The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved Omnicom’s $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG), subject to strict conditions aimed at preventing discrimination and protecting competition in the ad market.
The 10-year consent order bars Omnicom from directing or withholding ad spend based on political, ideological, or diversity-related criteria, and from sharing exclusion lists across clients. Advertisers may still set their own placement preferences, but Omnicom must dismantle any internal practices violating the order.
To enforce compliance, the company must submit annual reports, retain records, appoint an FTC-approved independent monitor for five years, and notify the Commission of major organizational changes.
The settlement, approved by a 2-0-1 vote, seeks to prevent collusion and bias in media buying while safeguarding competitive fairness and content diversity.