The news: WPP Media saw the highest volume of new business wins in Q1 2026, per COMvergence data cited by Adweek—indicating that the company’s turnaround plans may be starting to bear fruit.

• WPP added $1.5 billion in Q1 client billings, helped by high-profile wins such as Estée Lauder and Jaguar Land Rover.
• Omnicom followed with $1 billion in new business wins and $1 billion in client retention; Publicis, which far exceeded its competitors in Q4 2025 business wins, ranked third, but led in client retention.
• While WPP led the pack in clients added, it also saw the steepest quarterly decline, shedding $819 million in client revenues—well above Omnicom’s $430 million and Publicis’ $45 million.
• COMvergence noted that media agencies overall held onto clients at a strong pace, with global retention climbing to 38%, among the best rates seen in the past few years.

Zooming out: WPP’s “Elevate28” turnaround plan is structured in stages, starting with efforts to steady its new business performance before shifting into a 2028-and-beyond acceleration phase aimed at creating a lower-cost, AI-focused operation.

WPP took the first major step in April when it restructured its commerce experts into a single unit known as WPP Commerce, with the goal of encouraging the holdco’s clients to combine their retail and media spending into one budget.

In its Q1 earnings statement, WPP said it expects revenue trends to improve in the second half of 2026, while reassuring investors that Elevate28 remains “on track” and is already showing early signs of progress.

COMvergence’s Q2 analysis appears to support WPP’s optimism, though it also suggests the company’s new business gains have not fully made up for accounts lost to rivals.

Implications for agencies: WPP appears to have set the foundation for a recovery and is beginning to show progress, but client retention remains a significant vulnerability. A turnaround will depend not just on winning new accounts, but on sharply reducing client losses—and on whether innovations like WPP’s AI tools and investments can give it an edge as agencies compete for clients seeking more simplified, automated solutions.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.