Reflecting growing demand from marketers for fully integrated capabilities, WPP Media replaces GroupM as the name for WPP’s global media company. WPP Media manages more than $60 billion in annual media investment and works with more than 75% of the world’s leading advertisers in over 80 markets. Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom will continue to provide clients with dedicated teams as brands within WPP Media, leveraging common capabilities, technology and support functions.

WPP Media is seamlessly connected with WPP’s wider global agency networks and capabilities through WPP Open – WPP’s AI-enabled marketing system – creating the industry’s most advanced platform for scaled and integrated creative, production, data, commerce and personalized media delivery services. WPP Open is backed by £300m in investment each year and partnerships with the leading AI companies.

WPP Media’s fully integrated offering enables clients to unify media, data and production and holistically manage their owned, earned, shared and paid activities to deliver personalization at scale. The company’s services are further enhanced with best-in-class connected commerce and state-of-the-art measurement and analytics capabilities.

WPP Media is underpinned by a commitment to accelerate investments in learning and development initiatives that will provide career pathways to the jobs of the future, ensuring employees are empowered to lead marketing and media transformation in the AI era.

Today’s announcement comes as WPP launches a new cross-channel B2B campaign targeting business leaders and senior marketing decision-makers. The campaign showcases WPP’s AI credentials, its integrated proposition, and the advanced capabilities of WPP Open. For more, visit wpp.com/ai.

 “Businesses and organizations are operating in a constant state of complexity and uncertainty, marked by rapid advancements in technology, economic volatility, wide-ranging activism, and social and geopolitical turbulence,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, of Burson. “A strong reputation grounded in action, communicated clearly and creatively, and deployed as capital across stakeholders will enable clients to succeed in this environment. Reputation is a company’s most valuable asset for enhancing perception and growing performance, preference, valuation, and return.”

Burson launched its new visual identity and value proposition across all global channels, articulating its modern approach to reinventing how reputation is built and protected in today’s dynamic environment. To bring this new positioning to life, Burson introduced a series of products and programs to empower its counselors and creators to solve clients’ challenges across sectors and markets. The new visual identity, inspired by the power of light to illuminate insights and reveal opportunity, reinforces the company’s commitment to counseling clients with bold creativity and advisory solutions.

The group features a streamlined suite of agencies with scale across today’s transformational industries, anchored by the flagship full-service Burson brand. They include:  

• Axicom, the earned-first global communications agency for tech brands and brands with a tech story,

• Burson Buchanan, newly rebranded from Buchanan Communications, the financial communications and capital markets advisory firm,

• GCI Health, the full-service global healthcare agency inspired by people,

• Hill & Knowlton, a full-service global firm and proven partner for business and brand transformation, providing strategic communication, marketing, and corporate affairs solutions.

Its framework and consulting methodology aim to assess and actively manage “reputation capital” across four pillars: Company actions, communications, social narratives, and stakeholder beliefs. These solutions – core components of the PR Studio of WPP Open, WPP’s AI-powered marketing operating system – include five suites that serve a continuum of client needs:

• The Sonar Suite, which anticipates and evaluates risk through social narrative intelligence;

• The Decipher Suite, which predicts the impact of proactive and defensive communications; the impact of themes globally and regionally; and emerging cultural trends;

• The Creators’ Suite, which creates audience-specific content at scale, by identifying both the supply and demand of information online as well as white space in narratives; 

• The Specialists’ Suite, which trains Burson’s AI tools on specific industry sectors; and, 

• The Fount Suite, takes an aggregated view of the data across the life cycle of a campaign to measure and optimize performance. 

“In today’s complex operating environment, business leaders are converting pervasive risks into opportunities for innovation and value creation,” said AnnaMaria DeSalva, Global Chairman, Burson. “The Burson Innovation Portfolio, which draws on the technology strengths of our combined agencies and WPP, reflects our promise to combine artificial and human intelligence in ways that help our clients succeed at the intersection of risk, creativity and reinvention. Leading companies are already leveraging these solutions to build and protect reputations in highly material situations. We are committed to both our clients and our employees that Burson will be an engine for their growth and for the enablement of the transformations that the world needs now.” 

