand growth.

Rhea-AI Summary

Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) released The Future of Brand Influence on January 5, 2026, reporting how a fragmented influence ecosystem is reshaping brand growth. The research highlights declining impact of traditional advertising (only 32% say ads most affect brand opinion) and rising trust in people and AI (54% trust peers; 70% say GenAI helps them become category experts).

The study urges brands to expand physical and mental availability to include emotional availability, invest in influencers and retail media, adopt Generative Engine Optimization, and balance human connection with machine intelligence.

Positive

• 54% of consumers trust people over institutions
• 70% say GenAI enables rapid category expertise
• Partnerships with retailers and platforms to enhance influence

Negative

• Advertising influence low: only 32% cite ads as top brand driver
• Switching to cheaper brands rose to >30% from 19% earlier in 2025
• Nearly 4 in 10 consumers often do not notice social media ads

Argus Jan 5 session

-3.65% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – OMC

On Jan 5, the day this news came out, OMC closed 3.65% below the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Jan 5 session.

Key Figures

Word-of-mouth importance: 71% AI over ads: 45% Influencers over ads: 43% +5 more

Word-of-mouth importance

71%

Respondents saying what people say matters more than advertising

AI over ads

45%

Respondents saying AI matters more than advertising for brand perceptions

Influencers over ads

43%

Respondents saying influencers matter more than advertising

Trust people more

54%

Respondents trusting influencers/peers more than publications or institutions

Gen Z higher trust shift

67%

Gen Z trusting people more than institutions on social platforms

GenAI product expertise

70%

Respondents saying GenAI enables them to become an expert in any category

Attention span concern

63%

Respondents saying their attention span is just OK or not great

Trading down on price

More than 30%

Respondents buying cheaper versions of usual brands, up from 19%

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 01

5 events

1. Dec 01

   Post-acquisition strategy

   24h Move

   +0.5%

   Outlined post-IPG acquisition strategy, leadership, and highlighted Omni platform scale.

2. Nov 28

   Debt exchange offers

   24h Move

   +0.5%

   Announced high tender uptake exchanging IPG senior notes into new Omnicom notes.

3. Nov 26

   Dividend increase

   24h Move

   +0.2%

   Raised quarterly dividend to $0.80 per share, signaling confidence post-merger.

4. Nov 26

   Acquisition close

   24h Move

   +0.2%

   Completed Interpublic acquisition, creating combined company with > $25B revenue.

5. Nov 24

   Regulatory approval

   24h Move

   -0.1%

   Received unconditional European Commission antitrust approval for IPG acquisition.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

generative ai, ai-driven recommendations, genai, ad blockers, +3 more

7 terms

generative ai technical

"Generative AI is accelerating the pace at which consumers move from inquiry"

Generative AI is a type of computer technology that can create new content, like text, images, or music, on its own. It’s important because it can produce realistic and useful material quickly, which could change how we create art, write stories, or even develop new products. Think of it as a smart robot that can invent and produce things almost like a human.

ai-driven recommendations technical

"alongside influencers, peer commentary, retail environments, and AI-driven recommendations"

AI-driven recommendations are investment suggestions generated by computer systems that analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns and propose stocks, trades or portfolio changes. They matter to investors because they can spot opportunities or risks faster and more consistently than a person alone—like a GPS suggesting the fastest route—while still relying on the quality of the data and models, so results can be helpful but not guaranteed.

genai technical

"70% of respondents say GenAI enables them to become an expert"

Generative AI (genai) is a type of artificial intelligence designed to create new content, such as text, images, or music, that resembles human-produced work. It matters to investors because it has the potential to transform industries by automating tasks, enhancing creativity, and enabling new products and services, which can influence company performance and market opportunities.

ad blockers technical

"Ad blockers, ad-free subscriptions, signal loss, and VPN usage continue"

Ad blockers are software tools or browser features that prevent display of online advertisements, like a pair of sunglasses that filters out bright billboards on a webpage. They matter to investors because they can reduce revenue for websites, apps and media companies that sell ads, change how quickly platforms can reach customers, and push businesses toward alternative income streams such as subscriptions or direct sales.

