WPP - Mergers and acquisitions

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of amp, one of the world's leading sonic branding companies. amp's expertise will strengthen WPP's offer in experiential branding and its ability to create high-quality, differentiated, and ownable sound experiences for clients. The acquisition comes as sound continues to grow as a vital branding element, with 75% of GenZ consumers saying that music helps them to feel more connected to brands1. amp will join WPP brand and design consultancy, Landor & Fitch, adding to the agency's expertise in delivering immersive brand identities that transform customer and employee experiences and set brands apart in a competitive marketplace. Founded in

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announced the acquisition of Obviously, a technology-led social influencer marketing agency based in New York, with operations in San Francisco and Paris. Founded by Mae Karwowski and Maxime Domain in 2014, Obviously's proprietary next-generation tech platform increases campaign efficiency and enables the company to service large-scale complex campaigns for enterprise clients, including Google, Ford, Ulta Beauty and Amazon. Obviously offers a full stack of end-to-end services, including marketing strategy, influencer identification, content creation, campaign management, and robust reporting and analysis. Its team of nearly 100 people will join VMLY&R's network, accele

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of Goat, one of the world's leading influencer marketing agencies. Goat specialises in data-led end-to-end influencer marketing campaigns grounded in performance and measurement and was founded by Arron Shepherd, Nick Cooke, and Harry Hugo in 2015. Goat drives authentic brand engagement while integrating targeted paid media to reach the right audience and achieve industry-leading results. The company's 150+ staff across three global offices have helped to grow some of the biggest brands in the world, including Dell, Beiersdorf, Meta, Tesco, Uber, EA, Natura and Augustinus Bader, delivering best-in-class social and influencer campaigns. Since i

Frankfurt-based 3K will join WPP's Hill+Knowlton Strategies, advancing the company's growth in the global healthcare sector WPP (NYSE:WPP) announces today that it has acquired 3K Agentur für Kommunikation (3K), one of the leading healthcare specialist PR agencies in Germany. 3K will become part of the Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) global network, strengthening its healthcare presence in Europe and expanding its operations in Germany. Founded 25 years ago, 3K is known for its expertise in healthcare, biopharmaceuticals, and related sciences, working with some of the world's most notable global pharmaceutical companies, consumer health brands, and local biotech start-ups. The addition of

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of Fēnom Digital, one of the fastest growing digital transformation agencies in North America. Founded by Dylan Runne three years ago in New York, Fēnom Digital specializes in delivering enterprise commerce, order management systems, supply chain, marketing, and customer experience solutions to retailers and brands across North America. The company calls upon over 190 highly skilled technologists to deliver solutions that drive more than $5 billion of digital sales for clients annually, including Basset Furniture, Casper, Crocs, David Yurman, GNC, PacSun and Snipes. In 2022, Fēnom Digital achieved Salesforce Crest Partner status and won Sales

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces that it is acquiring Diff, a leading commerce agency based in Montreal, Canada. Diff is an award-winning developer of tailor-made commerce solutions with specialized capabilities that address the rapidly growing Shopify commerce ecosystem. Founded in 2011 by Benjamin Crudo, the 115-strong company will join the Wunderman Thompson global network, complementing its world-class commerce and marketing services teams in North America. With direct-to-consumer commerce sales in the United States forecast to grow to almost $213 billion by 2023, more brands are adopting D2C models as part of a multichannel approach. Diff specializes in growth strategy, front-end desig

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of Passport Brand Design, a leading brand design agency based in Southern California. Founded in 2004 by Natalie Taormina and Jeremy Creighton, Passport brings extensive brand identity, design expertise and insight into WPP and works across a broad range of consumer categories and global markets, spanning Australia and Asia to North America. Passport has developed a reputation for creating highly impactful, innovative and results-driven campaigns for clients such as Coca-Cola, Kraft and Heineken. The agency will join VMLY&R's global network, creating exciting new partnership opportunities for existing talent and clients and expanding VMLY&R's

JeffreyGroup will join WPP's Hill+Knowlton Strategies, creating the largest global communications agency presence in Latin America WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of JeffreyGroup, one of the most respected independent corporate communications, public affairs, and marketing consulting firms in Latin America. JeffreyGroup will join the Hill+Knowlton Strategies international network and will create the largest global communications agency presence in Latin America, doubling Hill+Knowlton Strategies' footprint in the region. Headquartered in Miami, with 330 people across offices in Mexico City, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, JeffreyGroup has been a powerh

