17235: At WPP, It’s Showtime—Shitshowtime, That Is.

 

The Guardian published a lengthy report on beleaguered WPP, consolidating all the bad news about the White holding company.

 

Referring to ex-WPP CEO Mark Read, a former WPP executive remarked, “In Mark’s defence, Martin [Sorrell] did leave him with a shitshow.”

 

Okay, and Read did leave new WPP CEO Cindy Rose with a flaming port-o-potty. Rose appears to be currently ignoring the blazing bowel movement, inking a deal with Google and hoping to sell AI bullshit instead.

 

Before this is all over, expect thousands of drones to leave—mostly via layoffs. In the end, the diligent workers will get shat on.

What’s gone wrong at WPP? The crown slips at world’s biggest advertising group

 

Exodus of big clients, falling profits and dire forecasts raise prospect of a once ‘unthinkable’ breakup

 

By Mark Sweney

 

A dark joke is doing the rounds in adland that the original Wire and Plastic Products, the small Kent-based basketmaker that Martin Sorrell bought 40 years ago as a stock market-listed vehicle to build WPP, might outlast the advertising giant itself. Now named Delfinware, and a maker of dish drainers with 10 employees, the business is 56 years old and privately held, while the listed global ads group that was once its parent struggles amid a changing corporate landscape.

 

For decades the financial success and dominance of WPP – its 100,000 employees service global clients from Ford to Coca-Cola – has been the corporate manifestation of Britain’s shining reputation for creative advertising.

 

WPP has housed some of the most prestigious agency networks – from J Walter Thompson to Young & Rubicam – producing globally resonant campaigns such as Dove’s Real Beauty, which challenged stereotypical portrayals of women.

 

Among WPP’s greatest hits are the unlikely pairing of the Sex Pistol John Lydon with Country Life butter, and decades of work for Coca-Cola, including Ogilvy convincing the company to replace its logo on bottles with personal names – a global phenomenon still on shelves 12 years later.

 

But now, as WPP struggles to stem a growing exodus of clients worth billions of pounds and deal with an existential race to match the AI and data capabilities of rivals, there is hitherto unthinkable talk of a breakup.

 

“WPP ruled the world at one point, it was like the British empire,” said one industry executive. “It was symbolic of UK success and the country’s status as the global home for advertising.”

 

Chapter closes on Read

 

In August, a profit warning and dire forecast of revenue decline for this year sent WPP’s shares plummeting to their lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis, marking the end of a brutal seven years as chief executive for Mark Read.

 

A market capitalisation of just £4bn – compared with its £25bn valuation eight years ago, when WPP was the world’s largest marketing services company – has left the business at risk of falling out of the FTSE 100 index it joined almost three decades ago.

 

“Another profit warning could push it out and WPP is up against it,” said Alex DeGroote, a media analyst. “I was in the room with Sorrell when the business entered the FTSE 100 in 1998 – the jubilation. The situation WPP finds itself in now is almost unthinkable. WPP is extremely vulnerable, it is [potentially] facing a takeover or breakup.”

 

For WPP’s board, led by the former BT chief executive Philip Jansen, the final straw for Read came on the first weekend in June when Mars informed the company that it was losing its $1.7bn (£1.3bn) global snacking and petcare business. Read resigned on the Monday morning.

 

Read’s strategy was to simplify a sprawling operation to create – or give the appearance of creating – a group fit for an AI future. The move saw the disappearance of some of the most famous brands in advertising.

 

“It was a bashing and crashing of names that were linked to ‘old’ advertising, it was a mess,” said a former senior WPP agency executive. “He killed off the brands. Clients certainly didn’t understand why a JWT, Wunderman or Y&R had to go, they were treasured trophies.”

 

Others argue that Read has laid the groundwork for a turnaround and that WPP’s fall was already evident under Sorrell. Its market value fell from £25bn to £16bn over the founder’s last year in charge.

“In Mark’s defence, Martin did leave him with a shitshow,” said another former senior WPP executive.

 

WPP has been investing £300m a year in AI tools to enable it to make ads cheaper and faster and has 70,000 employees using its tech platform, WPP Open.

 

However, concerns are growing among the rank and file over job cuts with AI poised to take over swathes of the company’s creative, media and data processes.