vpn technical

"Ad blockers, ad-free subscriptions, signal loss, and VPN usage continue"

A VPN (virtual private network) creates a secure, private “tunnel” through the public internet that hides a device’s location and encrypts the data sent and received, like sealing a letter inside a locked envelope while it travels through the mail. For investors, VPNs matter because they reduce the risk of data breaches, support remote work and regulatory compliance, and represent a recurring-revenue market driver for companies that sell cybersecurity and networking services.

retail media technical

"Lean into retail media to surprise and delight shoppers"

Retail media is the practice of retailers selling advertising space and promotional placements on their websites, apps, in-store screens and checkout areas, using their customer shopping data to target ads. It matters to investors because it creates a high-margin, recurring revenue stream for retailers—like a grocery store renting its endcap for featured products—and can boost profit and valuation by turning customer traffic into advertising sales.

generative engine optimization (geo) technical

"Adopt Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies to prepare for AI's growing role"

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of shaping data, content and product inputs so they are more likely to be used, surfaced or trusted by large AI systems that produce text, images or recommendations. For investors it matters because companies that master GEO can make their products, research or marketing appear more prominently inside AI-driven services, potentially boosting customer acquisition, revenue and the perceived value of proprietary data—similar to tuning a storefront so shoppers find it first in a busy mall.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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"Future Of Brand Influence" Outlines How Brands Must Balance Human Connection and Machine Intelligence to Drive Growth

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, today released a new research report - The Future of Brand Influence - revealing how the dynamics of brand growth are being reshaped by a fragmented and increasingly complex influence ecosystem, where traditional advertising now represents just one of many forces shaping consumer decision-making - alongside influencers, peer commentary, retail environments, and AI-driven recommendations.

Supported by research ¹ conducted by Omnicom Media Intelligence, the report explores how the long-standing fundamentals of brand growth - physical and mental availability - must now be expanded to include emotional availability, as consumers exert greater control over how, where, and from whom they receive information.

"Influence used to be relatively linear and predictable," says Joanna O'Connell, Chief Intelligence Officer, Omnicom Media North America and lead author of the study. "Today, brand messaging exists alongside everything from influencer opinions to AI-generated answers - and that means brands must earn emotional relevance and trust across a much broader set of touchpoints."

The research provides context for several first-to-market collaborations between Omnicom and leading retailers and social platforms, which will be unveiled this week at CES. These partnerships are designed to help brands enhance influence at critical moments across the consumer journey—from discovery through purchase and loyalty.

Who and What Really Influences Consumers

The study reveals a significant shift in how consumers form opinions and make decisions.

• 71% of respondents say what people are saying about a brand matters more than its advertising.
• Nearly half say AI (45%) and influencers (43%) matter more than advertising when shaping brand perceptions.
• 54% trust people—such as influencers or peers on social platforms—more than publications or institutions; among Gen Z, that figure rises to 67%.
• Only 32% of respondents say a brand's advertising most affects their overall opinion of a brand, compared to 40% who cite what people online are saying.

"Trust is migrating from institutions to individuals, and increasingly to machines as well," O'Connell says. "That shift fundamentally changes how brands need to show up if they want to remain relevant and influential."

The GenAI Effect: Faster Paths from Curiosity to Action

Generative AI is accelerating the pace at which consumers move from inquiry to expertise to purchase.

• 70% of respondents say GenAI enables them to become an expert in any product or service category, from researching pros and cons to comparing brands.

At the same time, attention is increasingly fragmented:

• 63% of respondents say their attention span is just OK or not great.
• Nearly 4 in 10 report not noticing ads on social media, even in high-ad-load environments.
• Ad blockers, ad-free subscriptions, signal loss, and VPN usage continue to erode traditional advertising reach.

