By Coral Cripps
Publication Date: 2026-03-23 14:58:00
IBM x Ogilvy Split: Key Findings
Ogilvy chose not to participate in IBM’s creative RFP, ending a 32-year partnership that began in 1994.
The decision was commercial, driven by longstanding balance-of-trade friction between WPP and IBM.
The split follows WPP’s restructure into four operating units, as the holding company moves away from its traditional model under CEO Cindy Rose.
Ogilvy has walked away from IBM after 32 years as its creative agency of record, one of the longest partnerships in modern advertising.
The decision is understood to have been primarily commercial, with balance-of-trade friction between holding company WPP and IBM cited as the key factor.
The relationship dated back to 1994, when IBM consolidated its $500 million U.S. advertising account with the agency.
The two companies marked their 30-year milestone in August 2024, at Ogilvy’s 3 World Trade Center headquarters.
The IBM-Ogilvy split is the latest sign that the all-in-one agency partnership is under commercial…
