Tag: WPP

India – Britannia Industries, in collaboration with WPP, has launched ‘Britannia A-Eye’—an AI-powered retail innovation built on Google Gemini and Vertex AI Multimodal Live—designed to transform the shopping experience for the visually impaired.

Britannia A-Eye turns a smartphone into an intelligent shopping assistant, allowing users to scan their surroundings using the device’s camera. The AI interprets the environment and provides voice-guided navigation through store aisles, which are customised for each retail layout.

The solution also identifies products and gives access to key details such as pricing, ingredients, nutritional information, and expiry dates. Currently, this feature is enabled for Britannia products, removing the need for external assistance and breaking down barriers to information.

As a first-of-its-kind initiative, Britannia A-Eye harnesses Google Cloud’s advanced multimodal AI capabilities to enable seamless navigation, real-time product recognition, and instant access to product data—empowering visually impaired consumers to shop with greater independence.

Siddharth Gupta, general manager for marketing at Britannia Industries, said, “At Britannia, we believe that technology has the power to break barriers and create a more inclusive world. Britannia A-Eye is a testament to how innovation can revolutionise inclusivity in retail. This initiative is not just about leveraging cutting-edge technology—it’s about fostering equity and independence for all consumers. We are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation and look forward to shaping the future of inclusive retail.”

Amar Jain, co-founder of Mission Accessibility, lawyer, and a key advocate for accessibility, also commented, “For the visually impaired, the ability to shop independently is not just about convenience—it’s about dignity. Britannia A-Eye is a powerful step towards ensuring that visually impaired individuals can experience shopping as it should be—autonomous, seamless, and barrier-free. It’s inspiring to see technology being used in such a transformative way, and I hope this paves the way for a more inclusive ecosystem across industries.”

The pilot was creatively conceptualised and executed by global media agency Mindshare and global creative agency VML, with support from Mithra Jyoti.

Amin Lakhani, CEO of Mindshare South Asia, said, “A-Eye, our collaboration with Britannia, exemplifies WPP’s commitment to leveraging technology for inclusive retail. By merging brand vision, agency expertise, and AI innovation, we are creating a smarter, more accessible shopping experience for the visually impaired. This initiative paves the way for industry-wide adoption, where AI-led content helps dissolve barriers, empowers every community, and strengthens the very fabric of our diverse society by fostering equity, accessibility, and inclusivity for all.”

Babita Barua, CEO at VML India, added, “At VML, we believe creativity and technology can come together to create something truly meaningful and drive real change. That’s how Britannia A-Eye was born – an AI-powered voice assistant designed to make shopping more independent and intuitive. This initiative isn’t just about accessibility. It’s about empowerment, choice, and self-reliance. We’re proud to partner with Britannia to take this step towards a more inclusive world – because true innovation leaves no one behind.”

Britannia Industries launched the pilot in collaboration with MORE Retail and Mithra Jyoti, leveraging Google Astra’s capabilities to enhance the retail experience for the visually impaired. The initiative was tested with 4,000 visually impaired individuals at the MORE Supermarket in TC Palya, Bengaluru, offering a hands-on experience of the technology in a live retail environment.

Vidhyashankar Jayaraman is the chief merchandising and marketing officer at More Retail Pvt. Ltd, commented, “Retail should be accessible to all, and Britannia A-Eye is a bold step towards making that vision a reality. This initiative ensures that visually impaired shoppers can navigate stores and make informed decisions independently. We are proud to be part of a movement that is setting new standards in inclusive retail.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Hulme, chief AI officer at WPP, stated, “Our partnership with Google is about pushing the boundaries of AI-driven innovation. With Britannia A-Eye, we’re not just creating technology—we’re redefining inclusivity in retail, proving that AI can be a force for good, transforming lives and empowering communities. While this initiative is still in its early days, it holds the promise of fundamentally changing the way retail is experienced, ensuring accessibility is not an afterthought but a standard for all.”

London, United Kingdom – WPP today announced the acquisition of InfoSum, the world’s leading data collaboration platform. InfoSum will join GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, to power the creation of a new generation of AI-enhanced marketing solutions for clients, delivered through the industry’s most powerful and secure data infrastructure. 

