Germany – British multinational advertising and communications holding company WPP has announced the acquisition of global sonic branding agency amp. Said agency will be now integrated into WPP’s brand and design consultancy Landor & Fitch.

The acquisition adds up to the agency’s expertise in delivering immersive brand identities that transform customer and employee experiences and set brands apart in a competitive marketplace.

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.

Founded in 2009 by Michele Arnese, amp is based in the US, Europe and Asia, with main office hubs in Germany and the US. Its global team of more than 60 people has created award-winning sonic identities for some of the world’s most influential brands, including Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Kraft Heinz, Deloitte, Shell, and General Motors.

Speaking on the acquisition, Arnese said that they are excited to join the WPP family, adding that this industry-first move shows the significance of sound as a must-have brand design and experience component. 

“Integrating more closely with Landor & Fitch, true pioneers in brand design and consulting, will give us the opportunity to scale our award-winning Sonic DNA® design framework and our sonic AI platform Sonic Hub within a broader brand identity context. Our global team of creatives, sonic experts, producers, client leads and researchers will team up with Landor & Fitch and WPP to unleash the power of audio, making brands sound better. We are beyond thrilled to begin this new chapter,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mark Read, CEO at WPP, said, “With the rise of streaming, podcasting and short-form media, audio has become a critical component of the marketing mix. The acquisition of amp enhances our offer to clients, helping them create immersive experiences that engage consumers on a deeper level and drive their competitive advantage.”

Lastly, Jane Geraghty, global CEO at Landor & Fitch, said, “I’m delighted to welcome amp into the fold. The team is truly best-in-class and has effectively defined the rapidly growing sonic branding space with its work on clients like Mastercard and Mercedes-Benz. This acquisition gives us an unparalleled breadth of capability – graphic, digital, motion, physical, product and experiential – and now sonic. It will also help us accelerate our rapidly growing accessible design practice. I’m enormously excited about what we can achieve together.”

Singapore – Integrated communications network WPP has officially launched its new global design company, Design Bridge and Partners. The new firm is a result of a merger between Design Bridge and Superunion, which was announced in 2022. 

The two complementary companies come together with a vision to fundamentally redefine the role of design “for a new era,” positioning it at the forefront of business growth and social change through consumer, business and experience design. 

John Morris, formerly CEO of Design Bridge, will serve as Group CEO, and Jim Prior, who was previously CEO of Superunion, will become the new company’s chairman. Meanwhile, Mark Budden will pick up duties as chairman for Asia-Pacific. 

“We fundamentally believe that design is one of the most powerful tools in business, and yet it’s historically been underutilized. As Design Bridge and Partners, we’re on a mission to change that, and simultaneously help shape the future of organizations worldwide by unleashing the full power of design,” said Morris. “For us, it’s not just a matter of what design is, but also what design can do, for brands, businesses, people and the planet —and the role design can play in answering the fundamental questions of the world today.” 

Budden added, “We believe that design is the singular thread that can unify any brand, able to create distinct meaning inside every moment, interaction and customer touchpoint. At Design Bridge and Partners, we’re helping brands across sectors harness this incredible power and simultaneously redefining the role of design in our world at the same time.” 

WPP shares that Design Bridge and Partners is uniquely positioned at the leading edge of design to address client challenges. It will be pulling together top talent from across its 850-person strong network operating in 12 countries to help “unlock potential” for brands, businesses, and people alike.

In Asia, Design Bridge and Partners currently has studios in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and China with clients such as Diageo, HSBC, Tencent, Colgate-Palmolive, The Coca-Cola Company, Trust Bank, Resorts World, Unilever, Mondelēz and Shangri-La in their remit. 

Alexandra Cerruti, the managing director for Singapore, Southeast Asia, and India, said, “With a team of 100 people united under the same roof in Singapore and growing satellites in the region, we are now this powerhouse of design and can expand our partnerships with top clients in the region but also recruit the best talents.” 

The company boasts centres of excellence in strategic locations such as New York, London, São Paulo, Amsterdam, Singapore, Madrid, Berlin, and Shanghai. It will be offering brand strategy, identity, experience, and brand guardianship, which will include graphic, motion, digital, physical, and communication design. 

“It’s no secret that our world is at a tipping point, globally tied together and yet fragmented in ways which we might not have imagined previously. Design will not only help answer the big questions, how we progress as people, as businesses, but ultimately help to create both harmony and connection as well,” added Morris. 

One-half of the merger, Superunion, had been responsible for the brand management of top brands in the region prior to being consolidated into the new firm. These include Shangri-La Group, World Table Tennis, Trust Bank, and even taking after the branding of cities such as Shenzhen’s Nantou City. 

