Uber has retained Omnicom Media as its global media buying and planning agency with an annual budget of $879 mln — nearly five times higher than five years ago. The holding will continue operations through PHD agency in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, while also taking over Uber's sports marketing and expanding services in Brazil.
Pitch Results: Omnicom Retains the Client, WPP Gets Asia Only
The media buying tender took place in the second quarter of 2026 with participation from two major holdings — Omnicom and WPP. WPP confirmed retention of Uber's media services only in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company spends approximately $136 mln on advertising annually. Until 2023, WPP was Uber's global agency, but the majority of the budget shifted to Omnicom.
The updated contract solidifies Uber's strategy of working with major media holdings while simultaneously developing its own advertising division, Creative Studio. The company manages an advertising business worth $2 bln, becoming a media giant.
Growth in Influencer Advertising and Traditional Media Budgets
Over five years, Uber's media spending grew from $190 mln to $879 mln — a 362% increase. The spike is driven by business expansion beyond its taxi service: the company is developing food delivery and other segments that require constant media presence and collaboration with influencers to reach new audiences.
The contract renewal occurred immediately after closing the $14.8 bln acquisition of German food delivery platform Delivery Hero — a merger that makes Uber the largest food delivery group outside China.
For Omnicom, winning the pitch was the second major account acquisition in 2026: earlier, the holding won the global Adidas account with a budget of $512 mln. Omnicom will present its second quarter financial results next week — retaining the Uber contract will strengthen reported organic growth figures.
What This Means for the Russian Market and Brands
Uber's fivefold increase in advertising investments demonstrates how business diversification requires scaled media presence. For Russian companies expanding beyond their initial niche, precise media mix calculation is critical: what share of budget to allocate to traditional channels, how much to influencer partnerships, how to forecast reach and conversion rates. Professional media buying with KPI forecasting helps avoid budget fragmentation — the ETC team builds media plans with influencer selection tailored to specific performance metrics, calculating CPM and forecasting results before campaign launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is media buying and why is it needed
Media buying is the purchase of advertising placements in media, with influencers, and on platforms with calculation of contact cost and planning of reach. It ensures optimal budget distribution across channels and maximizes advertising return through negotiations with platforms and audience analysis.
How much does media buying cost for a brand
The cost depends on campaign volume, number of channels, and complexity of the media plan — agencies typically charge a percentage of the placement budget or a fixed fee. For small brands, this can start from 100 thousand rubles per month; for large brands — millions, including purchases from top influencers and traditional media.
How to calculate influencer advertising effectiveness
Basic metrics are CPM (cost per thousand impressions), reach, audience engagement, and conversion to target action. Professional media buying includes forecasting these metrics before campaign start and comparing actual results against the plan to adjust strategy.
In Brief
- Uber has retained Omnicom Media as its global media buying agency with an annual budget of $879 mln — a 4.6x increase over five years.
- WPP will continue serving only the Asia-Pacific region ($136 mln), with other markets remaining with Omnicom through PHD agency.
- Uber's business expansion into food delivery and other segments required multiple increases in media spending and development of its own advertising division.
- For brands scaling their presence, a professional media plan with precise channel distribution calculation is key to effective investments.
Want to see where the market is heading before your competitors do? The ETC team builds a media strategy and media plan for your niche — with reach forecasts and KPIs fixed in the contract.