The acquisition is a major strategic step forward for WPP’s AI-driven data offer, giving WPP and its clients immediate access to the industry’s largest cross-platform source of privacy-safe, actionable data for marketing intelligence, audience targeting, and AI model training. 

InfoSum’s patented cross-cloud data collaboration technology radically transforms the way companies generate audience intelligence by making it possible to connect data sources across the marketing ecosystem without moving or exposing data. By integrating InfoSum’s capabilities with WPP Open – WPP’s intelligent marketing operating system – WPP clients can safely unlock the full potential of their customer data, enriched through advanced AI. 

Now, using federated learning techniques, WPP clients will be able to generate new marketing intelligence based on their first-party data and the universe of data signals available to them through the InfoSum network, WPP’s data assets, and GroupM’s media intelligence. Clients can rapidly build, train, and deploy custom AI models that utilise these diverse datasets, generating insights and audiences instantly, optimising campaigns across the entire marketing ecosystem, and delivering measurable improvements in campaign performance within hours rather than weeks. 

Moreover, the acquisition accelerates WPP’s creation of ‘Intelligence Beyond Identity’ for clients, enabling marketers to use 100% of their business intelligence and leapfrog traditional identity-based solutions that depend on decades-old, deteriorating databases weakened by cookie deprecation, platform fragmentation, and splintering audience match rates. 

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said, “At WPP, we have been building the technology and data infrastructure that will give our clients a unique competitive advantage in the AI era. Bringing InfoSum into WPP is a major step forward for our data capabilities and the results we can deliver for our clients. It allows clients to stay in complete control of their first-party data, while also giving them access to vastly greater quantities of high-quality, privacy-compliant data and pioneering technology that is not available anywhere else in the market today.” 

Meanwhile, Brian Lesser, CEO of GroupM, commented, “Directly integrating InfoSum’s global data network and technology infrastructure will allow our clients to create even more value from their first-party data and enable us to train client AI models against the most data, from the most places, at unprecedented scale and speed. Our approach recognises the importance of identity data to today’s marketing strategies while allowing us to take advantage of the limitless opportunities for growth we can create by moving beyond them. As more and more clients leverage our AI-first solutions, every client model, every audience, and every campaign will benefit from network effects that will exponentially increase their intelligence and competitive advantage.”

InfoSum’s extensive global data network represents hundreds of billions of data signals across multiple dimensions of data from media platforms including Channel 4, DIRECTV, ITV, Netflix, News Corp, and Samsung Ads, as well as major retailers around the world and identity and data partners including Experian, TransUnion, Circana, Dynata, and NCSolutions.

Lauren Wetzel, CEO of InfoSum, added, “InfoSum’s mission has always been to reimagine how data powers marketing in a secure, privacy-first, and, most importantly, impactful way for advertisers and consumers. WPP and GroupM are the perfect partners to help us accelerate our impact on a truly global scale. We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with the team at GroupM as privacy and security become non-negotiables, and AI allows us to redefine what’s possible for advertisers and our network of media and data partners.” 

InfoSum’s technology enables WPP clients to swiftly deploy secure data environments optimised for federated learning, allowing marketers to rapidly scale their custom AI models and onboard their data faster and more easily than ever before. InfoSum’s infrastructure will remain interoperable with existing platforms and partners to ensure current and future customers can continue driving growth through secure data collaboration.

Netherlands – Heineken has appointed WPP as its global shopper marketing and commerce partner, entrusting the agency with enhancing retail and e-commerce experiences for its flagship brands, including Heineken, Heineken 0.0, and Heineken Silver.

Based at WPP’s Amsterdam Campus, the dedicated team—led by VML Amsterdam—will drive Heineken’s global below-the-line (BTL) marketing initiatives, focusing on developing distinctive and impactful brand experiences across key consumer touchpoints.