“A powerful differentiator across the Burson Group is the considerable number of former chief communications officers and senior client advisers among our ranks who have hands-on experience managing the issues and opportunities that clients face every day,” said duBrowa. “AnnaMaria and I both had long careers in-house, and we know the enormous value this perspective brings to clients. Our team of seasoned counselors – with their access to industry-leading, AI-first technologies, and creative firepower – is unrivaled in the marketplace.”

Burson also unveiled its new learning academy focused on client leadership and skills development to ensure teams are exceptionally well-versed to counsel clients today and tomorrow and are trained on a consistent, global, “one Burson” approach. 

 “Burson Persons past and present – and certainly future – are known for being high performers who are never satisfied with the status quo, remain relentlessly curious and are constantly striving to improve,” duBrowa noted. “We are pleased to introduce The Burson Academy for the next generation of agency leaders and to continue this important tradition of rigorous professional development.”

New business wins for the group include Wakemaker MENA’s win of L'Oréal Middle East, Mindshare MENA’s wins of Al Fardan Jewelry, Alat, Amala, Americana Foods, Diriyah Gate Development Authority – DGDA, du, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company – EVIC, Inma Bank, Mondelez, New Murabba and Roberto Coin, and EssenceMediacom’s wins of Qiddiya and L'Oréal in Egypt. In addition, EssenceMediacom MENA extends its partnership with Etisalat in Egypt and has retained Vodafone in Oman.

Alan Azar has joined GroupM as Regional MD of CX, Data and Technology, Haneen Aburrubb has been appointed as the group’s eCommerce Director to accelerate the commerce capabilities in response to clients’ growing demands, and Mario Soufia, Regional Managing Director to manage a range of future-proofing services for clients including business strategy, eGaming and the management of the content hub of the group including influencer marketing company, The Goat Agency.

Further appointments to the new leadership team under the appointment of Amer El Hajj as CEO at GroupM MENA in September 2023, include but are not limited to Abdallah Adra as Head of Buying, Darine ElKaissi as Managing Director at Mindshare KSA, Felicity Stokes as Head of Marketing and Communications, Laura Gleadhill as General Manager at Keyade Middle East, Patricia Abi Fadel as Head of Investment, Ragy Saad as Finance Director, Rana Zeidan as Business Director at L'Oréal Middle East – Wavemaker MENA, Samer Majzoub as Regional Managing Director at Mindshare MENA, Sarah ElMenzlawy as Head of Buying and Investments at GroupM Egypt.

In addition, GroupM MENA has introduced a new business development team, executed a comprehensive restructuring of its buying, finance, and operation departments, and created cost-efficiency hubs. This organizational structure is designed to elevate the proficiency of the group's specialists, products, and services, effectively catering to the collective needs of the business whilst delivering a transformative media strategy for clients.

Beyond leadership appointments and organizational transformations, the entire GroupM team and the agencies have played an integral role in the group’s recent successes. The team has collaboratively elevated media excellence, embodying a shared mission: to consistently deliver exceptional value and ROI to all clients.

Josh Krichefski, GroupM EMEA CEO commented, “The MENA region presents significant opportunities. GroupM’s Global This Year Next Year report highlights growth is expected to exceed the global rate in 2024, with $15.9 billion in advertising revenue predicted. I have confidence in the reinvigorated team who are already demonstrating noticeable achievements and business successes.”

Amer El Hajj, CEO of GroupM MENA, remarked, "We've undergone a transformative journey, meticulously identifying our strengths and pinpointing areas for enhancement over the last few months, crafting a new organizational structure that seamlessly aligns with our global and local aspirations. The remarkable accomplishments achieved within a short time are a testament to the dedication of our MENA team, positioning us as formidable players poised to deliver accelerated growth for our clients. The great talent that has joined us is fueled by the excitement towards our vision in shaping the 'next era' of media. We are in the people industry and are steadfast in guiding our people to effectively support clients in achieving their business objectives and building their continuous growth."

GroupM has reached its most successful year yet in the MENA region with 40% growth in billings compared to 2022.