 

“The place where the fear is most present is lower down, in entry-level positions where you come in and learn the business,” said one staffer. “Grunt work, data, consumer insight: AI can write you a competitive review with creative embedded in it and market segmentation in 2.5 minutes. That would have been two weeks work for two or three graduate-level people.”

 

Publicly, advertising chief executives talk of limited cuts – a “rebalancing” as most staff learn the skills required in an AI-driven future.

 

One executive said they had noted a perhaps surprising and counterintuitive impact of the introduction of AI: old dogs learning new tricks.

 

“Middle-aged traditional creatives, the ones that have built a career doing traditional TV ads and posters who you’d have thought would be the most at threat of extinction, are moving very fast, teaching themselves how to master developments with generative AI to survive.”

 

Tough competition

 

In the ad market, WPP is being heavily outgunned – principally by France’s Publicis Groupe, which took its crown as the biggest ad group in the world by revenue last year.

 

Publicis has seen its share price increase almost 200% in five years, giving a market value of €21bn (£19bn). It is led by the seemingly indefatigable Arthur Sadoun, who is described by more than one industry executive as reminding them of “Sorrell in his prime”.

 

“Publicis, which not that long ago was struggling, has been an incredible story,” said one city source. “They have a very similar asset mix to WPP, and they have consolidated traditional agencies in the same way, but what is key is that their digital assets have outperformed.

“Sadoun is a really good salesman, he’s charming, relentless and clients want to work with him, something that you could argue has been lacking at WPP.”

 

US-based rivals Omnicom and IPG have each seen their shares appreciate just more than 50% over the same period, with market capitalisations of $15bn (£11.2bn) and $9.7bn respectively.

 

WPP has asked Cindy Rose, a former Microsoft executive, to engineer a turnaround.

Earlier this month, she unveiled a five-year $400m partnership with Google to embed AI products such as Gemini and the video generator Veo into WPP Open.

 

Rose, who has also worked at Virgin Media, Vodafone and Disney, is said by insiders to have been “client-obsessive” in constant meetings in New York and London.

 

“She is not here to glaze anything,” said a source who has spent time with Rose since she took over as chief executive last month. “She is very clear-eyed about the challenges and is determined to move fast to turn it around.”

 

Given the state of WPP’s business, analysts believe she may have only a year to save it. Read sold off assets including the market research group Kantar and used the proceeds to help pay down debt.

 

However, lower operating profits – down 35% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 – raise doubts about WPP’s “interest cover” – a measure of a company’s ability to pay down debt. Of more fundamental concern is an operating margin that fell from 11.5% in the first half of last year to 8.2% in the first six months of 2025. By comparison, the figure for Publicis is just more than 18%.

 

“I cannot ever remember margins being anywhere near as low as that,” said DeGroote. “It is shocking really. With Rose they have gone for the Silicon Valley touch. She will be given a year to work out whether there is a tech turnaround story here, if not the board will mandate her to break WPP up.”

 

Despite the immense pressure on WPP, there are signs that investors believe the business may have hit its nadir and be set to bounce back.

 

WPP Media, which manages more than $60bn in global media investment in campaigns for clients, has always been the revenue and profit driver for the company. WPP Media on its own is worth more than the approximate £7.5bn enterprise value of WPP, which includes its debt.

 

A number of investment funds have increased their position in WPP, sensing a bargain as change looms under Rose, but the question is whether the ad giant can convince clients and investors quickly enough.

 

“Investors are scared of being on the wrong side of AI,” said the City source. “It is the biggest theme in markets globally. It feels as though WPP is on the wrong side of that trade at the moment.

 

“Advertising clients are fickle, there is a contagion to winning and losing. The worry is that the decline is baked in. But change comes when you are on the precipice of disaster. I would never write WPP off.”

 

WPP and Sorrell declined to comment.

17234: Omnicom To Declare DDBuh-Bye…?

 

Adweek reported Omnicom delivered a vague response to rumors that the White holding company will erase White advertising agency brands like DDB upon completing its acquisition of IPG.

 

Online chatter included weeping and gnashing of teeth over the possible obliteration of iconic mastheads.

 

Yet such probable moves should not be surprising, as Omnicom has been a leader in orchestrating the commoditization of Adland, building a global portfolio of generic, exchangeable White advertising agencies.