Hong Kong – Global brand and design consultancy Landor & Fitch has named Teemu Suviala as its new chief creative officer. Suviala was most recently the global head of brand design at Meta’s Reality Labs.

In his new role, he will take responsibility for Landor & Fitch’s award-winning creative teams in studios across more than 20 countries worldwide, working with clients such as Apple, Netflix, Coca-Cola, LEGO and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Reporting to Jane Geraghty, global CEO at Landor & Fitch, Suviala will lead the continued expansion and evolution of the company’s design offer, with a particular focus on integrating new technologies.

During his previous stint at Meta, he and his team worked closely on the company’s high-profile rebrand from Facebook, including the naming, branding and visual identity. Alongside this, Suviala led the expansive brand design work in bringing Meta’s metaverse concepts to the fore across breakthrough technologies such as augmented and virtual reality. 

He is an entrepreneur and adventurous designer, bringing over 25 years of creative and management experience. An impressive portfolio includes creatives for clients including Amnesty International, Google, Spotify and Uniqlo.

Speaking on his new role, Suviala said, “An incredible set of clients. Award-winning work. Stubbornly future-forward thinking. Landor & Fitch holds huge appeal to a creative mind, and the opportunity for growth is unlimited. But it was the culture here that spoke to me most – a singular vision and commitment to working as one to deliver the extraordinary and make a positive difference.”

He added, “I’m excited to join a culture that not only obsesses about creativity and innovation to achieve success but aspires to reach it together. I’m keen to explore how we can be at the forefront of the Imagination Age with new technologies such as A.I. and by blurring the lines between our physical and virtual worlds to create the better, bolder brand experiences which appeal to the consumers, clients, and stakeholders of today and tomorrow.” 

Geraghty said, “I am delighted that Teemu is joining our team. He’s an exceptional designer with a long track record of delivering transformative work and a compassionate leader with a truly global view. The breadth of his experience will be invaluable as we continue to expand and evolve our offer to meet the needs of our ambitious clients. With our recent rapid growth and influx of new talent, Teemu’s passion for nurturing creative cultures makes him the perfect creative leader for us.”

Rob Reilly, global chief creative officer at WPP, said: “It’s hard to find a global talent with as long a track record of creative excellence as Teemu. But what impresses me most about him is his commitment to bringing greater diversity to the design industry. We can’t wait to see the impact he has on our people and clients.” 

Shanghai, China — Marketing and communications network WPP has brought in industry veteran Caroline Slocombe to lead OpenX, the entirely new offering created for The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) that carries an integrated agency model comprised of creative, media, social, data, tech, PR, and commerce experts from across WPP.

In her new role, Slocombe will be overseeing the relationship of TCCC and its portfolio of iconic brands across all WPP’s agencies in Greater China. 

For 25 years, Slocombe has built her strong working experience with agencies. From directing multi-market and multi-functional teams, she has served for some of the world’s biggest CPG and FMCG brands. 

She was previously an executive director for Red Fuse Communications in APAC where she drove growth for a portfolio of over 10 brands across 15 markets. She was also a general manager in LOWE, currently known as MullenLowe Profero, in Hong Kong where she oversaw office operations and manage the Johnson & Johnson business across APAC.

Considering China as an important part of growth and innovation, Laurent Ezekiel, global CEO of OpenX from WPP & WPP CMO said that Slocombe will be an asset for supporting the company’s transformation in the country. 

Commenting on Slocombe’s appointment, Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer of Ogilvy Asia & Greater China added, “Her strategic marketing understanding, combined with her extensive experience in the region — having worked in Asia for more than two decades — made her an ideal fit for this vital role within the OpenX from WPP framework, which is all about delivering giant ideas that create giant value for The Coca-Cola Company.” 

Meanwhile, Slocombe commends The Coca-cola Company for its portfolio of iconic brands and recognizing its global success. 

She added, “Being able to help lead their marketing transformation agenda forward in this part of the world, which is so vibrant and innovative, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to be working with all the talented experts that make up the OpenX from WPP team and together push the boundaries of possibility.” 

Sydney, Australia – Global creative transformation company WPP has launched a new training program in Australia called ‘Breakthrough Cadetship’ to provide emerging talents with a passion for creativity the opportunity to kickstart their career within WPP in Australia.

The ‘Breakthrough Cadetship’ is part of WPP’s talent transformation agenda enabling WPP to source Australia’s future-ready talents.

The inaugural program, run out of Sydney, sees eight candidates experiencing four three-month rotations across WPP’s award-winning creative and production agencies Hogarth, VMLY&R, whiteGREY and Wunderman Thompson. 