Economic Pressure Is Competing with Emotional Loyalty

The report also highlights the growing tension between brand influence and economic influence:

• More than 30% of respondents now report buying cheaper versions of their usual brands, up from 19% earlier this year.
• 75% say brand relatability is essential when making purchase decisions - yet 72% believe brands care more about earning dollars than building loyalty.
• And 55% feel brands no longer try to connect with them the way they used to.

Summarizing the collective impact, O'Connell says, "These findings reveal a media ecosystem in which brand influence is either being blocked, deprioritized, diluted, or self-sabotaged."

Implications: Rethinking the Rules of Brand Growth

While physical, mental, and emotional availability remain critical drivers of growth, the study finds that the paths to achieving them have fundamentally changed:

• Physical Availability now requires ubiquitous, frictionless products/services access across digital and physical channels.
• Mental Availability depends on cutting through unprecedented noise and dis-intermediation in a marketplace where reach and frequency are just table stakes.
• Emotional Availability has emerged as a decisive lever for building authentic connection at scale.

Says O'Connell, "These shifts are coming together to unveil a new marketing reality where brand influence is achieved by balancing the role of machines with the power of human connection in moments where brands are likeliest to capture people's attention."

Key Takeaways and Recommendations

To succeed in the new influence ecosystem, Omnicom Media recommends that brands:

• Market to humans by tapping into emotion at scale.
  • Leverage live experiences to capture elevated attention and emotional engagement.
  • Invest in influencers as authentic brand ambassadors and scalable media channels.
  • Lean into retail media to surprise and delight shoppers throughout the purchase journey.
  • Treat search as a behavior—meeting consumers wherever they are, on their terms.
• Market to machines by preparing for what's next.
  • Adopt Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies to prepare for AI's growing role in shaping consumer decisions.

"The future of brand influence isn't about choosing between humans and machines," says O'Connell. "It's about designing systems that serve both. Brands that do this well can turn discovery, consideration, purchase, and loyalty into a self-reinforcing growth flywheel."

The full Future of Brand Influence report can be downloaded here.

ABOUT OMNICOM MEDIA

Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, is the world's largest global media management network. Powered by the Omni Intelligence Platform, Omnicom Media agencies leverage $73.5 billion in billings, 40,000+ specialists across 70+ markets, and the industry's most powerful portfolio of Identity (Acxiom RealID™), Commerce (Flywheel), and Intelligence (Q™) assets to design dynamic Growth Ecosystems that enable the world's most ambitious businesses to grow faster and smarter. The Omnicom Media portfolio includes leading global media agency brands OMD, Initiative, PHD, UM, Hearts & Science, and Mediahub; Data, Identity & Analytics powerhouses Acxiom and Annalect; and a broad spectrum of specialized services. For more information visit omnicommedia.com.

¹ The Future of Brand Influence study surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18–72 between October 15–20, 2025, using OMG Signal, Omnicom Media's proprietary standing consumer panel.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omnicom-media-study-reveals-new-rules-for-brand-growth-in-the-era-of-fragmented-influence-302652954.html

SOURCE Omnicom Media

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Omnicom (OMC) report on January 5, 2026 about advertising influence?

Omnicom reported that only 32% of respondents say advertising most affects brand opinion, while online commentary ranks higher.

How does the Omnicom OMC study say GenAI affects consumer behavior?

The study found 70% of respondents say GenAI helps them become experts and accelerates the path from curiosity to purchase.

What consumer trust shifts did Omnicom highlight for OMC investors?

Omnicom found 54% trust people more than institutions and 67% of Gen Z trust peers over institutions.

How does the Omnicom OMC report recommend brands respond to fragmented attention?

Recommendations include marketing to emotion at scale, investing in influencers and retail media, and adopting GEO strategies for AI.

What economic pressure trends did Omnicom note that could affect OMC client revenue?

The report shows >30% of consumers now buy cheaper brand alternatives, up from 19% earlier in the year.

Will Omnicom unveil related partnerships and when will investors learn more?

Omnicom said first-to-market collaborations with retailers and platforms will be unveiled at CES this week.