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WPP is promoting its AI investments in a business-to-business (B2B) ad campaign, launched Wednesday.
“Transforming How We Create,” developed by WPP agencies, aims to position the holding company as an artificial intelligence firm built on WPP Open, the agency’s AI-powered marketing platform.
The campaign aims to demonstrate AI’s potential in “opening the door to the next stage in human creativity and enabling brands to connect with audiences in ways we never thought possible,” said Rob Reilly, chief creative officer at WPP, in a statement.
WPP Open, which is backed by more than $400 million of annual investment and partnerships with AI companies, was used to develop the campaign, according to a press release.
In addition to WPP Open, other AI investments by the holding company include purchasing AI tech company Satalia in 2021 and investing in Stability AI earlier this year.
The advertising push comes just three weeks after WPP laid off an undisclosed number of staff in a reorg aimed to streamline its media buying offerings, following disappointing earnings at the end of 2024 and into the first quarter of 2025.
The company bought ads in today’s print editions of The Wall Street Journal and The Times, out-of-home ads in London Heathrow, and digital and social ads across platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
(Officially) Introducing WPP Media
In addition to the campaign, WPP also said it has officially retired the GroupM brand name and renamed its media agency network WPP Media. As part of the change, subsidiary agency brands Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom will retain their names and functions. ADWEEK first reported on the name change earlier this month.
WPP Media manages more than $60 billion in annual media investment, the company said, working with more than 75% of the world’s top advertisers in more than 80 markets.
Brian Lesser, who has been leading GroupM since July 2024, will continue as CEO of WPP Media.
“Consumers already expect advertising to be relevant and engaging and buying experiences to be seamless; those expectations are only going to accelerate in the age of AI,” Lesser said in a statement. “By investing in our AI-powered product […] we’re helping our clients to stay ahead of rapidly changing consumer behavior.”
The newly renamed media agency embodies the revolutionary shift that the industry is undergoing with the integration of AI technology, CEO Mark Read said in a statement.
“While GroupM was built for a time when media scale mattered most, WPP Media reflects the power of AI, data, and technology, and simpler, more integrated solutions,” Read said.
