UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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FORM 6-K
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Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the Month of September 2024
Commission File Number: 001-38303
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WPP plc
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
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Sea Containers, 18 Upper Ground
London, United Kingdom SE1 9GL
(Address of principal executive offices)
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Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
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Form
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distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if
discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form
6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.
Forward-Looking Statements
In
connection with the provisions of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the ‘Reform Act’), the
Company may include forward-looking statements (as defined in the
Reform Act) in oral or written public statements issued by or on
behalf of the Company. These forward-looking statements may
include, among other things, plans, objectives, beliefs,
intentions, strategies, projections and anticipated future economic
performance based on assumptions and the like that are subject to
risks and uncertainties. These statements can be identified by the
fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current
facts. They use words such as ‘aim’,
‘anticipate’, ‘believe’,
‘estimate’, ‘expect’,
‘forecast’, ‘guidance’,
‘intend’, ‘may’, ‘will’,
‘should’, ‘potential’,
‘possible’, ‘predict’,
‘project’, ‘plan’, ‘target’,
and other words and similar references to future periods but are
not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. As such,
all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because
they relate to future events and circumstances that are beyond the
control of the Company. Actual results or outcomes may differ
materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Therefore, you should not rely on such forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, as a
prediction of actual results or otherwise. Important factors which
may cause actual results to differ include but are not limited to:
the impact of epidemics or pandemics including restrictions on
businesses, social activities and travel; the unanticipated loss of
a material client or key personnel; delays or reductions in client
advertising budgets; shifts in industry rates of compensation;
regulatory compliance costs or litigation; changes in competitive
factors in the industries in which we operate and demand for our
products and services; changes in client advertising, marketing and
corporate communications requirements; our inability to realise the
future anticipated benefits of acquisitions; failure to realise our
assumptions regarding goodwill and indefinite lived intangible
assets; natural disasters or acts of terrorism; the Company’s
ability to attract new clients; the economic and geopolitical
impact of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza; the risk of global
economic downturn; slower growth, increasing interest rates and
high and sustained inflation; supply chain issues affecting the
distribution of our clients' products; technological changes and
risks to the security of IT and operational infrastructure,
systems, data and information resulting from increased threat of
cyber and other attacks; effectively managing the risks, challenges
and efficiencies presented by using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
and Generative AI technologies and partnerships in our business;
risks related to our environmental, social and governance goals and
initiatives, including impacts from regulators and other
stakeholders, and the impact of factors outside of our control on
such goals and initiatives; the Company’s exposure to changes
in the values of other major currencies (because a substantial
portion of its revenues are derived and costs incurred outside of
the UK); and the overall level of economic activity in the
Company’s major markets (which varies depending on, among
other things, regional, national and international political and
economic conditions and government regulations in the world’s
advertising markets). In addition, you should consider the risks
described in Item 3D, captioned “Risk Factors,” which
could also cause actual results to differ from forward-looking
information. In light of these and other uncertainties, the
forward-looking statements included in this document should not be
regarded as a representation by the Company that the
Company’s plans and objectives will be achieved. Neither the
Company, nor any of its directors, officers or employees, provides
any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of
any events anticipated, expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements will actually occur. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit
No.
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Description
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1
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Acquisition dated 10 September
2024, prepared by WPP plc.
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FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
10 September 2024
WPP plc ("WPP")
WPP acquires New Commercial Arts
NCA joins Ogilvy to drive further momentum in the UK
WPP today announces that it has acquired New Commercial Arts (NCA),
a leading independent creative and customer experience agency. NCA
will join Ogilvy's global creative network to further accelerate
the agency's momentum in the UK market.
NCA was founded in 2020 by a team including industry leaders James
Murphy and David Golding and became one of the fastest-growing
agencies in the UK in 2023. Since its inception, NCA has worked
with local and global clients including Sainsbury's,
MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, Nando's, Paramount+, Alzheimer's
Society and Cityfibre.
Murphy and Golding previously founded Adam&Eve in 2008 and
built it into one of the most influential agencies to launch in the
UK, with success on the international stage. NCA employs
approximately 90 people and is currently based in Fitzrovia in
London and Merchant City in Glasgow, in partnership with the
Glasgow School of Art.