The program offers the Breakthrough Cadets the opportunity to develop skills in client servicing, branding, strategy, customer experience, and production, with the opportunity for full-time permanent employment at the end of the program for successful candidates. The candidates commenced their cadetship in September, with an initial one-week orientation.

In addition, the training program was designed for people with a passion for creativity and a curiosity to learn – formal tertiary qualifications and prior industry experience were not required as part of the selection process. Candidates were selected after three rounds, with the final round consisting of an in-person immersion day at WPP’s Sydney Campus. 

The successful candidates bring with them a diversity of experience and skills, including electronics and engineering, zoology, digital health, start-up commerce, innovation, and film production.

Morag Eyles, chief people officer for ANZ at WPP, said, “WPP’s purpose is to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities, therefore we need exceptional people to join us on this mission. With the Breakthrough Cadetship, we are developing a new pipeline of talent as part of our ambition to diversify how we work and the work we deliver. We are ecstatic to welcome the 2022 Breakthrough Cadets to WPP and look forward to growing together with them on their journey.”

Meanwhile, Rose Herceg, president for ANZ at WPP, commented, “At WPP, you can build a career for life; it is something we are proud to support through learning and development, mobility and open doors across our network of companies. We created this Cadetship to attract and develop the next generation of leadership within our industry, ensuring we maintain the skillsets needed as our clients’ creative transformation partner. I am delighted to welcome the first cohort of Breakthrough cadets and wish them well on their career pathway within WPP.”

Hong Kong – More and more brands are heeding the call for sustainability, and toothpaste brand Colgate is strengthening its commitment to social impact through finally making its toothpaste tubes recyclable. In line with this, the brand has released an engaging campaign that introduces its newly revamped packaging – via the personification of ‘Colley’. 

Through advert shorts, ‘Colley’ is seen as laidback and funny where it says recycling is ‘fun’ except when it’s a ‘joke’ you’re repurposing. The campaign is developed by Red Fuse, WPP’s integrated global team dedicated to Colgate-Palmolive brands. 

Called ‘Share the Answers’, the campaign ultimately champions Colgate’s use of HPDE recyclable toothpaste tubes.

“We are committed to [helping] find solutions to the problem plastic represents for the planet. And we want to do it holistically [by] making our products recyclable whilst simultaneously educating people and collaborating with organizations on the ground,” said Yves Briantias, Colgate’s VP of marketing for APAC. 

Regional ECD of Red Fuse Kenny Choo said Colley, the recyclable tube, is full of energy and optimism and will often be found chatting about recyclable plastic with Genny, the animated tube character that is a complete contrast – not recyclable.

Choo said, “We want to help people understand the new technology of Colgate’s recyclable tube in a fun and engaging way, and Colley brings that ‘refreshing’ appeal to the toothpaste category…we feel that these characters will permeate through cultures and across continents for both Colgate and consumers. We have developed content that will appeal to all generations and that will help to encourage more discussion around recycling and sustainable habits.” 

Colgate has actually pledged to design and deliver circular and alternative solutions for all its products as part of its 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy. 

The present campaign with ‘Colley’ was first launched in Australia and is expected to be adopted across other APAC markets. It has already been rolled out across Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok and will also be including in-store promotions. 

Mumbai, India – Global creative network WPP has announced that it has acquired the remaining 26 per cent stake in MediaCom Communications in India. MediaCom in India is treated as a JV between WPP and independent communications group Madison World. Following WPP’s decision to merge Essence and MediaCom globally, top management of Madison World has agreed to exit MediaCom to enable the merger. 

The initial agreement between WPP and Madison World dates back to 2008, under which the company owned 51%. In 2017, Madison World sold 25% to WPP. The unique deal between WPP and Madison World contributed to the rapid growth that MediaCom experienced in India. 

MediaCom Communications in India had offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru with a team of 165. It has done media planning and buying for a number of top brands such as Procter & Gamble and Dell.

Sam Balsara, chairman of Madison World, said, “This innovative partnership we invested in nearly 15 years ago has been a great success for all parties. It has established MediaCom in India as a fast-growing and highly respected agency by advertisers.”

Nick Lawson, Global CEO of MediaCom, commented, “It has been a pleasure working with Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara as we grew this successful business in India. We will build on that legacy to deliver the agency model our clients want for the future – founded on brilliant strategy and brand-building capabilities, with pioneering digital expertise running throughout.”

Sam Balasara and Lara Balasara are Madison World’s chairman and executive director, respectively.

It was in April 2022 when the EssenceMediacom merger was officially announced. The fusion combines the digital and data-driven capabilities of Essence with MediaCom’s scaled multichannel, audience planning, and strategic media expertise. 