Harnessing WPP Open, the company’s AI-powered marketing transformation platform, the team will deliver cutting-edge, end-to-end brand experience and commerce solutions. This includes collaborating with Heineken’s global team to elevate in-store and in-bar brand presence, enhance retail activations, and refine e-commerce strategies to drive sales and optimise the consumer journey.

Furthermore, the team will craft integrated shopper experiences around major sponsorships, including Formula 1, the UEFA Champions League, and live music events—strengthening brand affinity and creating unforgettable moments for fans.

Rutger van der Stegen, global head of BTL Heineken Brand, said, “We were impressed by WPP’s deep capabilities in shopper marketing, including their ability to drive higher efficiencies through WPP Open, underpinned by advanced AI. In addition, WPP’s creativity and deep understanding of the Heineken® brand make them the right partner to increase the impact of shopper touchpoints in our marketing mix, strengthening connections with consumers and driving sustainable growth.”

This partnership extends WPP’s existing collaboration with HEINEKEN, adding to its work across the company’s brand portfolio. Ogilvy currently supports HEINEKEN brands globally and in key markets such as Brazil, Spain, and Mexico, while Design Bridge and Partners has contributed to branding and design efforts, including HEINEKEN’s recent 150-year anniversary campaign.

Rogier Leliveld, chief client officer for WPP in the Netherlands and WPP global client lead for HEINEKEN, said, “We could not be prouder to expand our partnership with Heineken® and leverage WPP Open’s AI capabilities to create world-class experiences for its brands.”

“Commerce and shopper experience are such important drivers of brand power and sales in this category, which makes this opportunity even more exciting. It also allows us to build on our longstanding brand strategy and design partnership with Heineken®. With the added excitement of UEFA Champions League and F1, the potential of this partnership is tremendous,” he added.

London, England – Amazon Music and WPP have launched “Louder Than Cancer,” a campaign that brings together global artists to raise awareness for World Cancer Day. Developed with creative input from WPP’s Grey Health, talent marketing agency FIMI Group, and the Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, the initiative uses music to highlight the impact of cancer and support those affected.

The “Louder Than Cancer” initiative builds on “The Most Beautiful Sound,” which first captured the sound of cancer cells being destroyed as a symbol of hope and progress. It raises awareness through a dedicated Amazon Music playlist featuring artists like Melissa Etheridge, Imagine Dragons, H.E.R., and Blake Shelton.

Each track incorporates personal stories from artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Scotty McCreery, H.E.R., Lainey Wilson, and The Head and The Heart, alongside the recorded sound of cancer cells being destroyed. First unveiled at an oncology conference in June 2023, this sound now gains new meaning through music.

Speaking on the campaign, American singer-songwriter H.E.R. said, “Late last year, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. We were very blessed that they caught it early and she got surgery in February to remove part of her lung. She’s been such a warrior, such a fighter. I’m so proud to call her my mom, and I’m proud to join the fight against this affliction through ‘Louder Than Cancer’.”

Andre Stapleton, global head of artist & label relations and head of music for North America at Amazon Music, also said, “We’re incredibly excited to come together with artists from around the globe to support this impactful initiative. Music has the power to connect, inspire, and heal. We believe this campaign and the incredible artists we’ve been fortunate to work with will make a meaningful contribution in the fight against cancer by bringing awareness and fundraising to help find a cure for this terrible disease.”

Expanding on Grey Health’s creative for “The Most Beautiful Sound,” Amazon Music and the Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab also created custom merchandise featuring artists from the “Louder Than Cancer” initiative. The front design combines an image of a cancer cell being destroyed with a sound wave, while the back lists participating artists and brands. Customers can personalise the sound wave using a special tool.

Furthermore, the Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab is expanding the campaign’s reach through a custom landing page on Amazon.com, placements on Fire TV, and a billboard in Times Square.

“‘Louder Than Cancer’ is a powerful demonstration of what it means to pair innovation with worthy social causes. We were thrilled to work with Amazon Music, WPP, and musicians around the world to bring hope to so many people impacted by cancer,” said Kate McCagg, director of Brand Innovation Lab at Amazon Ads.

