London, United Kingdom – Creative transformation company WPP and tech giant Microsoft have recently entered a new partnership to launch ‘Cloud Studio’, an innovative cloud platform targeted to transform creative content production.
Cloud Studio aims to allow creative teams from across WPP’s global network to produce campaigns for clients from any location around the world. It is also the advertising industry’s first bespoke platform for virtual production that arms creatives with the technology to collaborate and create impactful work for clients, moving content creation, production and editing out of on-premises environments and into the cloud.
WPP will roll out Cloud Studio to 5,000 employees across its network, notably within WPP’s creative production operation Hogarth, giving them the ability to access production tools and services from standard Internet-connected devices via Azure without the need for the traditional hardware or physical equipment.
In the longer run, WPP has plans to expand the platform more broadly, with a potential deployment of up to 25,000 users.
For Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft, digital technology is rapidly transforming every aspect of the media and advertising industry, including how content is produced.
“Together with WPP, we will apply the power of Azure’s scalable, intelligent infrastructure to support next-generation content production and ensure thousands of WPP employees remain agile, collaborative and creative from anywhere,” Nadella stated.
Cloud Studio enables WPP to fully embrace today’s new world of hybrid working environments while providing business continuity and the ability to deliver outstanding work for clients across teams and markets. This intelligent categorization of content will enable WPP to give teams the assurance of version control, eliminate duplication of content and empower creatives working across markets and time zones with access to the right assets for the right product or market.
“Technology is what powers WPP’s creativity; it allows us to realise our ideas, uncover insights and embrace innovative ways of working. The pandemic has shown how WPP teams can successfully collaborate to create extraordinary work for our clients, all while being physically apart,” said Mark Read, CEO at WPP.
He added, “Partnering with Microsoft on Cloud Studio is the next step in our journey to arm creative teams with the latest in cutting-edge production tools, and draw upon the best talent, regardless of where they are.”
