The news: The FTC’s conditional approval of Omnicom’s $13.5 billion acquisition of IPG marks a major shift for both media buying and political influence on the advertising world. For the first time, the FTC has barred the merged company from coordinating ad spending based on political or ideological content, as we had earlier reported.

• Omnicom was forbidden by the agency from rejecting advertisers on the basis of their political beliefs and from complying with customer requests that specifically steer or steer clear of publishers based only on ideological considerations—unless the justification is brand-specific and not agency-mandated.
• The FTC opted for what Commissioner Andrew Ferguson called a rare but fitting “behavioral remedy” instead of requiring structural changes. Though Ferguson has criticized behavioral remedies as hard to enforce, he cited past collusion in media buying as justification. The companies must file annual compliance reports for the next five years.
• Omnicom and IPG highlighted the strategic importance of the deal in public remarks, describing it as a spark for a "new era" of marketing solutions that integrate tech, talent, and geographic reach.