Spearheading the agency’s momentum on integration are former Business Director Benjamin Schwartz who has now been promoted to VP, of Client Services, and former Senior Business Director Mara Carpencu Pop, now promoted to VP, of Communications Services. 

An advertising professional with 14+ years of experience in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Ben has previously worked at global network agencies (BBDO, TBWA, Ogilvy) on global brands such as Nestle, Lenovo, PepsiCo, and Ford. Mara brings 15 years of all-round experience in PR and MarComm to her role and has led integrated communications campaigns for global and regional clients, across tech, business solutions, telecom, travel, real estate, and consumer brands.

BPG’s newly promoted Creative Directors Aaron Leung, Ahmad Al Otaibi, and Nicolaas Van Der Merwe collectively bring decades of regional expertise to their roles, having worked on accounts like Porsche, HSBC, Nike, Harvey Nichols, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Ford, and more, as well as regional powerhouse brands such as NEOM, FAB, Aldar, E&, and Government of Dubai.

Within BPG’s Client Servicing team, Sarah Rizvi has been promoted to Account Director. BPG’s newly promoted Account Managers include Avanthika Sivakumar, Oliver Harb, and Sriyaa Shah. In the Comms team, Stanislava Burianek has been promoted to Senior Account Director, and Iman Fathi Dawod to Senior Account Manager. 

Avi Bhojani, Group CEO, BPG said, “BPG has clocked up exceptional growth numbers in recent years, energized by its ‘Integrated by Intent’ positioning and customer-centric culture. This growth is driven by our people, who are our greatest strength, and we will continue to invest and reward our talent, coupled with the unique Culture at BPG, that empowers talent and enables them to take complete ownership, within a broad framework that is consistent with BPG’s offering. I cannot be prouder to lead TeamBPG into the next stage of our evolution, confident that we will leverage our creativity, knowledge, and more than four decades of regional expertise to deliver exciting outcomes for our clients.” 

Further adding to Bhojani's excitement, Darius LaBelle, President, of BPG UAE said, “BPG has opened January 2024 by securing several high-profile clients and unique mandates across sectors including automotive, culture, F&B and finance. A solid pipeline of existing business supplemented by exciting new business wins testify to the success of BPG’s ‘CX first, integrated by intent’ positioning. We look forward to our newly promoted team members defining future growth and evolution in our product and our culture, shaping a year of breakthroughs and boundless possibilities.”

The companies will work together on shared data, analytics, and solution development for joint clients. WPP teams will also receive priority support from Sprinklr including bespoke enablement programs and early access to new Sprinklr products and platform features. In addition, WPP will participate in Sprinklr’s Partner Advisory Board to help shape the roadmap for products.

Stephan Pretorius, CTO of WPP, said, “Through the seamless integration of WPP's AI toolset with Sprinklr's AI+ platform, we are reshaping how brands can connect with their audiences. This partnership enhances our existing AI offerings and enables our clients to create customer experiences across all touchpoints on a scale like never before, further solidifying our position as a leader amidst the technology revolution that is transforming our industry.”

Sprinklr CEO & Founder Ragy Thomas said, “Sprinklr and WPP serve many of the world's most iconic brands. Together, this partnership will enable customers to effectively deploy AI that will result in measurable productivity, cost savings, and the seamless experiences customers have come to expect today. Integrating Sprinklr’s AI-powered Unified-CXM platform with WPP’s AI toolset will help our shared customers quickly adopt the latest AI technologies while ensuring the enterprise-grade privacy, security, and governance that Sprinklr and WPP have built our businesses on."

While I cannot speak on behalf of any other advertising and marketing agencies, I know that WPP has been investing in AI for years now. We had our first VP of Creative AI back in 2018. Brands are now trying to understand where and how AI is going to be used not just to innovate but also how it's going to change and enhance the creative landscape.

What do you think advertisers need to invest in to leverage AI's most scenic advantages?