 

Indeed, the White holding company deemed once-storied Goodby Silverstein & Partners equal to Fathom Communications—a shop that ultimately folded its Chicago office before folding sister offices into assorted White ad agencies within the Omnicom empire.

 

The rumors reflect reality.

 

Omnicom Responds To Rumors That It Will Sunset DDB 

 

Following unconfirmed reports that the DDB brand could be retired, Omnicom says it is still evaluating its agency structure

 

By Audrey Kemp

 

Omnicom Group has responded to reports that it plans to retire the DDB agency brand following its $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group, which is expected to close by the end of November.

 

The company did not confirm or deny the reports, but said it is evaluating its agencies ahead of the deal closing.

 

International advertising publications speculated on Wednesday that Omnicom intends to consolidate its creative operations around three global networks—BBDO, TBWA, and McCann—once the acquisition receives final regulatory approval. If accurate, the move would eliminate DDB as a standalone global brand.

 

In a statement to ADWEEK, an Omnicom spokesperson said the company is “undertaking a rigorous and considered process to ensure we have the very best solutions for the future for us and for our clients,” adding that Omnicom and IPG remain independent companies until the acquisition is finalized.

 

Consolidation underway

 

Founded in 1949 by Bill Bernbach, Ned Doyle, and Max Dane, DDB is one of Omnicom’s three main creative agency networks, alongside BBDO and TBWA.

 

DDB has already begun consolidating some of its operations. Earlier this year, the network unified its North American agencies—DDB Chicago, adam&eveDDB, and multicultural shop Alma—under newly appointed North America CEO Caroline Winterton and COO Isaac Mizrahi.

 

In 2023, DDB New York merged with adam&eveNYC under the name adam&eveDDB.

Last year, Omnicom aligned its creative networks DDB, BBDO, and TBWA, as well as agencies including Goodby Silverstein & Partners and GSD&M, under an umbrella called Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG).

 

Further streamlining Omnicom’s creative portfolio would mirror similar moves by WPP, Publicis Groupe, and Dentsu to integrate creative, media, data, and tech capabilities under fewer brands.

 

A creative legacy

 

DDB operates in more than 40 markets worldwide, and its subsidiaries, such as adam&eveDDB London, are among the most awarded in the industry. It’s unclear how those entities would be integrated if the DDB brand was retired.

 

Over the past several decades, DDB has produced celebrated work like Volkswagen’s “Think Small” and McDonald’s “You Deserve a Break Today.”

 

More recently, however, DDB’s creative output has faced scrutiny.

 

In June, Cannes Lions withdrew the Grand Prix awarded to DDB’s São Paulo-based agency DM9 for Whirlpool brand Consul’s “Efficient Way to Pay,” after determining the case film contained AI-manipulated footage. DM9 chief creative officer Icaro Doria stepped down, but DDB retained the Cannes Lions Network of the Year title.

 

Omnicom’s all-stock acquisition of IPG, announced in late 2024, would create the world’s largest advertising holding company by revenue, overtaking rivals Publicis and WPP. The deal is projected to generate about $750 million in cost synergies.

 

Omnicom is in the final stage of gaining regulatory approval from the European Union, the last remaining market under review.

17233: Driving Adland To Armageddon.

 

DoorDash is offering advertising services. It’s bad enough that White advertising agencies are being replaced by AI—but by fast-food delivery drivers too?

17232: Cracks In Cracker Barrel Rebranding Controversy.

 

Nation’s Restaurant News reported The Wall Street Journal revealed 44.5% of anti-woke X posts fueling the online backlash for Cracker Barrel’s short-lived rebrand were generated by bots.

 

“Bots essentially lit the match,” a data analyst explained. “They created fake widespread anger, which then triggered real people to pile on and amplify the outrage far beyond what a typical logo change would typically provoke. Other brands have survived backlash over logo changes, and Cracker Barrel could have too if they took the time to understand the data.”

 

So, it appears President Donald J. Trump and his cronies—who constantly complain about perceived “fake news”—are not averse to fake social media posts.