Both Ogilvy UK and NCA will come under the leadership of James
Murphy as CEO Ogilvy Group UK. This marks a return to Ogilvy for
Murphy who began his career as a graduate trainee with the
agency.
Fiona Gordon, who has led a resurgence for Ogilvy in the UK as CEO
since 2021, has been promoted to
Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy. In this new role Gordon will
report to Ogilvy Global CEO Devika Bulchandani, working closely
with Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor and Ogilvy's
Worldwide Creative Council.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: "NCA is one of the UK's most
exciting new agencies with a great team, an impressive roster of
clients and a track record of elevating beloved British brands. Its
capabilities and client base make NCA highly complementary to
Ogilvy; bringing together these two very successful agencies will
drive growth both for our clients and our own UK
business."
James Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NCA and incoming CEO of Ogilvy
Group UK, said: "Ogilvy is rightly
recognised as the world's pre-eminent creative network, and to be
joining with the remit to unlock our collective potential in the UK
market is irresistible. For our team and our clients this will be a
game-changer in what we can bring to their careers and their
brands. Plugging into Ogilvy and WPP's network will give us access
to data and AI tools at scale through WPP Open and to a broad set
of Ogilvy capabilities that were simply out of our reach as an
independent - from influencer marketing, PR, CRM, commerce and
service design to business transformation and brand innovation
through Ogilvy Consulting."
Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said: "James, David and their partners are pioneers in
our industry. When they created New Commercial Arts, they
deliberately chose the word commercial because growing our clients'
brands and businesses is core to what our industry does - an ethos
mirrored in David Ogilvy's famous words: 'We Sell, Or Else'.
Fiona's stellar leadership has been instrumental in propelling
Ogilvy UK forward, playing a critical role in the growth and
momentum of our global network. I'm thrilled that her impact will
now be felt on a global stage."
Fiona Gordon, newly appointed Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy,
added: "I'm invigorated every
day by the boundless potential of creativity to not only propel
businesses forward but to leave an indelible mark on culture. To
have the opportunity to collaborate more closely with Dev, Liz, and
Ogilvy's Worldwide Creative Council to harness the creative
brilliance of our network on behalf of our clients is a tremendous
opportunity. In my new role I'm excited that the UK will make a
vital contribution as a key market."
Ogilvy UK ranked as the #1 agency in the UK on WARC's 2024 Creative
100 list, the definitive benchmark for creative success based on
results from the most prestigious global and regional industry
competitions. The agency currently has capabilities that span
Advertising, Customer Experience, PR & Influence, Health and
Consulting. Ogilvy Consulting was named in the Financial Times'
2024 list of the UK's Leading Consultants for the seventh
consecutive year and has been recognised for its award-winning
Behavioral Science practice, which hosted the 12th annual
Nudgestock event, the world's biggest festival of behavioural
science and creativity, in July. Most recently, Ogilvy PR's
Influence team was recognised as the Best Large Influencer
Marketing Agency at the Global Influencer Marketing Awards. Ogilvy
UK's clients include Unilever, Mondelēz, Sainsbury's and F1;
and it recently added Molson Coors to its client
portfolio.
Ogilvy was named the Network of the Year at the 2024 Cannes Lions
International Festival of Creativity and was recognised by WARC as
the World's #1 Creative Agency Network (2020-2024) and Most
Effective Creative Network in consecutive years (2023,
2024).
Further information
WPP Communications
About WPP
WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of
creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients
and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic,
culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded
by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. It builds on that rich legacy through
Borderless Creativity - innovating at the intersections of its
advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and
health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across
more than 120 offices spanning 90 countries. Ogilvy
currently ranks as
the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and
effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative
solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and
communities. Ogilvy is a WPP company. For more information,
visit ogilvy.com.
About NCA
New Commercial Arts is an agency that unites brand and customer
creativity, to make brands more desirable and easier to buy. For
more information visit newcommercialarts.com.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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WPP PLC
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(Registrant)
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Date:
10 September 2024
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By:
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Balbir
Kelly-Bisla
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Company
Secretary
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