On October 7, 2025, Bayer, one of the world’s most prominent healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, made a decisive move to reshape its global marketing strategy. The company announced the selection of Interpublic Group (IPG) as its exclusive global agency partner for its Consumer Health division, a decision that signals the start of what Bayer describes as a new era for its iconic brands such as Aspirin, Bepanthen, Claritin, and Canesten. This partnership is not just a routine agency appointment; it’s an ambitious step towards harnessing the latest in data-driven marketing, artificial intelligence, and creative innovation to deepen consumer trust and engagement on a worldwide scale.
According to Bayer, the goal behind this sweeping agency change is clear: to strengthen the love and trust that consumers have in its household-name brands. To achieve this, Bayer is betting on a newly integrated agency model—one that combines the global reach and technological prowess of IPG with a flexible, locally attuned approach. The strategy is designed to ensure that marketing content resonates more personally with consumers, no matter where they are in the world.
David Evendon-Challis, who leads the Consumer Health division at Bayer, explained the rationale behind this move in a statement released on October 7. “Our new agency model addresses two competing forces in today’s marketing landscape: the need for greater connectivity and individuality, while also increasing efficiency and automation,” he said. Evendon-Challis emphasized that the partnership with IPG is about finding that delicate balance—making sure marketing efforts are both globally consistent and locally relevant.
The new model is also set to leverage the rapid acceleration of generative AI (GenAI) tools and capabilities. Bayer believes that by embracing these technologies, it can engage consumers at a more personal level, delivering content tailored to their specific needs and preferences. The company’s ambition is to move away from generic, one-size-fits-all messaging and instead create marketing that feels genuinely relevant to each individual.
Philippe Krakowsky, Chief Executive Officer of Interpublic Group, expressed both excitement and a sense of responsibility about the partnership. “We are honored and inspired by Bayer’s decision,” Krakowsky said in response to the announcement. “In today’s fragmented and dynamic marketing landscape, clients are seeking partners who can seamlessly and connectedly integrate creativity and media with data and technology.” He went on to highlight the scale and ambition of Bayer’s portfolio, describing its brands as “trusted, with enormous reach and influence.” According to Krakowsky, IPG’s approach will bring together bold ideas, smarter media strategies, and technology-driven productions, all aimed at accelerating growth and building deeper consumer trust across every market where Bayer operates.
The timing of this move is strategic. Bayer expects the new agency structure to become fully operational beginning January 1, 2026, following a transition and handover phase. This gives both Bayer and IPG a window to align their teams, integrate their systems, and ensure that the new model can deliver on its promises from day one. The partnership is also expected to benefit from IPG’s planned merger with Omnicom, which, if completed as anticipated, would create one of the largest and most capable marketing networks in the world. Bayer is optimistic that this combined force will unlock even greater talent and capabilities for its brands.
But why is this shift so significant? For years, many companies—including some of the biggest names in global business—have relied on what’s often called the "scattergun" or "watering can" approach to marketing. This means sending out messages to broad, undifferentiated audiences in the hope that some will stick. According to Joana Rüdebusch, a content creator and SEO manager at CleverReach, this method is increasingly outdated. “In email marketing, the more relevant the content, the higher the likelihood of interaction and conversion,” Rüdebusch explained on October 7, 2025. She noted that despite this well-known principle, many businesses still blast out newsletters to massive, heterogeneous mailing lists, often missing the mark entirely.
Rüdebusch advocates for smart segmentation—the process of dividing large, diverse mailing lists into precise, targeted groups. By doing this, companies can ensure that their messages reach the right people, at the right time, with the right content. The result? Higher engagement, more conversions, and, ultimately, stronger relationships with consumers. This philosophy is at the heart of Bayer’s new marketing approach. By combining advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence, and creative storytelling, the company aims to transform its global marketing from a blunt instrument into a finely tuned, highly effective tool.
The partnership with IPG is designed to provide Bayer with world-class media buying power, allowing the company to reach consumers through content that is not only more personalized, but also better aligned with their unique needs and preferences. The agency model is built on a flexible operating structure, which enables Bayer to scale its brand-building activities with global consistency while ensuring that every campaign remains locally relevant. This is no small feat, given the sheer size and diversity of Bayer’s consumer base.
IPG’s Krakowsky is confident that the new model will deliver results. “By bringing together the entire IPG ecosystem, we will deliver bold ideas, smarter media, and technology-enabled productions that accelerate growth, strengthen consumer trust, and improve outcomes in every market,” he said. He also looked ahead to the possibilities that could emerge once IPG’s planned merger with Omnicom is completed, suggesting that the combined expertise and resources could take Bayer’s marketing efforts to even greater heights.
For Bayer, the stakes are high. Its brands are trusted by millions of consumers around the world, and maintaining that trust is more important than ever in today’s fast-moving, information-saturated environment. By embracing a new, integrated approach to marketing—one that combines the best of data, technology, and creativity—Bayer is positioning itself to not only keep pace with the changing landscape, but to lead it.
As the January 2026 launch date approaches, all eyes will be on Bayer and IPG to see whether this bold experiment in marketing integration can deliver on its promises. If successful, it could set a new standard for how global brands engage with consumers in the digital age—one where relevance, personalization, and trust aren’t just buzzwords, but the foundation of every campaign.
