UK-based agency group WPP announced this afternoon it is rebranding its media unit GroupM as WPP Media. Rumours first emerged that WPP was planning to sunset the GroupM brand a few weeks back, as internal memos discussing internal reorganisation leaked to the press, and news emerged of layoffs relating to the restructure.
The rebrand brings WPP’s naming conventions more in line with its competitors such as Publicis, which organises its media agencies under Publicis Media, and Omnicom, whose media companies sit under Omnicom Media Group.
But the name change also emphasises a few strategic shifts for the company. WPP has emphasised the central role it foresees AI playing in media, and played up WPP Media’s AI credentials in today’s announcement. “WPP Media is built for a world in which media is everywhere and in everything,” said WPP Media’s CEO Brian Lesser in a statement. “By investing in our AI-powered product, integrating our offer with data and technology, and equipping our people with future-facing skills, we’re helping our clients to stay ahead of rapidly changing consumer behaviour and unlock the limitless opportunities for growth that AI will create.”
The rebrand also comes alongside the aforementioned internal reorganisation, and WPP says the name change reflects growing demand from marketers for fully integrated capabilities. The agency group hasn’t publicly released full details about what this internal change entails, but leaked memos discussed a move to “a single operating model”, and a move away from agency-specific job titles.
In today’s statement, WPP said that WPP Media’s primary sub-brands — Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom — will continue to provide clients with dedicated teams as brands within WPP Media.
What clients want
The decision kills off a brand which has been around for more than 20 years, created by the unification of Mediaedge:CIA and MindShare. Since that time, GroupM has been a dominant force in the global media landscape. But a lot of discussion since the rebrand rumours first emerged has centred on the implications for GroupM’s sub-brands.
While these sub-brands will remain in operation, WPP Media’s positioning as a “fully integrated” media company suggests that the walls separating these agencies are becoming increasingly thin. WPP says the three groups will leverage common capabilities, technology, and support functions. WPP Media itself will be connected with WPP’s other agency networks through WPP Open, WPP’s AI-powered operating system.
Some in the industry have suggested that WPP’s efforts to streamline its operations risk eroding each agency’s unique identity (which is hard to argue against in cases where agency brands have been killed off entirely). But WPP’s argument is that it’s responding to client demands, stating that clients want to be able to draw talent and resources from across agency groups to best serve their own goals.
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