{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"88100","rtpr_id":"nPn8r1bfxa","ticker":"OMC","exchange":"NYSE","all_tickers":["OMC"],"title":"New Flywheel Report Shows How Brands Can Turn Fragmentation into a Competitive Advantage","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-07-14T15:00:06.206Z","article_body":"New Flywheel Report Shows How Brands Can Turn Fragmentation into a Competitive Advantage\n\nPR Newswire\n\nBALTIMORE, July 14, 2026\n\nThe Big Shift outlines how a Total Commerce approach can connect media,\nretail, trade and consumer engagement as shopping journeys become\nincreasingly complex.\n\nBALTIMORE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Flywheel, a leader in commerce and\ntechnology solutions and part of the Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media\noffering, today released The Big Shift: From Managing to Mastering\nFragmentation, a new white paper examining how AI-powered search, social\ncommerce, retail media and organizational silos are reshaping the way brands\ndrive growth.\n\nWhile 80% of consumers (OM Research, Connected Commerce 2024) now take a\nnon-linear path to purchase, many brands still manage media, retail, trade,\nand shopper marketing through separate teams, budgets, and performance\nmetrics. According to Flywheel, that disconnect leads to wasted media\ninvestment, missed sales opportunities, unmeasured promotional impact, and\nreduced organizational agility.\n\nThe report argues that brands must adopt a Total Commerce approach,\na business model that unifies consumer discovery, retail activation, media\ninvestment, trade planning, and measurement into one operating system\nfocused on business outcomes rather than channel performance.\n\n\"The way consumers discover and buy products has fundamentally changed,\" said\nMike Feldman, SVP Commerce at Flywheel. \"A shopper might discover a product\nthrough a creator, research it through an AI assistant, purchase it through\na retailer marketplace and pick it up in-store, all within a few hours. The\nbrands winning today are not treating those moments as separate channels. They\nare organizing around one connected consumer journey.\"\n\nThe report notes that TikTok generated $33.1 billion in gross merchandise\nvolume in Q1 2026, surpassing eBay and demonstrating how quickly discovery and\npurchase are converging on a single platform.\n\nThe report identifies three forces accelerating the fragmentation challenge:\n\n * Consumer discovery has fundamentally changed. Social platforms have become\nprimary discovery engines, with 73% of Gen Z and 67% of Millennials (Salsify,\n2025) citing social media as their main source for learning about new\nproducts. Nearly half of social media users have also used influencers in\ntheir purchase journey.\n * AI is becoming a new discovery channel. Thirty-six percent of consumers,\nincluding 45% of Gen Z and 51% of Millennials (OM Research - GEO Update April\n2026) say they have shifted most of their searches from traditional search\nengines to generative AI platforms.\n * Retailers have become media companies. Retailers now operate advertising\nbusinesses, premium content platforms and closed-loop measurement capabilities\nthat increasingly connect media exposure to purchase behavior.\nThe report arrives as marketers grapple with many of the same trends that\ndominated conversations at this year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity,\nincluding creator commerce, retail media, and AI-powered discovery. Against\nthat backdrop, The Big Shift emphasizes the continued importance of physical\nretail, arguing that while discovery increasingly happens across creators, AI,\nretail media and connected TV, the shelf remains one of the most critical\nmoments in the consumer journey.\n\n\"The physical shelf is still one of the most important moments in commerce,\nbut it is no longer where the consumer journey begins,\" said Phil Camarota,\nChief Creative Officer at Flywheel and President of the Cannes Lions Creative\nCommerce Jury. \"By the time a shopper reaches a store or product page, they\nhave already been influenced by creators, retail media, reviews,\nAI recommendations and countless other touchpoints. The brands that succeed\nare creating one connected experience, across all those moments.\"\n\nThe report also highlights Flywheel client Danone's \"Become a Home'Rista\"\ncampaign as an example of Total Commerce in action. Built around the insight\nthat many consumers believed barista-quality coffee required\nprofessional expertise, the program connected influencer content, retail\nmedia, digital shelf activation and in-store experiences across multiple\nretailers. The campaign generated 641 million impressions and multi-brand halo\nsales across Danone's portfolio.