The FTC Just Redefined What It Means to Be a Media Agency
Contributed By: Chris Marine, Founder/CEO
The FTC’s conditional approval of the $13.5 billion Omnicom–IPG merger is more than a regulatory footnote it’s a fundamental shift in how media power is policed in the U.S.
Under a rare ten-year consent order, the newly combined entity is now restricted from steering client ad dollars away from (or toward) publishers based on “ideological” content unless a brand explicitly asks them to. It also requires Omnicom to submit annual compliance reports and document each decision that involves a politically sensitive media exclusion.
To some, this looks like a win for transparency particularly for publishers who’ve long been penalized by blacklists that mistake quality journalism for controversy. But to us in the industry, it’s a red flag. The order doesn’t define what “ideological” means, leaving it open to interpretation, and potential politicization under current and future administrations.
It also creates an uneven playing field. While Omnicom now faces deep operational and legal reporting requirements, global competitors like WPP, Publicis, and Dentsu are free to move without those constraints. And it assumes that media exclusion decisions are agency-driven, when in reality, most are nuanced, client-led, and built in collaboration with brand teams, verification partners, and platform guidance.
But here’s what’s not being said enough: this isn’t just a regulatory update. It’s a spotlight on a system that’s been broken for a while.
Before I founded Campfire, I worked on the sales side of media. I saw firsthand how deals were done. Agencies chasing volume-based incentives, accepting gifts and exotic trips in exchange for inflated share. Political favors exchanged. Media buyers plugging in spots to meet a deadline, not a business outcome. And brands, too often, left out of the loop on where their dollars were really going. That’s why I built this company. To do it differently. To put trust, strategy, and transparency back at the center of media planning. Because if we’re not connecting the dots between where we place dollars and what we want those dollars to do for business and for society - then what’s the point?
This ruling is a reminder that big doesn’t always mean better. In fact, bloat can be a liability. At Campfire, we’re proudly independent, not by default, but by design. We don’t answer to holding companies. We answer to people. Our size gives us speed, our structure gives us integrity, and our purpose gives us staying power. We build media strategies that aren’t just technically sound, they’re human-centered, values-aligned, and made to drive actual growth.
In a media environment shaped by increasing complexity of politics, technology, and economics, the last thing you need is more red tape. You need a partner who can cut through it. Let’s build a better way forward. One decision, one placement, one purpose-filled strategy at a time.