 

Cracker Barrel’s logo controversy was driven by bots: What operators should learn from this

 

Research from PeakMetrics found that 44.5% of X posts about the Cracker Barrel rebranding controversy were posted by bots

 

By Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

 

As Cracker Barrel continues to deal with the backlash against its (now mostly walked-back) modern rebranding that rocked social media for weeks, new data has come to light. According to research obtained by the Wall Street Journal from PeakMetrics, 44.5% of X posts about Cracker Barrel on Aug. 20 (when the new logo began to go viral), were posted by “bots or likely bots,” rising to 49% at the peak of the controversy.

 

That is a much higher share of automated posts than usual, the metrics company said, noting that controversial discussions on social media usually garner about 20% to 30% of bot-authored posts. This means that nearly half of the online outrage against Cracker Barrel’s simplified logo and remodeled stores was manufactured.

 

“The decisions Cracker Barrel made amid this social noise felt like they were driven by a desire to quickly extinguish the conversation rather than get their arms around what was really happening,” Maria Harrison, president and CEO of digital marketing agency, Bullseye Strategy, said. “Bots essentially lit the match. They created fake widespread anger, which then triggered real people to pile on and amplify the outrage far beyond what a typical logo change would typically provoke. Other brands have survived backlash over logo changes, and Cracker Barrel could have too if they took the time to understand the data.”

 

She added that even before rolling out a rebrand, a company should be aware through internal communications if it might spark a backlash. If that’s the case, they should have a “crisis response framework” in place for a measured plan instead of hurried flailing.

 

The crisis response, Harrison said, should include steps like checking first-party data to see how real customers are responding (not just bots and social media pilers-on). Operators can also use third-party tools to verify whether online chatter is real or manufactured, she said. There are also clues to spot social media outrage inauthenticity, like repetitive posts and hashtags, and the noise only showing up in one channel (in this case, on X).

 

“Predictive testing, proactive communication to their customers, and contextual data all could have mitigated this crisis,” Harrison said. “If early warning signs were detected, Cracker Barrel could have made quiet decisions about how to proceed, and if they decided to proceed nationally, they could have gotten ahead of any discontent that may have been legitimate and not bot-driven.”

 

AI experts agree that a thorough but measured approach is best, so companies can distinguish real social media activity from manufactured, AI-driven response. If a pattern of inauthenticity is detected, then companies should not feel obligated to over-respond, or over-apologize. 

 

“When you respond, do it calmly and focus on real guests,” Peter Swimm, AI expert and founder of Toliville, said. “Use a one‑line integrity note if needed: ‘We’ve seen signs of unusual coordination online. We’re prioritizing feedback from our guests and staff.’ Hold major changes until at least two signals agree: social plus search, or direct guest feedback.”

 

In the case of Cracker Barrel, the company urgently responded to bring back the old logo, halt store rebrands, fire its redesign consultant, and juggle its executive leadership team (while still keeping CEO Julie Massino in place). This last part at least, Harrison said, was a smart move.

 

“Removing the CEO would likely have driven the stock further down,” Harrison said. “Instead, keeping their CEO in place signaled leadership restraint amid the chaos and kept continuity of leadership, something investors often value.”

17231: On Brand Values & Value Of Inclusive Marketing.

 

Advertising Age published a perspective advocating for brands to hold firm on their values—especially when facing cultural and political pressures—to avoid alienating key consumer segments.

 

Okay, except there’s plenty of data underscoring how brands undervalue non-White audiences—and often don’t value such groups at all.

 

For brands, true values and value can be measured in performative PR, heat shields, and crumbs.

 

Brand values must hold firm, even under cultural pressure

 

By Tara DeVeaux

 

As a child from the Northeast with parents from Virginia and South Carolina, I remember Cracker Barrel as a part of the annual trips “down south” to visit family. I thought it was as much for us as it was for anyone else. I don’t think I ever thought about the logo once. I’d guess most people would have been hard-pressed to draw it from memory if they had to (there’s a barrel, right?).

 

When the restaurant redesigned the logo to remove Uncle Herschel and then quickly caved to public outcry over its “woke rebrand,” my first thought was: Wait, was the old man supposed to be a “cracker?”

 

And more importantly, I questioned what signal the company was sending. Does it see itself as a whites-only brand? Are my family and I no longer welcome? Have I been wrong about this brand’s values all these years?

 

Cracker Barrel is just the latest example of a brand navigating current consumer sentiment and beliefs about its brand with rapidly shifting cultural mores. Its choices are a reminder of how woven brands are into the fabric of consumers’ lives. These include Target, with its public pullback on DE&I initiatives in January, and American Eagle, with its Sydney Sweeney wink to blue “genes.”