\n\nAriel Dalton, Head of Strategic Insights, Planning & Connected Commerce at\nDanone shared: \"We uncovered what we call the 'barista gap' and built a\ncampaign that inspires consumers to recreate and elevate the coffeehouse\nexperience at home. The success of this campaign demonstrated the power of\npairing a compelling consumer insight with the strength of Danone's portfolio,\nto deliver a daily ritual that feels both elevated and unique to the consumer.\nWhat began as a pilot in 2025 has evolved into one of our flagship programs,\nscaling across multiple retail activation nationwide.\n\n\"Fragmentation leaves brands with a simple choice: manage it or master it,\"\nFeldman said. \"Brands that own consumer journeys across channels, orchestrate\nwith retailers around shared outcomes and align internally around one set of\ngoals will create competitive advantage. The brands that master fragmentation\nwill define the next era of commerce.\"\n\nAbout Flywheel:\n\nFlywheel, a leader in commerce and technology solutions and part of the\nOmnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media offering, provides best-in-class service\nthat combines tailored expertise with advanced software solutions to help\nclients drive incremental sales, market share, profitability, and measurable\ncommerce growth.\n\nA leader across major marketplace platforms, Flywheel combines global scale\nand influence with a customized, client-centric approach designed to deliver\nimpactful business outcomes. Client success remains at the center of the\ncompany's mission.\n\nWith operations across the Americas, Europe, APAC, and China, Flywheel is\nwidely recognized for the scale of its retail media capabilities, while\ndelivering value across the entire commerce ecosystem. The company helps\nbrands navigate the evolving commerce landscape through integrated solutions\nbuilt to accelerate growth and performance.\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-flywheel-report-shows-how-brands-can-turn-fragmentation-into-a-competitive-advantage-302822256.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-flywheel-report-shows-how-brands-can-turn-fragmentation-into-a-competitive-advantage-302822256.html)\n\nSOURCE Flywheel Digital\n\n\n\nRachel Heringer, rachel.heringer@omc.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1879863/Flywheel-Digital-The-Big-Shift.jpg?id=OA2755737\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPn8r1bfxa","title":"New Flywheel Report Shows How Brands Can Turn Fragmentation into a Competitive Advantage","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"OMC","created":"2026-07-14T15:00:06.206Z","tickers":["OMC"],"exchange":"NYSE","article_body":"New Flywheel Report Shows How Brands Can Turn Fragmentation into a Competitive Advantage\n\nPR Newswire\n\nBALTIMORE, July 14, 2026\n\nThe Big Shift outlines how a Total Commerce approach can connect media,\nretail, trade and consumer engagement as shopping journeys become\nincreasingly complex.\n\nBALTIMORE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Flywheel, a leader in commerce and\ntechnology solutions and part of the Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media\noffering, today released The Big Shift: From Managing to Mastering\nFragmentation, a new white paper examining how AI-powered search, social\ncommerce, retail media and organizational silos are reshaping the way brands\ndrive growth.\n\nWhile 80% of consumers (OM Research, Connected Commerce 2024) now take a\nnon-linear path to purchase, many brands still manage media, retail, trade,\nand shopper marketing through separate teams, budgets, and performance\nmetrics. According to Flywheel, that disconnect leads to wasted media\ninvestment, missed sales opportunities, unmeasured promotional impact, and\nreduced organizational agility.\n\nThe report argues that brands must adopt a Total Commerce approach,\na business model that unifies consumer discovery, retail activation, media\ninvestment, trade planning, and measurement into one operating system\nfocused on business outcomes rather than channel performance.\n\n\"The way consumers discover and buy products has fundamentally changed,\" said\nMike Feldman, SVP Commerce at Flywheel. \"A shopper might discover a product\nthrough a creator, research it through an AI assistant, purchase it through\na retailer marketplace and pick it up in-store, all within a few hours. The\nbrands winning today are not treating those moments as separate channels. They\nare organizing around one connected consumer journey.