“Cancer treatment can save lives, but music has a unique power—it reaches the heart in ways medicine alone cannot. It connects to our emotions, bringing comfort, strength, and hope when we need it most. We’re incredibly proud of this collaborative effort and its potential impact,” added Bruno Rebelo, executive creative director of Grey Health New York.

The “Louder Than Cancer” playlist is now available on Amazon Music. For every stream, Amazon Music will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, through the Stream It Forward Program.

Bruce Flohr, partner at FIMI Group and EVP at Red Light Management, commented, “Cancer is a fight that touches nearly everyone. By partnering with the artist community, we believe this campaign will have a global impact, raising awareness that music is louder than cancer. This is a chance to make a real difference through the power of music and connect with fans on a deeper level.”

Wendy Lund, chief client officer at Health@WPP, also shared, “We are so honoured to work with Amazon Music and Amazon Ads on this monumental campaign to take the message of hope and resilience to patients and their caregivers in search of progress in this scourge of a disease. By integrating the sound of cancer cells being destroyed into powerful musical tracks, we are offering a tangible symbol of progress and a source of inspiration for those facing this extremely challenging journey.”

India – Building on the recent announcement of its new Chennai campus, WPP has unveiled plans to deepen its investment in India by scaling up its Global Delivery Centre (GDC) operations. The specialist hub, supporting WPP teams worldwide, will be headquartered in India, reinforcing the country’s strategic importance.

WPP is expanding its GDC team in India, one of its fastest-growing markets and a hub of innovation and creativity. Leveraging its 11,000-strong workforce in the country, the GDC builds on existing expertise to further strengthen WPP’s presence in the region.

The GDC employs 10,000 people globally and is key to WPP’s business transformation strategy. It offers advanced capabilities like cloud modernisation, hyper-personalisation, composable commerce, VR, XR, generative AI, and product engineering, complementing WPP’s expertise in media, content, CX, commerce, technology, data, and design.

Leading this growth is Prashant Mehta, appointed as managing director of the GDC, tasked with driving its global expansion, with India housing the majority of its talent.

Mehta, a seasoned expert in digital transformation, joins WPP from Accenture, where he served as global managing director of global assets at Accenture Song, leading its generative AI-driven asset strategy, delivery, and adoption. Previously, he held roles as global chief product and delivery officer at Dentsu Creative & Experience and group vice president at Publicis Sapient.

Speaking on his appointment, Mehta said, “It is an honour to be leading the WPP GDC, which has been built to evolve with the changing demands of our clients while delivering the highest standards of excellence. I look forward to working with our integrated teams as we harness AI and creativity to transform how we deliver growth for our clients.”

Meanwhile, Mark Read, CEO of WPP, shared, “Our Global Delivery Centre enables agency teams and their clients to tap into specialist expertise and new capabilities. It is underpinned by WPP Open, our AI-driven operating system for marketing transformation, fuelling growth and connecting the dots across our business. I welcome Prashant to WPP and look forward to working with him to develop our offering.”

CVL Srinivas, WPP’s country manager for India, added, “As we look to drive further growth and transformation in and from India, we are excited to welcome Prashant Mehta onboard. The expertise of our team in India makes it the prime location to power our clients’ needs with a scaled world-class GDC.”

India – WPP has bolstered its investment in India with the launch of a new state-of-the-art campus in Chennai, further solidifying the country’s role as a key growth market for the global company.

The new Chennai campus, WPP’s third in India following Mumbai and Gurgaon, is a key part of the company’s global strategy to create inspiring, collaborative, and flexible workspaces for its teams. 

Located at RMZ One Paramount, the new campus is designed to elevate the employee experience, offering a range of amenities including a dedicated food and beverage marketplace, EV charging stations, a daycare centre, permanent art installations by renowned artists, and a wellness terrace featuring a futsal court, running track, and yoga deck. Spanning over 62,000 square feet, the campus will initially accommodate more than 330 employees in its first phase, with plans to expand to 650 by mid-2025.

Additionally, in line with its net-zero commitments, WPP’s circular-designed campus incorporates sustainable materials and features such as grey water recycling, roof collection, on-site electricity generation, and regenerative architecture. RMZ One Paramount has also achieved LEED Platinum certification for its sustainability efforts.

