The news: Mastercard has awarded WPP Media its $180 million media account after ending its relationship with Dentsu-owned Carat.

The lead up: WPP Media landed Mastercard after voluntarily dropping PayPal from its client list.

• PayPal was by far a bigger account—$286.7 million in global media, per COMvergence data reported by Campaign Live.
• But WPP decided not to compete for the account “to pursue other opportunities,” per AdAge.

PayPal may have a larger global media account, but Mastercard has more capacity for growth. PayPal spent $574 million in advertising expenses in 2024, versus Mastercard’s $815 million budget. 

AI angle: Mastercard is all in on AI and expects its partners to advance its technological capabilities across its platform. A spokesperson for the network said WPP Media’s “powerful global reach and advanced AI and data capabilities” sealed its appointment to the role.

Agency narratives: Carat’s loss of its decade-old Mastercard account comes on the heels of a disappointing quarter for Dentsu, which laid off 8% of its workforce. For WPP Media, securing Mastercard builds a redemption arc after losing Mars and Coca-Cola.

Our take: WPP Media’s previous work with PayPal may give insight into the type of media it might produce for Mastercard. 

As the creative firm behind the “Venmo Everything” campaign and the Will Ferrell-fronted PayPal Pay Later campaign, Mastercard’s new promos likely will feature zeitgeisty and generationally buzzy celebrities to target younger demographics.

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.