\"\n\nThe report notes that TikTok generated $33.1 billion in gross merchandise\nvolume in Q1 2026, surpassing eBay and demonstrating how quickly discovery and\npurchase are converging on a single platform.\n\nThe report identifies three forces accelerating the fragmentation challenge:\n\n * Consumer discovery has fundamentally changed. Social platforms have become\nprimary discovery engines, with 73% of Gen Z and 67% of Millennials (Salsify,\n2025) citing social media as their main source for learning about new\nproducts. Nearly half of social media users have also used influencers in\ntheir purchase journey.\n * AI is becoming a new discovery channel. Thirty-six percent of consumers,\nincluding 45% of Gen Z and 51% of Millennials (OM Research - GEO Update April\n2026) say they have shifted most of their searches from traditional search\nengines to generative AI platforms.\n * Retailers have become media companies. Retailers now operate advertising\nbusinesses, premium content platforms and closed-loop measurement capabilities\nthat increasingly connect media exposure to purchase behavior.\nThe report arrives as marketers grapple with many of the same trends that\ndominated conversations at this year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity,\nincluding creator commerce, retail media, and AI-powered discovery. Against\nthat backdrop, The Big Shift emphasizes the continued importance of physical\nretail, arguing that while discovery increasingly happens across creators, AI,\nretail media and connected TV, the shelf remains one of the most critical\nmoments in the consumer journey.\n\n\"The physical shelf is still one of the most important moments in commerce,\nbut it is no longer where the consumer journey begins,\" said Phil Camarota,\nChief Creative Officer at Flywheel and President of the Cannes Lions Creative\nCommerce Jury. \"By the time a shopper reaches a store or product page, they\nhave already been influenced by creators, retail media, reviews,\nAI recommendations and countless other touchpoints. The brands that succeed\nare creating one connected experience, across all those moments.\"\n\nThe report also highlights Flywheel client Danone's \"Become a Home'Rista\"\ncampaign as an example of Total Commerce in action. Built around the insight\nthat many consumers believed barista-quality coffee required\nprofessional expertise, the program connected influencer content, retail\nmedia, digital shelf activation and in-store experiences across multiple\nretailers. The campaign generated 641 million impressions and multi-brand halo\nsales across Danone's portfolio.\n\nAriel Dalton, Head of Strategic Insights, Planning & Connected Commerce at\nDanone shared: \"We uncovered what we call the 'barista gap' and built a\ncampaign that inspires consumers to recreate and elevate the coffeehouse\nexperience at home. The success of this campaign demonstrated the power of\npairing a compelling consumer insight with the strength of Danone's portfolio,\nto deliver a daily ritual that feels both elevated and unique to the consumer.\nWhat began as a pilot in 2025 has evolved into one of our flagship programs,\nscaling across multiple retail activation nationwide.\n\n\"Fragmentation leaves brands with a simple choice: manage it or master it,\"\nFeldman said. \"Brands that own consumer journeys across channels, orchestrate\nwith retailers around shared outcomes and align internally around one set of\ngoals will create competitive advantage. The brands that master fragmentation\nwill define the next era of commerce.\"\n\nAbout Flywheel:\n\nFlywheel, a leader in commerce and technology solutions and part of the\nOmnicom (NYSE: OMC) Integrated Media offering, provides best-in-class service\nthat combines tailored expertise with advanced software solutions to help\nclients drive incremental sales, market share, profitability, and measurable\ncommerce growth.\n\nA leader across major marketplace platforms, Flywheel combines global scale\nand influence with a customized, client-centric approach designed to deliver\nimpactful business outcomes. Client success remains at the center of the\ncompany's mission.\n\nWith operations across the Americas, Europe, APAC, and China, Flywheel is\nwidely recognized for the scale of its retail media capabilities, while\ndelivering value across the entire commerce ecosystem. The company helps\nbrands navigate the evolving commerce landscape through integrated solutions\nbuilt to accelerate growth and performance.\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-flywheel-report-shows-how-brands-can-turn-fragmentation-into-a-competitive-advantage-302822256.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-flywheel-report-shows-how-brands-can-turn-fragmentation-into-a-competitive-advantage-302822256.html)\n\nSOURCE Flywheel Digital\n\n\n\nRachel Heringer, rachel.heringer@omc.