India’s advertising agency market has seen a busy year of account reviews, competitive pitches and mandate changes in 2026. Brands across FMCG, technology, automotive, financial services, retail and consumer businesses have reassessed their agency partnerships as marketers look for stronger combinations of creativity, media, data, performance and technology.
The scale of the movement is visible in media accounts. COMvergence tracked 62 account moves and retentions in India during the first half of 2026, representing an estimated $838 million in media spend. Local pitches accounted for about $719 million, or 86% of the total, while global and multi-market reviews represented approximately $119 million.
Media Pitches Dominate
The H1 data shows that media remains one of the most competitive areas of agency new business.
Wavemaker recorded the highest net new-business value among individual media agencies at $147 million, followed by Zenith at $126 million and Starcom at $71 million. Initiative recorded $29 million, while Motivator recorded $21 million.
At the agency-group level, Publicis Media recorded $218 million in net new-business value, followed by WPP Media at $198 million and Omnicom Media Group at $18 million.
These figures represent COMvergence’s assessment of account moves and retentions rather than total advertising revenue.
L’Oréal Makes A Major Move
One of the year’s largest Indian media reviews involved L’Oréal India.
Zenith India, part of Publicis Groupe, won L’Oréal India’s integrated media mandate following a competitive review. Industry reports have estimated the account at around ₹1,100–1,200 crore, with the move ending a long-standing relationship with Wavemaker India.
The account illustrates how major advertisers are increasingly seeking integrated approaches covering media strategy, digital transformation, content and communications planning.
Maruti Retains WPP Media
Not every major pitch resulted in a change of agency.
Maruti Suzuki India completed a review of its media business in May, with WPP Media retaining the mandate. Industry estimates placed the account at approximately ₹1,200 crore.
Such retentions are an important part of the agency market because they can represent substantial media investment without creating a new agency relationship.
Tata Takes IPL Media To Dentsu
Dentsu India won Tata Group’s consolidated IPL media mandate following a competitive pitch.
The mandate brings multiple Tata businesses under a unified media strategy for the Indian Premier League, including Tata Motors, Voltas, TATA AIG, CaratLane and Air India Express, according to industry reports.
The move demonstrates the growing importance of integrated sports-media planning as major brands compete for attention around India’s largest sporting properties.
Automotive Accounts Shift
The automotive category has also produced significant agency activity.
Jaguar Land Rover India appointed WPP as its preferred media and creative partner after a review process, while TVS Motor moved its consolidated media planning and buying mandate from Madison World to Dentsu. The TVS account has been reported at approximately ₹200 crore annually.
These reviews reflect the increasing importance of cross-platform media planning for automotive advertisers competing across television, digital, social media and emerging commerce channels.
Creative Accounts Keep Moving
The pitch activity has not been limited to media.
BBDO India won the integrated creative mandate for LT Foods’ Daawat in July, covering strategy, creative development and integrated communications. Dentsu Creative India also won Lotte India’s creative mandate following a multi-agency pitch.
McCann India subsequently won the integrated creative mandate for 3M’s consumer business following another competitive review.
Independent Agencies Get Their Share
The market is also producing wins for independent and specialist agencies.
Punt Creative won the communications mandate for PizzaExpress India, while SW Network secured Garden Vareli’s performance-marketing mandate. Team Pumpkin won digital or social-media assignments for brands including Royaloak and Lavie.
These wins show that account reviews are not limited to the largest multinational agency networks.
Why Brands Are Reviewing Agencies
The nature of agency pitches is changing alongside marketing itself.
Advertisers increasingly want agencies to connect creative ideas with performance marketing, commerce, influencer campaigns, data, AI and measurable business outcomes.
A media agency may therefore be evaluated not simply on negotiated rates but also on audience intelligence, measurement, technology and the ability to connect offline and digital channels.
The Pitch Pipeline
The second half of 2026 continues to generate account reviews across creative, media and communications. Industry trackers are monitoring pitches involving brands across automotive, consumer goods, technology, travel, financial services and retail. Campaign India’s account-move tracker, for example, continues to publish regular updates on new pitches, reviews and confirmed wins.
A More Competitive Agency Market
India’s 2026 agency landscape is therefore being shaped by two parallel trends: major advertisers are conducting large-scale reviews, while specialist agencies are competing for increasingly focused assignments.
The $838 million in media account activity recorded by COMvergence during the first half of the year provides a measure of the scale of that competition.
For agencies, the pitch is no longer only about a compelling creative presentation. Increasingly, winning requires demonstrating how creativity, media, data, technology and measurable business outcomes can work together.