By bringing together top talent, advanced technology, and world-class facilities, WPP can better support its teams in their career development and in delivering exceptional results for clients. 

WPP’s Enterprise Technology team in India is the first to occupy the new Chennai campus, with additional teams set to join in the future.

CVL Srinivas, country manager for India at WPP, said, “The scalability of our operations and expertise of our team in India makes it the prime location to power WPP’s global support functions, including the WPP Enterprise Technology team. WPP’s commitment to India through our investment in a new Chennai campus, with further campuses in Bangalore and Coimbatore on the near horizon, ensures the market will remain a significant growth driver for WPP.”

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, also commented, “India continues to be one of our fastest-growing markets thanks to its technological innovation, creative output, and specialist skillsets. WPP is committed to investing in India through our new campuses, creating spaces that foster collaboration, inspire creativity, and enable career development. In doing so, we are opening up new opportunities for our people in India and supporting our clients’ growth ambitions—both domestically, in the world’s most populous nation, and abroad.”

With a workforce of over 11,000, India is a key growth engine and WPP’s fifth-largest market, housing some of the company’s top-performing agency teams as well as vital global support functions.

The company also plans to expand its presence in India with additional campuses in Bangalore and Coimbatore in the coming years.

Singapore – WPP has announced a global partnership with Roblox, building on several years of collaboration on interactive 3D brand content and advertising. The alliance will help scale expertise among agency teams and brands in leveraging Roblox as a new media channel.

Through the partnership, WPP and its media investment company, GroupM, will join the official Roblox Partner Program as an agency partner to work directly with Roblox to establish a long-term measurement advisory relationship, shaping the future of the brand ecosystem on the platform and setting new standards for 3D environments and immersive media. 

Roblox will also develop innovative ways for WPP’s creative agencies to utilise Roblox’s platform as a creative engine and partner with Roblox creators.

In addition, WPP and Roblox will also work together to pilot a first-of-its-kind Roblox certification program for marketers to deepen their expertise in the platform’s ecosystem. The multi-module training course will be developed for both creative and media agencies, with WPP team members being the first to get certified on Roblox’s platform.

The partnership builds on a longstanding foundation of work that WPP and Roblox have developed together on behalf of global clients including adidas, Church & Dwight, Danone, Nickelodeon and Paramount. Going forward, WPP and Roblox will host a series of client sprint days that bring together experienced Roblox community creators, developer studios and agency strategists to develop a unique activation in one business day.

Tapping into Roblox’s nearly 80 million daily active users and WPP’s extensive experience in the gaming sector, the collaboration includes a broad scope of initiatives from offering Roblox sprint days to a joint advisory council to advance 3D measurement and Roblox platform education, with the aim of pushing the boundaries of creativity on Roblox like never before.

Rob Reilly, chief creative officer at WPP, said, “Roblox is an amazing platform for brands to engage creatively with a young, expanding and valuable audience. By merging WPP’s creative firepower with Roblox’s innovative environment, we will continue to invent new and exciting ways for brands to connect with the next generation of consumers. Buckle up.”

Meanwhile, Stephanie Latham, VP of global brand partnerships and advertising at Roblox, commented, “We’re excited to partner with WPP to push the boundaries of brand creativity on Roblox. This alliance will enable brands to harness our platform’s unique capabilities and connect with our incredible community, driving forward new standards in immersive media and delivering exceptional experiences for a diverse and engaged audience.”

Lastly, Andrew Meaden, global head of investment at GroupM, stated, “Roblox has redefined the way young people interact with the world and discover new products and ideas. We are looking forward to partnering with such an important platform to shape the future of media investment, measurement, and brand engagement in virtual worlds and help our clients navigate this exciting new frontier.”

New York, USA – Global communications firm Burson has announced the launch of ‘Decipher Health,’ its new cognitive artificial intelligence (AI) offering designed to optimize communications impact and stakeholder engagement across patient, advocate, healthcare provider, health decision makers and analyst communities. 