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1879863/Flywheel-Digital-The-Big-Shift.jpg?id=OA2755737\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-07-14T15:00:06.704445088Z","server_sent_at_ms":1784041206704},"received_at":"2026-07-14T15:00:06.756Z","source_url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-flywheel-report-shows-how-brands-can-turn-fragmentation-into-a-competitive-advantage-302822256.html"},"analysis":{"id":"77154","press_release_id":"88100","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Advertising","sector":"Communication Services"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"other","narrative":"Flywheel, part of Omnicom's Integrated Media offering, released a white paper titled 'The Big Shift' advocating for a 'Total Commerce' approach to unify fragmented consumer shopping journeys across media, retail, and trade.\n\nThe report cites industry data noting that 80% of consumers follow non-linear paths to purchase and highlights TikTok's $33.1 billion Q1 2026 GMV as evidence of converging discovery and purchase behaviors.\n\nIt also details a case study for client Danone, where an integrated campaign connecting influencers and retail media generated 641 million impressions.","sentiment":"neutral","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Omnicom subsidiary Flywheel releases white paper on Total Commerce strategy."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"tiktok_q1_2026_gmv":"$33.1 billion","danone_campaign_impressions":"641 million"}},"quotedText":"The way consumers discover and buy products has fundamentally changed","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Mike Feldman","role":"SVP Commerce at Flywheel"},{"name":"Phil Camarota","role":"Chief Creative Officer at Flywheel"},{"name":"Ariel Dalton","role":"Head of Strategic Insights, Planning & Connected Commerce at Danone"}],"products":["The Big Shift","Become a Home'Rista"],"companies":[{"name":"Flywheel","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"Omnicom","ticker":"OMC","relationship":"parent company"},{"name":"Danone","relationship":"customer"},{"name":"TikTok","relationship":"competitor / platform"},{"name":"eBay","relationship":"competitor / platform"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$33.1 billion","context":"TikTok gross merchandise volume in Q1 2026"}]},"materialImpact":{"score":1,"reasoning":"Release of a strategic white paper and retrospective case study. No financial metrics, guidance, or material business events announced for the filer."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"OMC"},"globalImportance":10,"audienceRelevance":25,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"large-cap","eventGravity":"white_paper_release","sectorWeight":"low"}},"event_type":"other","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"neutral","material_impact_score":1,"narrative":"Flywheel, part of Omnicom's Integrated Media offering, released a white paper titled 'The Big Shift' advocating for a 'Total Commerce' approach to unify fragmented consumer shopping journeys across media, retail, and trade.\n\nThe report cites industry data noting that 80% of consumers follow non-linear paths to purchase and highlights TikTok's $33.1 billion Q1 2026 GMV as evidence of converging discovery and purchase behaviors.\n\nIt also details a case study for client Danone, where an integrated campaign connecting influencers and retail media generated 641 million impressions.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"tiktok_q1_2026_gmv":"$33.1 billion","danone_campaign_impressions":"641 million"}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Mike Feldman","role":"SVP Commerce at Flywheel"},{"name":"Phil Camarota","role":"Chief Creative Officer at Flywheel"},{"name":"Ariel Dalton","role":"Head of Strategic Insights, Planning & Connected Commerce at Danone"}],"products":["The Big Shift","Become a Home'Rista"],"companies":[{"name":"Flywheel","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"Omnicom","ticker":"OMC","relationship":"parent company"},{"name":"Danone","relationship":"customer"},{"name":"TikTok","relationship":"competitor / platform"},{"name":"eBay","relationship":"competitor / platform"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$33.1 billion","context":"TikTok gross merchandise volume in Q1 2026"}]},"model_name":"glm-4.7","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-07-14T18:34:48.904Z","global_importance":10,"audience_relevance":25,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"large-cap","eventGravity":"white_paper_release","sectorWeight":"low"}},"durationMs":97173,"modelName":"glm-4.7"}}