AI has the potential to unlock great productivity. Over the next decade, AI, in my opinion, will liberate individuals from mundane, repetitive tasks, providing them with tools to test their concepts with audiences, observe responses, and subsequently adapt content accordingly. We’re going to see better optimization of the supply chain, focusing on generating more innovative ideas that leverage AI to delve into the realms of creativity. We’re going to see a Cambrian explosion of possibilities that were previously beyond our imagination.

What is your role as WPP's Chief AI Officer?

I hold multiple roles, one of which involves formulating the strategy for the application of AI across the entire group. This includes unlocking enhanced productivity and optimizing the utilization of existing technologies throughout the entire process, from ideation to dissemination, allowing our employees to perform their tasks more effectively. Additionally, my role entails contemplating how AI will disrupt not only WPP but the entire industry, and how WPP can position itself as a pioneer in this evolving landscape. Moreover, I am tasked with ensuring that these technologies are harnessed for positive outcomes, enabling us to integrate AI in ways that promote ethics, safety, and the creation of content that benefits not only our brands' growth but also society as a whole.

Tell us a little about WPP's latest announcement on partnering with Nvidia. What drove the collaboration and how will it help WPP as a network?

WPP has collaborated with Nvidia for several years. One of the most significant challenges we faced was converting ideas into production while ensuring that the quality aligned with the brand's image and values. Our partnership with Nvidia enables us to transform good content into exceptional content by harnessing the power of 3D technology. Additionally, both parties are actively developing various undisclosed tools, primarily aimed at fine-tuning large language models. In essence, we leverage Nvidia's tools to expedite production, refine content quality, and optimize specialized large language models.

AI Bias is a persistent issue in machine learning and generative AI solutions. How can advertisers become more aware, educate themselves, and ensure that it's eliminated in their end products?

Eliminating bias from AI is a challenging task, but it can be approached through various methodologies. One effective method involves establishing the appropriate governance around the output and creative process. It is crucial for professionals to have a comprehensive understanding of the tools they should utilize and those they should avoid. Personally, I enjoy seeing the utilization of multiple large language models trained on diverse data sources with varying perspectives of the world. Essentially, this approach creates a council of diverse viewpoints when addressing a problem. This mirrors the real-world problem-solving process, where relying on the perspectives of a wide array of experts is crucial to ensure a comprehensive and unbiased solution. Similarly, when applied to AI, this method enables the construction of models that incorporate different data sources and perspectives, thereby ensuring a holistic approach when delivering content.

How ready do you think the industry is to invest in AI?

I believe it's crucial for not only this industry but every industry to adopt and embrace these technologies as they unlock the potential for more effective operations and rapid adaptation to a dynamically changing world. The global landscape is set to undergo rapid transformations over the next several decades, and it is those organizations that can adapt to these changes that will not only survive but thrive.

What's your advice to advertisers looking to hire more talent proficient in AI applications?

My advice to every organization is to become as engaged as they can. This industry in its nature already is and I suggest they start solving intriguing problems actively. Personally, I find the field of media marketing to be particularly exhilarating, as it presents numerous interesting and challenging issues. What excites me the most is that WPP serves as a conduit for creativity, and since my role is to optimize this conduit's effectiveness, I firmly believe creativity facilitates the growth of our brands, enabling them to fulfill their purposes. I envision AI as a tool that will aid brands in achieving their objectives, and it is the collective purpose of the enterprise that will pave the way for remarkable futures for all of us.

Some 530 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion caused a wide variety of animals to burst onto the evolutionary scene. Hulme believes the intended applications of AI technologies will similarly supercharge products and technologies used across ideation and development. Hulme defines AI as “goal-directed adaptive behavior” with immense potential for AI systems to be a force for good, adding value, efficiency, and creativity to the MarComms industry. 

Avi Bhojani, Group CEO, BPG said, “We are thrilled to embark on the path of considering AI through the application lens and sparking further innovation in our services. From task automation and content generation to better decision-making and extracting complex insights from data, there are many ways that AI is transforming our business and industry. As first movers in this exciting realm, TeamBPG is bringing home these advantages to our clients.”

