Omnicom, John Lewis, Ulta: This Week's Top Marketing News

Omnicom Appoints CEO of Omnicom Health Marketing

Omnicom has appointed Tom Schwenger as CEO of Omnicom Health's marketing business. The leadership change takes effect immediately and sees Tom take over the unit previously reporting to Dana Maiman, who is leaving the company.

“I want to thank Dana for her leadership of Omnicom Health, and before that, IPG Health,” says Michael Larson, Chairman of Omnicom Health. 

“Her contributions to our agencies, clients and our people extend well beyond her critical role in bringing our two companies together. We are grateful for the strong organisation she helped build.”

In his new position, Tom will oversee Omnicom Health's global marketing agencies. 

Working alongside agency leaders and integrated client leads, he will develop client engagement models tailored to the needs of pharma, biotech and consumer healthcare clients. 

These models will be underpinned by data platforms Omni and Acxiom, and Tom will coordinate his leadership transition with Michael. 

“I'm excited to welcome Tom to the leadership team,” says Michael. “He brings three decades of experience scaling commercial operations in the healthcare industry, along with a proven ability to drive transformative growth through technology and AI and build high-performing teams. 

“That combination makes him ideally suited to lead our marketing business.”

John Lewis Launches 2026 Christmas Advert

It’s that time of year again. 

John Lewis has shared its 2026 Christmas advert, ‘Gloria and Pickles’, the 20th edition of the retailer’s iconic Christmas ads. 

While many of John Lewis’s previous Christmas adverts have focused on children – such as 2014’s Monty the Penguin – this year stars Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and focuses on the relationship between a grandmother and her grandchildren. 

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi and with music from Sam Fender, the three-minute advert follows grandmother Gloria and her childhood gift, Pickles the dog (voiced by Paul Whitehouse). 

Underpinned by the tagline ‘Don’t give up on giving’ the ad zeroes in on the idea that the fear of not finding the perfect gift can overshadow the joy of giving something thoughtful. 

The Wella Company Appoints Carole Gardner Diarra as new CMO

The Wella Company is making several key leadership changes across brand and marketing. 

Carole Gardner Diarra has been named the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer, as the Wella Company evolves the design of its global brand and marketing function. 

The two areas are being split into distinct teams, with Global Brand focusing on  building the strength of the company’s portfolio of brands, while Global Marketing will look after turning that brand strength into consumer demand. 

“Our teams are building a modern marketing engine that fuels consumer and stylist desire, turns brand relevance into sustained demand and positions our brands to capture an outsized share of that growth,” says Carole.

“I can’t wait to bring this ambition to life alongside them, connecting creativity, culture, data and technology with the stylist expertise at the heart of Wella.” 

WPP Agencies Sweep London International Awards

A number of WPP agencies have received global and regional honours at the 2026 London International Awards (LIA), ending a year described by WPP as a “standout” for creative excellence. 

Standouts included Ogilvy being named Global Network of the Year, VML UK, London, taking home Global Agency of the Year and WPP Media being named Global Media Network of the Year. 

Agencies within Ogilvy were also recognised across Asia, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa and South America. 

Ulta Beauty’s Holiday Campaign Puts Gift Givers First

It’s official – the festive season has begun for retailers.

Ulta Beauty’s holiday campaign reminds shoppers that “The Magic Starts with You” this winter and sees the return of Mrs. Claus after her Ulta debut last year. 

Starring pop musicians Tate McRae and Selena Gomez, the campaign aims to implement the message that while it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of purchasing gifts for other people, shoppers need to save a bit of magic for themselves.

Kelly Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer at Ulta Beauty adds: “The holidays are often about giving to others, but we believe that there is something equally powerful about making time for yourself. That is the inspiration behind our ‘The Magic Starts with You’ campaign.”

Who are Omnicom’s key partners?

• Adobe: Omnicom and Adobe expanded their global partnership in April 2026 to co-develop an enterprise-grade, industry-specialised AI Agentic Operating Model solution for global brands.
• Google Cloud: Omnicom's strategic partnership with Google Cloud integrates advanced Gen AI and cloud capabilities directly into Omnicom's open operating system, Omni.
• Microsoft: Omnicom's partnership with Microsoft centres on integrating Azure OpenAI and ChatGPT, as well as Microsoft Advertising solutions, into Omni.
• Unisys: Omnicom partnered with Unisys to execute a massive global IT and cloud transformation that connects 70,000 creative professionals across 70 countries.