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Happy Monday.

Break-ups are hard. McDonald’s had a big one last week with the FIFA World Cup, of which it had been a sponsor for 32 years. The move comes amid a marketing overhaul that involves leaning into the fast-food giant’s IP. In other words, expect to see more Grimace and Hamburglar.

Over in retail, we’ve jumped the shark on Halloween and it’s already Christmas. Walmart released its festive season ad on the heels of Target’s last week. This time, Walton Goggins ditches his Grinch costume for Ebenezer Scrooge. 

Now to agencies, where many people see Accenture Song as both a behemoth and an enigma in the space. I sat down with CEO Ndidi Oteh to understand her strategy and where she’s placing her bets for growth. Omnicom, for its part, is still cutting costs as it chews through its acquisition of IPG.

Finally, we take a look at Amazon Prime's brand partnership strategy in year five of its Thursday Night Football deal.

Refill your coffee and scroll. 

1. McDonald’s Ends 32-Year FIFA World Cup Sponsorship Amid Marketing Overhaul

ADWEEK reported Friday that McDonald’s ended its three-decade-plus sponsorship deal with the FIFA World Cup as part of a marketing overhaul that will shift its focus back to its original IP. 

The move comes after the QSR giant’s largest marketing push of the year around the 2026 World Cup failed to deliver on its expected goals, despite “provid[ing] a lift to the business and generat[ing] excellent system excitement,” according to CFO Ian Borden.

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2. Walmart Brings The Muppets and Walton Goggins Together For Its Own Holiday Carol

It’s not yet Halloween, but sleigh bells are ringing for Walmart, which just released its holiday campaign this morning starring brand ambassador Walton Goggins as Ebenezer Scrooge. This year’s ad borrows IP from Disney and The Muppet Studio to create an original Christmas carol.

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3. Agents and Creators: Ndidi Oteh’s Growth Plan for Accenture Song

One year after taking the reins from ad industry legend David Droga, Accenture Song CEO Ndidi Oteh is building her growth strategy. At the center are creators, thanks to the company’s acquisition of Whalar earlier this year, and agentic commerce, where the firm has already built a $1 billion new-business pipeline.

I sat down with Oteh to discuss these moves, how Accenture Song fits into the traditional advertising space, and whether media buying is part of its future.

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4. Omnicom's $900M Cost Cutting Drive Continues in Q3 as Revenues Stay Flat

Reported organic growth was up 7.2% year over year, but revenues were flat over the prior quarter at Omnicom in Q3, as the holding company continues on a cost-cutting drive that kicked off as part of its acquisition of IPG. Chris Cicchiello breaks down last week’s earnings call.

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5. How Amazon Made a Stronger Partnership Play in Thursday Night Football in Year 5

In year five of its 11-year deal to air Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, Amazon is expanding its advertiser partnerships through custom programs that showcase its capabilities, said Amy McDevitt, head of live sports sales partnerships at Amazon Ads. Bill Bradley unpacks what the sales pitch looks like as Amazon’s live sports offering matures.

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• Elon Musk reportedly invests $1 billion in Skydance after WBD merger, (ADWEEK).

• FreeWheel, Universal Ads headed to NBCU, (tipsheet). 

• Dentsu X’s Bruce Williams on how campaigns can overcome fragmentation, (ADWEEK).

• Gone Girls: Hollywood is purging its women execs, (Vanity Fair).

• Evening news ratings, (ADWEEK) and cable news ratings, (ADWEEK). 

• Higgsfield extends Series B with new investment from TCV and NVIDIA, (release).

• Why intelligence is the next battleground for DSPs, (Brandshare from Wrul).

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• Polymarket's reported CMO firing is the latest in a long string of controversies, (ADWEEK)

• Christiane Amanpour to exit from CNN in 2027, (ADWEEK)

• Former ‘60 Minutes’ boss to join video journalism start-up, (NYT)