BPG’s renewed CX focus was the theme of this year’s offsite, BPG X, hosted at JA The Beach Resort in Dubai. The 2023 edition of the agency-wide event featured panel discussions, networking, and teambuilding games, tempered with a healthy dose of after-hours fun. 

A highlight of the three-day event was a six-hour in-house MarCom competition using AI tools to market a real estate destination. Five finalists presented their ideas to a jury comprising Daniel Hulme, Clark Williams, Director MarCom, NEOM-Trojena, Najla Al Eisa, DGM Marketing, Gulf Bank Kuwait, Brian Anthony Kuz, Chief Marketing Officer, FAB and Faheem Ahamed, Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, G42. The winning team AIXI impressed the jury with their campaign’s elegance, creative power, and use of AI; each team member won $250 as their prize.

The 27th Annual Offsite gathered BPG’s teams from its full-service hubs in UAE and Kuwait, as well as BPG Cloudworks – the borderless remote team that stretches from North America and Europe to Egypt, Lebanon, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.  

“In our busy world, we lead fairly blinkered lives, now amplified with virtual meetings and hybrid work. BPG’s Annual Offsites foster team-wide interactions, build lasting friendships, and augment skill. My most memorable offsite remains the first one at Al Jazeera Resort, Abu Dhabi. As a young, impressionable AE, new to BPG (PanGulf as it was known then), the excitement of meeting the entire team, learning new skills, and making one’s presence felt memorable. Since then, the common thread has been establishing personal connections and capturing learnings to stay relevant in a constantly changing world,” said Suneesh Menon, Director of Projects, BPG, who has attended 23 annual offsites.  

Souheil Arabi, Group Chief Operating Officer, BPG and CEO, of BPG Kuwait said, “Studies have shown that white space – unstructured, informal time – can play an important role in igniting creativity and nurturing great ideas. BPG’s incredible growth numbers this year testify to the power of creativity, with several high-profile strategic wins for our specialist MarCom services in UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. This year’s offsite was the perfect moment to celebrate, evaluate, and recalibrate for the future.”

Darius LaBelle, President, of BPG UAE further added, “The BPG Annual Offsite is a wonderful tradition that is perhaps unique to our agency. Even as we grow in teams, services, revenues, and clients, it’s important to stay connected with our culture and uphold our values. As always, the Offsite was filled with many memorable moments of learning and fun; reconnecting with old colleagues and meeting remote team members in person has been special. The team is re-energized and raring to go. We can’t wait to put our AI learnings into practice as we prepare for 2024.” 

Earlier this month, another announcement brought VMLY&R, VMLY&R Commerce, and Geometry under one roof. Communicate sat down with Andrew Dimitriou, EMEA CEO of VMLY&R, and Nick Walsh, CEO of VMLY&R MENA, to dive deep into the internal and external solutions and works of the merger.

A natural evolution

Since the beginning of its establishment, VMLY&R has been focused on building a connected brand and consumer experience, “what we have is our premise of really trying to build connected brands. To deliver on that premise, there is a need to understand what makes a connected brand. And that is a brand that lives wherever, whenever, in people's lives. In that context, this merger is a natural evolution where you're going to bring brand experience, customer experience, and commerce together because now we need to think about the collective ecosystem,” explains Dimitriou.

Celebrating the vital work of UAE mechanics to keep drivers and passengers safe on our roads, ‘the world’s largest’ portrait exhibition at The Dubai Frame, 'Portraits of Change'' was conceptualized and brought to life in partnership with VMLY&R Commerce.

Omnichannel is now survival

Briedis and Gregg from McKinsey and Company argue how companies need to “take a hard look at their existing resources, align on a starting point and an ambition that is both realistic and a value driver for the business.” Omnichannel is the next inevitable evolution for advertisers and marketers across. According to Dimitriou, “clients are increasingly seeking one partner to handle all their needs because the world is complex.”

VMLY&R's campaign for Wrigley Extra: An always-on digital movement that keeps the UAE fresh. A creative commerce experience that allows people to alert friends and family about their breath and offers them an incentive to buy gum. All that happens anonymously, through Whatsapp, avoiding family feuds cold shoulders!