Australia – Global creative transformation company WPP has agreed to acquire the business of Bower House Digital, a marketing technology services agency located in Australia. Through the acquisition, Bower House Digital will be joining Ogilvy’s global network, further strengthening its ability to deliver technology-driven marketing solutions for clients.

Bower House Digital designs, builds, and deploys digital experiences for clients including Aesop, Bunnings, and Bupa, as well as Target, and Myer. It specialises in implementing Salesforce Marketing Cloud solutions.

The acquisition is aligned with WPP’s accelerated growth strategy and focused M&A approach to building on existing digital experience capabilities.

Rose Herceg, WPP’s president for Australia and New Zealand, said, “Companies are seeking one integrated communications solution that combines creativity, technology and data. Bower House Digital’s knowledge in marketing technology will further strengthen our digital expertise in Australia and New Zealand. I’m excited to welcome the Bower House Digital team and clients to WPP.”

Meanwhile, Andy Main, Ogilvy’s global CEO, noted that Bower House Digital has a dynamic team of experts with a track record of delivering truly personalised digital experiences for some of the world’s most recognisable brands. 

“We look forward to driving impact and fueling growth for our clients by scaling Bower House Digital’s capabilities at the intersection of creativity, consultancy, production and operational services across our global network,” said Main.

Bryan Dobson and Meg Quinn, Bower House Digital’s co-founders, commented, “Joining WPP and Ogilvy’s global network represents the next stage in our growth. We are so proud of what our company has achieved, the culture we have created and the team we have assembled over the past five years. Fusing our digital marketing knowledge with the creative powers of Ogilvy will build even bigger and better opportunities for our people and clients.”

Singapore – Global creative transformation company WPP has partnered with Epic Games, the interactive entertainment company and Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer, to help agencies within WPP deliver a new era of digital experiences for brands in the metaverse. 

The partnership will include a new training program to upskill WPP creatives and technologists, consisting of three separate tracks for executives, creative practitioners, and media experts and strategists. It will see WPP teams working closely with experts at Epic Games to learn how to build next-generation interactive experiences leveraging Unreal Engine, an advanced real-time 3D creation tool used across a range of industries including games, film, architecture, fashion, and automotive, as well as music and live events. 

Moreover, WPP teams will be able to take advantage of training and tools to create new experiences in Fortnite, where creators can build imaginative worlds for brands inside of one of the most globally popular online games. 

WPP will also work with SuperAwesome, an Epic Games company, to deepen its understanding of online safety and privacy to help its campaigns engage younger audiences safely.

Nilufar Fowler, WPP’s executive vice president of strategic partnerships, commented, “We think of WPP as the creative transformation company, one that embraces new environments like the metaverse and sees the potential for clients. Epic’s technology is world-class, and we are delighted to partner with it to raise the bar for social experiences in virtual worlds on behalf of our clients.”

Meanwhile, Matthew Henick, Epic Games’ vice president of metaverse development, shared that the collaboration between Epic, WPP, its clients, and the creator community will accelerate the building of diverse social entertainment experiences that players across the world will love. 

“This partnership with WPP bolsters our mission to educate more trailblazing brands and creators on how Epic’s tools across Fortnite, Unreal Engine, and 3D marketplaces like ArtStation and Sketchfab can be used to bring their metaverse visions to life,” said Henick.

WPP said that this partnership follows its recent announcement of The Metaverse Foundry, a new global metaverse offering through Hogarth, its specialist creative content production company.

Tokyo, Japan – Global creative transformation company WPP has appointed Kyoko Matsushita as its new chief executive officer in Japan. Through her new role, Matsushita will be responsible for WPP’s business in Japan, strengthening its collective capabilities and bringing together people and resources on behalf of clients.

She was recently the chief executive officer for Essence Global, WPP’s global data and measurement-driven full-service media agency, with 23 offices in 12 countries. She joined Essence in 2014 as the first CEO of the APAC region. Before being named Essence Global’s CEO, Kyoko served as the agency’s first global chief client officer, leading the client services practice, client satisfaction, and organic and new business growth.

Speaking about her appointment, she said, “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as WPP’s CEO in a country with so much growth potential for us and the industry. Japan is close to my heart, and the chance to lead the WPP business in a market with tremendous opportunity for us is a real honour.”

Meanwhile, Mark Read, CEO at WPP, said: “Kyoko’s experience and work at the leading edge of technology and her appreciation for building a strong culture make her the perfect leader for our WPP business in Japan. She is highly respected across our industry, and her return to the Asia Pacific region follows a period of great success as CEO of Essence. I have no doubt she will unlock new opportunities for our people and clients in the world’s third-largest economy.”

This appointment will see Matsushita’s return to Asia, based in Tokyo, after a transition period as the merged EssenceMediacom business prepares for its launch.