This is the third AI offering of its kind from Burson and a key addition to the growing capability within PR Studio in WPP Open, WPP’s intelligent marketing operating system powered by AI.

‘Decipher Health’ by Burson has trained cognitive AI models on a broad spectrum of disease areas, including general health, oncology, neurology, diabetes, respiratory, and sexual health. It integrates predictive believability and virality indicators. The result is a robust framework for forecasting the potential impact of different types of content across healthcare-focused audience segments that is based on observable, repeatable data. 

Moreover, the solution–created in partnership with cognitive AI company Limbik–makes predictions about communications impact by determining an audience’s level of commitment to a particular topic and the believability of online content related to that topic. 

As part of WPP Open, ‘Decipher Health’ will be made available to all WPP healthcare clients and is the latest innovation for Health@WPP.

In addition to message testing, ‘Decipher Health’ tracks the impact of a variety of global macro themes that can affect the healthcare system, including: The economy; drug costs, pricing and access; supply chain; DEI; sustainability; elections; reproductive rights; women’s health and armed conflict.

Chad Latz, chief innovation officer at Burson, said, “The volume of information in the healthcare space can be both daunting and riddled with inaccuracies for people who are searching for material on a particular disease or therapeutic area. We created this capability to predict with near certainty the potential for impact – including credibility and engagement – that content can have on a wide range of healthcare-specific audiences. This ensures we can help our clients cut through with communications and marketing that build their reputations, but also deliver valuable and effective resources across the patient journey.”

Meanwhile, Brenna Terry, global chair for healthcare at Burson, commented, “What makes this such an extraordinary tool is the depth of our audience modeling. Our patient audience is segmented beyond typical demographics to include a wide range of social determinants that can make people more – or less – likely to be susceptible to a disease and receptive to information. Drilling down to such a precise level ensures that we reach the right people at the right time with precisely the right content.”

She added, “Decipher Health allow us to analyze gaps in message uptake among different critical healthcare stakeholders. What resonates with a patient is different than what will make an impact with a physician or an analyst. With WPP Open, we can forecast what works well with each audience and then develop compelling content that facilitates high-impact communications with all stakeholder groups. We now have instant market research right at our fingertips.” 

Vietnam – L’Oréal Vietnam has selected WPP’s Onefluence as its full-service influencer marketing agency under a three-year retainer agreement, underscoring the beauty giant’s dedication to leveraging brand advocacy as a strategic driver for business growth.

Powered by VML’s ClickMedia and GroupM’s Mindshare in Vietnam, Onefluence is a bespoke agency solution designed to elevate L’Oréal’s influencer marketing strategy.

Following a rigorous pitching process, Onefluence secured the win as VML and Mindshare showcased a deep, nuanced understanding of the Vietnamese influencer market, backed by comprehensive audience insights and a strong command of emerging trends.

With a data-driven approach focused on performance management and analysis at every stage, the agencies will collaborate closely with L’Oréal Vietnam to deliver strategic and impactful influencer campaigns.

Additionally, a dedicated team of experts from L’Oréal Vietnam and WPP’s Onefluence, including local and regional specialists, will unite to form the WPP Beauty Tech Lab. This team will work seamlessly across agency-client boundaries to elevate their influencer marketing efforts. 

Matthieu Guerin, chief digital marketing officer at L’Oréal Vietnam, said, “In today’s dynamic landscape, advocacy has become a critical element for success, especially for the beauty industry. We are confident that this partnership will enable L’Oréal Vietnam to strengthen and accelerate our advocacy performance, drive advocacy strategy that connects with consumers in innovative and authentic ways, and drive strong love of our brands.”

Ha Nguyen, CEO of VML Vietnam, added, “We are thrilled to partner with L’Oréal Vietnam, a leader in beauty innovation. By bringing together our expansive capability suite in strategic thinking and creativity with our expertise in innovative technology, we will empower L’Oréal Vietnam to achieve its influencer marketing goals.”

This partnership represents a major milestone for L’Oréal Vietnam, VML, and Mindshare, reinforcing their shared commitment to shaping the future of influencer marketing in Vietnam.