Omnicom Partners with Disney and Walmart to Enhance Live Marketing Strategies

In a strategic move to amplify its marketing capabilities, Omnicom Group Inc. has formed significant partnerships with Disney and Walmart, announced during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on June 16, 2025. This initiative aims to leverage the growing importance of live content, particularly in the realms of sports and influencer marketing.

The partnership with Disney focuses on utilizing live sports moments programmatically, allowing clients of Omnicom Media Group (OMG) to capitalize on pivotal events during live broadcasts. According to Megan Pagliuca, North American Chief Product Officer at Omnicom Media Group, the collaboration represents a pioneering effort to enhance ad relevance and personalization in real-time. Pagliuca explained, “It’s about the opportunity to create more addressability, more personalization, and more relevance within live,” noting that Disney only began offering programmatic access to live content in late 2024.

Charlie Cebuhar, North American Managing Director of Programmatic at OMG, emphasized the innovative potential of Disney's new “Magic Words” feature, which allows advertisers to engage during critical game moments, such as lead changes or significant plays. The programmatic access aims to enhance viewer engagement by aligning ads with high-attention moments, ultimately maximizing the effectiveness of advertising for brands like State Farm, as highlighted by Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at the company.

Simultaneously, Omnicom's partnership with Walmart seeks to tap into the influencer marketing landscape, focusing on individuals with a proven ability to drive consumer purchases. Through this collaboration, OMG will gain first-mover access to Walmart's customer purchase data, which allows for the identification of influencers whose audiences align with Walmart shoppers. Kevin Blazaitis, U.S. President of Creo, Omnicom’s influencer marketing arm, noted that influencer recommendations significantly impact consumer purchasing behavior, with 49% of consumers reporting regular purchases based on influencer endorsements.

The research conducted by OMG revealed that nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials have made purchases based on a single influencer post, underscoring the importance of influencers in contemporary marketing strategies. This partnership will involve a sophisticated matching process, aligning Walmart’s audience data with social platform data to identify suitable influencers, starting with TikTok. Ryan Mayward, Senior Vice President of Sales at Walmart Connect, stated, “We’re really intrigued by retail media’s potential to bring its audience targeting capabilities and accountability to influencer marketing.”

The implications of these partnerships extend beyond enhancing advertising techniques. They represent a broader trend in the marketing industry toward integrating real-time data and influencer-driven strategies to meet evolving consumer preferences. As the digital landscape continues to shift, the ability to engage audiences through live, relevant content will be critical for advertisers seeking to maintain competitive advantages.

In conclusion, Omnicom’s partnerships with Disney and Walmart position the company at the forefront of a rapidly evolving marketing environment, where live content and influencer engagement play crucial roles. The outcomes of these collaborations may set new standards for how brands connect with consumers in an increasingly digital marketplace. The efficacy of these strategies will be closely monitored as Omnicom seeks to redefine the marketing landscape through innovative approaches to live advertising.

As the landscape of advertising continues to evolve, the effectiveness of these partnerships will likely influence future marketing strategies across various industries, emphasizing the significance of real-time engagement and influencer marketing in shaping consumer behavior.