WPP, Omnicom Have Something in Common

Two ships passing in the night. Beleaguered WPP and a buoyant Omnicom have something in common. It’s 6.7 percent.

WPP reported a 6.7 percent drop in Q1 revenues to $3.1B, while Omnicom enjoyed a 6.7 percent gain in its “core” revenues to $5.6B.

CEO Cindy Rose, who took over for Mark Read last September, said “it will take time to outpace historical losses.”

Apparently, working on WPP’s “Elevate28” survival plan and mulling the sale of Burson, she ditched the analyst call.

Replacing Rose, WPP CFO Joanne Wilson warned analysts that WPP isn't going to be rebuilt in a single day. “The early actions we've taken to build a simpler, more integrated WPP, powered by WPP Open, are resonating strongly with clients, giving us the confidence that we are on the right path to return to growth and deliver longer-term sustained returns for our shareholders.”

But the time is now for Omnicom chief John Wren, who was upbeat during his call.

He told investors that Omnicom feasted on new client wins (IBM, GSK, John Deere, Little Caesars, Acadia Pharmaceuticals and Baileys) during the quarter.

Wren credited a more integrated operating communications model for expanding business with existing clients such as Clorox, Dyson, Delta, Exxon, Kroger, Merck and Unilever.

“Our integrated approach is making it easier for clients to access all their marketing and sales needs from a single partner,” he said. “Our growth from integrated services is helping to diversify our revenue streams and deepen our client relationships, underscoring the strength of our offerings.”

Save some clients for WPP, John.

Do you get a sense that things are falling apart for Team Trump?

Item 1: Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for taking a photograph of seashells on a beach that spell out “86 47.” That’s it.

Item 2: Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr launches a probe into Disney’s TV stations in the aftermath of Melania Trump’s call for ABC to sack Jimmy Kimmel after he poked fun at her. What?

Taking together, they serve as another distraction from the Epstein Files and the quagmire in Donald Trump’s war of choice with Iran with no apparent exit ramp in site. They also reflect the slide of King Donald’s White House into authoritarianism.

The Comey case is so nonsensical the redacted indictment from the Eastern District of North Carolina runs a whopping three pages. Here’s the charge: “On or about May 15, 2025, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the defendant, JAMES BRIEN COMEY JR, knowingly and willfully did transmit in interstate and foreign commerce a communication that contained a threat to kill the President, Donald J. Trump, specifically, by publicly posting a photograph on the Internet social media site Instagram which depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out "86 47", which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to President Trump.”

A reasonable recipient would not interpret “86 47” as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to Trump. She would instead view the whole episode as a bid by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to remove the “acting” from his title by joining Trump’s revenge tour against his political opponents.

At his performative press conference to announce the indictment, Blanche, who was Trump’s personal attorney, really poured it on.

“Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws. The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials. The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.”

For context: Todd is talking about seashells and the “86” slang word. Merriam-Webster defines 86 as refusing to serve a customer; ejecting or banning a customer; ejecting, dismissing or removing someone; and removing an item from a menu or no longer offering an item to customers. It lists 86 synonyms as discard, unload, ditch, lose, dump and set aside.

There’s not one mention about physically harming anybody.

FBI director Kash Patel also cashed in on the Comey charade. He’s a guy who is fighting to keep his job in the wake of a blockbuster report in The Atlantic.

Kash chimed in at the press conference: to say:“James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see.”

My hunch is that Comey's 86 reference means ditching Trump from the White House after his term is up. It’s not some nefarious assassination plot cooked up by the nation's former top law enforcement officer.

Comey added “Cool shell formation on my beach walk” as a caption to his photo. That’s hardly a threat. It's his First Amendment right. Blanche should 86 his phony case.

The First Lady appears to be upset that Kimmel on April 27 referred to her as an “expectant widow,” noting the age difference between her and hubby.

Her husband made a similar age comparison the next day while meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla. He said his mother, Mary McCloud, emigrated from the UK and was married to his father, Fred, for 63 years.

Turning to Melania, Donald said: "That’s a record we won’t be able to match, darling. It’s just not gonna work out that way.” She smirked in response.

Melania turned 56 on April 26. Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday on June 14. Mary and Fred’s record is safe. That’s reality. When it comes to age gaps, Kimmel and Donald are on the same page.

It was in the cards… Black Rock CEO Larry Fink is Wall Street’s champion in the fight against global warming. That’s why it was surprising when Black Rock on April 27 decided to forfeit its federal lease of the Bluepoint Wind development off the coasts of New York and New Jersey.

Bluepoint, which is an investment of Black Rock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, will be reimbursed millions of dollars for the lease. It will earmark that money for oil and gas projects. That’s so un-Larry.

But Fink had tipped his anti-offshore hand as part of his "pragmatic" approach to energy development. In his 2026 letter to investors, he played up the role of solar and nuclear energy, as well as oil & gas.

He gave short shrift to offshore wind. He called for “sustained investment across multiple energy sources—including a meaningful expansion of solar.”

Let’s hope the next US president doesn’t hate the sight of windmills spinning offshore to create clean energy, power homes & businesses and fight global warming.

That may get Fink back into the offshore wind business.