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces that it is acquiring Newcraft, a leading, data-first European ecommerce consultancy based in the Netherlands. Newcraft unlocks business opportunities for its global clients including Ahold Delhaize, Pon Holdings, Yakult and JDE Peet's by combining transformation strategy with operational commerce expertise to deliver growth and tangible business results. Founded in 2007, Newcraft supports organisations in realising change, reaching growth targets and mastering digital capabilities. The 155-strong business will join the Wunderman Thompson global network, complementing its well-established commerce and marketing services teams in Northern Europe. The acquisit

Strong first half: broad-based growth, sustained demand from clients, transformation programme on track. 2022 growth guidance upgraded again WPP (NYSE:WPP) today reported its 2022 Interim Results. Key figures £ million   H1 2022   +/(-) % reported1   +/(-) % LFL2   H1 2021 Revenue   6,755   10.2   8.7   6,133 Revenue less pass-through costs   5,509   12.5   8.9   4,899                   Reported:                 Operating profit   539   11.4       484 Profit before tax   419   6.1   -   394 Diluted EPS (p)   22.7   10.2   -   20.6 Dividends per share (

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of Village Marketing in North America, the industry leader in influencer marketing and creator economy partnerships. Founded in 2013 by Vickie Segar, Village Marketing has 150 employees and was specifically created with the vision of building brands in a social media and mobile first world. It was one of the first creative firms to fully honour the unique impact of creators and has led creative campaigns for some of the foremost consumer brands of the last decade, including Equinox, Nike, Netflix, The Farmer's Dog, Boll and Branch, Honest Co., Tommy John, SoulCycle, and many others. Village Marketing will join the Wunderman Thompson network t

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces the acquisition of a majority stake in branding and design agency Made Thought. Made Thought will be integrated into AKQA and will join forces with Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office to form The New Standard, an industry-leading collective that provides clients with transformational design and creative thinking. The partnership will enable each studio to maintain creative independence while facilitating greater collaboration to deliver connected, cross-platform work, harnessing the specialist talent from across all design disciplines. Founded in 2000 by Paul Austin and Ben Parker, Made Thought employs 55 people across offices in London and New Yo

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces that it has acquired Cloud Commerce Group (CCG), a leading UK-based technology company that helps brands to market, sell and deliver their products across ecommerce platforms and marketplaces globally, such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Wayfair. CCG is a leader in multi-channel ecommerce software, supporting hundreds of European retailers and wholesalers. The software platform helps brands across the entire commerce journey, connecting customer acquisition and multi-platform commerce, with warehousing, inventory, and fulfilment partners. CCG's solution integrates with the most widely-used and popular marketplaces including Amazon and eBay, ecommerce platforms inc

WPP (NYSE:WPP) today announces that it has acquired Satalia, a technology company offering market-leading AI solutions for clients. Satalia is a global leader in enterprise AI and one of the UK's fastest-growing tech companies, whose clients include BT, DFS, DS Smith, PwC, Gigaclear, Tesco and Unilever. Combining machine learning and optimisation, it builds technologies that helps clients transform their business strategies and radically improve operational efficiency. The company was founded by CEO Dr Daniel Hulme in 2008. Daniel is a globally recognised expert in AI, a regular TEDx and Google speaker, and a Kauffman Global Scholar. He has over 20 years of experience in AI, having receive

Strong start to the year. Return to like-for-like growth in all business segments and most major markets. 2021 guidance reiterated. WPP (NYSE:WPP) today reported its 2021 First Quarter Trading Update.     £ million +/(-)% reported1 +/(-)% LFL2 First Quarter       Revenue 2,897 1.8 6.3 Revenue less pass-through costs 2,334 (1.4) 3.1 Q1 revenue +1.8%; LFL revenue +6.3% Q1 LFL revenue less pass-through costs +3.1% Top five markets Q1 LFL revenue less pass-through costs: US +0.7%; UK +3.9%; Germany +2.5%; Greater China +18.4%; India -0.5% LFL revenue less pass-through costs by business sector: Global Integrated Agencies +2.8%

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WPP (NYSE: WPP) today announces that it has acquired DTI Digital (DTI), a leading Brazilian digital innovation and software engineering company. DTI’s digital solutions help clients become more efficient, digitalised and fully connected to their customers ­– from the development of back-office support systems such as supply automation and data collection software, to consumer-facing applications and platforms including e-commerce marketplaces and customer service interfaces. DTI’s proprietary approach, based on agile methodology and design thinking, allows it to quickly and effectively scale up its expert development teams, comprising more than 600 softw