WPP needs to revamp culture to attract the best people, says boss March 5, 2019 WPP must create a more open culture if it is to attract the best people in the industry, chief executive Mark Read said today. “WPP is really just about people at the end of the day,” he said at the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) conference this morning. Read more: Brands have ‘Netflix envy’, [...]
Brands have ‘Netflix envy’ and need expertise of advertising agencies, says WPP boss March 5, 2019 Brands are guilty of ‘Netflix envy’ and need the expertise of traditional advertising agencies, WPP chief executive Mark Read said today. Speaking at the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) conference, Read played down fears brands are increasingly moving their advertising in-house and defended the role of conventional ad shops. Read more: Profits plunge at advertising [...]
UK digital advertising spend to grow to £15bn in 2019, report states March 4, 2019 Spending on digital advertising in the UK is set to grow to more than £15bn this year amid a boom in new digital marketing technology, a new report has revealed. Digital ad spend will enjoy double-digit growth in 2019 as the industry moves away from traditional media forms, according to the latest forecasts by Barclays [...]
Profits plunge at advertising giant WPP as it warns of ‘challenging’ 2019 March 1, 2019 Profit before tax plummeted at advertising giant WPP last year as it repeated its warning about a challenging 2019, but shares rose as the media firm beat low market expectations Read more: Martin Sorrell regrets nothing after WPP exit amid misconduct allegations The figures Profit before tax dropped 30.6 per cent to £1.46bn compared to [...]
Kinetic UK chief executive Stuart Taylor to step down this year February 14, 2019 The chief executive of out-of-home advertising firm Kinetic, Stuart Taylor, will step down after six years in charge, the company said today. Taylor, who joined the WPP-owned agency in 2013, will be retiring as UK boss in June after steering the firm through a time of flux in the sector. Read more: Out-of-home adverts aren't [...]
Dentsu Aegis appoints UBS boss Volker Doberanzke as global president February 7, 2019 Dentsu Aegis today said it has appointed former UBS banker Volker Doberanzke as its global president of business operations. The newly-created role is one of the first major appointments made by executive chairman Tim Andree, who took over as chief executive at the beginning of this year after the retirement of Jerry Buhlmann. Read more: [...]
WPP sells stake in ‘Davos in the Desert’ consulting firm Richard Attias & Associates January 31, 2019 WPP today said it is selling its stake in Richard Attias & Associates (RAA), the consulting firm behind the so-called Davos in the Desert conference in Saudi Arabia last year. The advertising group said it will sell its minority stake in RAA back to existing shareholders as part of an ongoing plan to simplify its [...]
City Moves for 21 January – who’s switching jobs at Superunion, Opengamma and Aviva? January 21, 2019 Who’s changing jobs today? Superunion WPP global brand agency Superunion announced the appointment of Holly Maguire as UK managing director to drive the growth of its UK business. Holly will be responsible for managing key client relationships with the likes of Coca-Cola, IAG, Nestle, Tesco and Vodafone, and building the success of Superunion since its launch [...]
WPP mergers fall amid restructuring plan despite increase in deals across sector January 16, 2019 Advertising giant WPP saw its M&A activity halve last year, despite a rise in the total number of deals among marketing communication firms. WPP completed 15 deals in 2018, down from 30 the year before, according to research by Results International. Read more: Brexit, ad fraud and #MeToo – what does the future year hold for [...]
Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]