‘The next era of advertising will be built on identity’

As Omnicom enters its first Cannes Lions following its landmark consolidation, the industry is closely watching how the world’s largest advertising holding company plans to leverage its scale, data and technology capabilities. But beyond the headlines around size, there are deeper questions about identity, AI, measurement and the future role of agencies in an increasingly fragmented media ecosystem.

At Cannes Lions 2026, Neeta Nair, Editor, IMPACT Magazine, spoke to Jarrod Martin, Chief Transformation Officer at Omnicom Media Group and CEO of Acxiom, about what the ‘new Omnicom’ can do differently, why identity is becoming more valuable than data, how AI is reshaping media activation, and why agencies must prove their relevance by helping brands make smarter decisions across platforms.

Excerpts:

We all hear about how the new Omnicom is so huge—the scale, the data and the technology. But if you had to explain it simply, what can the new Omnicom do that the earlier Omnicom could not?

Scale has been talked about a lot in the media, and I think that’s one aspect, but it’s not the only story. What’s really important is the unification of capabilities that didn’t exist before.

Acxiom, for example, is a huge addition to the Omnicom network. Previously, Omnicom didn’t own its own data and identity spine. Much of that capability was rented through third parties. Now, Omnicom owns those assets, which are incredibly important in the AI era.

Owning a data asset—and even more importantly, an identity asset—allows us to organise client data, publisher data and our own internal data in a way that enables AI to work much more effectively. That’s part one.

Part two is that we’ve started connecting different parts of our business more meaningfully to create solutions that are client-centric rather than capability-centric.

For example, Acxiom's Real ID is an identity solution that we’re pushing into the ad-tech ecosystem. It helps knit together disparate data sources so we can understand impressions and conversions across different channels.

When you connect identity with media, you can measure and attribute success in ways that weren’t previously possible. Historically, marketers invested in platforms and relied on the black-box optimisation within those platforms. We’re moving towards a world where we can see across platforms and make smarter decisions about where money should move based on identity integration and the technology within Omni. That's really where one plus one equals three.

For years, media agencies have claimed that data is their competitive advantage. But companies like Amazon, Meta and Google arguably have far richer datasets. So, what becomes the competitive advantage?

We are never going to have greater first-party data assets than Amazon, for example. But we’re not trying to compete directly with Amazon. I would say that identity is becoming more important than data. By identity, I mean the ability to stitch together different data sources.

What we're seeing from both partners and clients is an increasing interest in sharing data in privacy-safe ways. Acxiom’s Real ID acts as the Rosetta Stone that connects and translates all of that data. In many ways, that's more important than the data itself.

For instance, we can access Amazon data in a privacy-safe manner and combine it with first-party data to generate new insights, new audiences and new activations that drive better outcomes.

So, it’s not about having better data than publishers or platforms. It’s about connecting those data sources to create a clearer understanding of consumers and deliver stronger results for clients.

Particularly in Asia, quick commerce has emerged as a major force. We’re also seeing greater integration between quick-commerce data and CTV data. Could these eventually become the next major media platforms?

I think quick commerce will account for an increasing share of client spend. However, when we talk about the next major media platform, what I see emerging is a tiered ecosystem. You’ll continue to have the top-tier players such as Amazon, Google and TikTok.

Then you'll have a second tier consisting of retail media networks and quick-commerce networks across different markets. There may come a point where some of those networks aggregate and create a larger platform. But right now, we’re seeing tremendous value in working with that second tier and facilitating value exchange across different parts of the commerce ecosystem.

For example, you might have a retailer, a card issuer and an advertiser. Bringing their data together to create mutual value for all three parties is really what we’re all about.

AI is everywhere at Cannes this year. Yet the industry still struggles with disconnected data systems, fragmented data and measurement challenges. Is AI solving those problems or creating new ones?

AI is making some things simpler and other things more complex.

When we think about workflows—from receiving a brief to launching a campaign—that entire process is becoming faster, simpler and easier to produce.

But once we move into activation, things become much more complicated.

There are millions of possible ways to reach consumers across DSPs, SSPs, publisher-direct relationships and curated environments. The challenge becomes identifying the best path to reach a consumer and then measuring the outcome accurately.

So, we’re seeing simplification in workflow, but increasing complexity in activation.

What we’re doing is embedding Real ID across the ad-tech and mar-tech ecosystem. Identity becomes the train tracks that activation runs on. It allows us to bring performance data back together, understand deduplicated outcomes and move investment intelligently across walled gardens and open-web inventory. That’s where we believe our value lies. In my opinion, an agency or holding company that can’t make smart decisions between platforms doesn’t have a long-term future. That’s our big bet.

Marketers have spent years pursuing personalisation. But consumers increasingly feel uncomfortable when advertising becomes too intrusive. What does the next phase of consumer targeting look like?

There are a few elements to that.

The first is better frequency management. What people often perceive as stalking is simply excessive repetition. If we can connect data sources and create a unified view of consumers, we can ensure we’re not communicating with someone too many times, regardless of platform.

The second is consent. Understanding what consumers have opted into, where personalisation is appropriate and how to execute against those preferences accurately will be critical.

The third is data provenance. I might do a Google search about something that I’ve just spoken about to somebody, and I’ve not done anything about it before, and somehow I was able to predict what I’m about to type.

I think we need to be clearer as marketers about the provenance of that data and be very careful about where we are using it and where we are not using it, independent of consent.

As AI agents become more sophisticated, could marketers eventually be marketing to algorithms rather than consumers?

I can imagine a future where the advertising ecosystem becomes a buying agent talking to a selling agent.

A buying agent might understand what you earn, what you’re saving for, what you’re willing to spend and what products you like. It then goes out and finds products and services on your behalf.

In that world, advertising becomes partly about optimising the connection between the buying agent and the selling agent. How do we ensure the buying agent has all the information it needs to make the right decisions?

I also think sampling will become more important. Brands may proactively put products into consumers’ hands to influence future purchasing decisions. Experiential and live events will also continue to play a significant role.

When we think about always-on performance media, I can see it evolving into a world of buying agents vs selling agents rather than the traditional advertising landscape we know today.