They need someone that understands omnichannel and how to convert it into commerce creatively. So, for us, this was just a natural evolution of people and capabilities coming together to form something much stronger, rather than the length of time over which this happened,” Dimitriou further explained.

VMLY&R Commerce's Ramadan campaign for rejuvenates Fava beans as a staple in the kitchen in line with Americana's launch of the Foul El Arabeya product range with a pop song launched across all social platforms.

Walsh further discusses the integration’s significance in the MENA region. “Everyone here is struck by ambition and there is a lot of growth underway. With the level of creative capability at VMLY&R, Geometry, and VMLY&R Commerce, and at the scale that we have, bringing them together makes us unique in the market, thus enabling us to enhance our customer experience and social capabilities,” says Walsh.

Regrouping and rejuvenating

Along with the announcement of the merger, the global advertising agency also announced a leadership change including Miguel Bemfica as Chief Creative Officer, Ginny Kemp-Taylor, who will be taking over as Head of Marketing and Operations, Chelly Megale as Head of People, and Martin Barta to become the Chief Financial Officer.

Commenting on this shuffle, Dimitriou says, “one of the things that we kind of look for in leaders is the ability to understand and help clients navigate the complexity that exists out there. By bringing the companies, we’ve also brought its people together. It is a cross-functional leadership team that can help clients. Whether it's Nick and his experience, on brand and creativity side combined with commerce or whether that's Miguel, who has an extensive background from working at MRM and McCann on digital and creativity.”

Dimitriou reiterates the importance of deploying learning, driving personal and organizational growth, and creating experiences through the journey of this merger. “One way we do this is through partnerships with companies such as Adobe and Salesforce, to help us with personalization and integration into our process of delivering connected brand experiences,” he adds.

Looking forward

In its room for uncertainties, both Walsh and Dimitriou expect it to be an “accelerant of growth.”

“Having gone through these mergers: openness, transparency, clear communication, openness, transparency, communication, and repeat is what is really important,” says Dimitriou.

After spending over 17 years with the WPP group, Walsh believes in “being a part of something better than something great.”

“We've got a really strong central heartbeat hub in Dubai. So we've got capabilities outside the network and the opportunity to build out while keeping our clients at the core. Moreover, as we move forward with this merger, more and more clients are headquartered out of here and they need capabilities across markets. I'm particularly excited to see the growth of end-to-end suite of capabilities allowing us to grow with our clients,” concluded Walsh.

While Rao’s exact leave date is yet to be confirmed, he will continue to support and lead the MENA region until a suitable candidate is appointed for the role. He will ensure the smooth transition of leadership change for the media investment company.

Demet Ikiler, GroupM EMEA CEO, commented, “Ravi expressed his desire to step down and look for new opportunities after having been with the GroupM business for over 14 years, the last seven of those located in MENA. As GroupM MENA CEO Ravi played an active part in building strong relationships with media and clients alike via his approachable personal style, honesty, and direct approach, which helped grow our business. While I am sad that he is leaving, I am equally happy that he will seek and engage with new opportunities in the region. I wish Ravi the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

The color palette has expanded beyond the famous purple identity of Mindshare, as well as updated the purple tone of the corporate identity. The rebranding work was undertaken by the design agency, NB Studio.

Mindshare Global CEO, Adam Gerhart added: “The brand identify refresh aligns the Mindshare brand with the strategic direction we communicated earlier this year and is the latest step in our own business transformation. “Our integrated, client partnership-focused approach to delivering media services for the transformation age demands an identity that is more flexible. I am excited that we now have a brand identity in place which supports our strategy and our purpose of 'Accelerating Good Growth'.”

WPP set up Mindshare in 1997 when it was formed through the merger of the media departments of Ogilvy and JWT. Mindshare launched in the Middle East in 1999, and today its 12 offices across 11 markets drive good growth for a diverse portfolio of global, regional, and local brands.

Mindshare MENA CEO, Tony Bourached said: “I’m excited for 2022. We have the strong foundation to continue to deliver Good Growth for our clients, through a passionate team and new products which have been developed globally & regionally to build deeper business insights and tech-led solutions.”