 

In the words of Marvin Gaye, “What’s going on?”

 

Whether purposeful or not, brand advertising is raising the hackles of the consumers it is supposed to court. And like many human-to-human relationships, the cause of the consumer alienation starts with a perceived betrayal. A betrayal of the values the brand has communicated, advertently or otherwise, that consumers held dear.

 

That’s why brand values, once firmly established, must be unshakable. They can evolve as culture evolves, but they cannot tremble and collapse from a shift in political winds unless they want to risk consumer alienation and declining sales.

 

Some brands seem to be getting it right. Shareholders of Costco, another big-box retailer beloved by its clientele, overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to reevaluate its DE&I policies in January, the same month Target announced its rollback. Lines were initially around the block, and Costco’s sales have risen steadily each month this year.

 

In August, Ralph Lauren launched a campaign that pays homage to the generations of African Americans who have vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard. And this brand, celebrating the Black elite, has also evolved to embrace their status as the inspiration of the “Lo Life” movement among Black and brown folks, a term of deep affection.

 

Values are not simply words on a corporate website or in an onboarding booklet. They are a behavior code. And when brand actions or words are inconsistent with past behavior, consumers will feel betrayed and might rebel.

 

Those of us who work in advertising agencies have a major role to play in advising our client partners on the importance a brand’s values play in shaping consumer sentiment.

 

Agencies must support our brand partners by defining a concise, actionable set of brand values and then creating a framework to test every public action, partnership, or statement against those principles. If something doesn’t align, it’s a signal to rethink.

 

But even with that forethought, crises will arise, which is why agencies must also help brands develop crisis agility and crisis avoidance. Before a campaign launches, agencies should simulate scenarios where a cultural flashpoint tests the brand’s values in the event of boycotts or political commentary.

 

To avoid knee-jerk reactions to creative work once it’s in market, agencies must combine social listening with a deeper understanding of who a client’s audience is and how they will feel in the moment. Developing a “cultural dashboard” can help distinguish real, values-related risks.

 

People and attitudes evolve. Brands and their messaging evolve. Advertising science evolves. I’ve written before that demographics alone are not destiny when it comes to marketing. While age, income, life stage, race, and ethnicity all play a role in developing consumer audiences, so too does the intersection of culture and community among all those groups.

 

Those inflection points are why so many consumers could relate to Cracker Barrel’s perceived nod to southern heritage without seeing racism and why they felt betrayed once they caved to public sentiment.

 

While it’s the brand that will determine its values, it’s the consumer who will hold them accountable for living up to them. Understanding the relationship between the brand and the people the brand serves is the key to unlocking continued growth.

17230: Agency Of The Year Awards Will Likely Feature Asterisked ‘Winners’…

Campaign is hyping its Agency of the Year Awards, setting a standard entry deadline of November 17, 2025.

 

Given the impending Omnicom acquisition of IPG—as well as other dramatic shifts happening throughout Adland—can any White advertising agency even guarantee being around by EOY 2025?

17229: Unisys Case Study Soon To Be Outdated.

 

Hey, it looks like at least one enterprise will benefit from the Omnicom acquisition of IPG—although the tech provider currently servicing the soon-to-be acquired White holding company is about to become redundant.

17228: WPP AI DIY BS WTF.

 

MediaPost reported WPP launched WPP Open Pro, an AI-powered marketing platform that lets brands plan, create, and publish campaigns in DIY style.

 

Looks like WPP CEO Cindy Rose is leveraging her Microsoft background, selling technology products to potential and existing customers.

 

So, the White holding company that commoditized Adland by pimping a portfolio of generic, exchangeable White advertising agencies is now essentially admitting its legacy offerings can be easily replaced by artificial intelligence.

 

Rose and her crew are positioning the service as proprietary and premier, but does anyone believe WPP AI is demonstrably different than other White holding companies’ AI? Doubt it.

 

The lame promotional video declares: A new approach to marketing. Smarter. Simpler. Faster. Better.

 

Okay, but smarter, simpler, faster, and better than what?

 

Sorry, this scheme shows Rose could be swapped for AI.

 

Yet will that happen before thousands of WPP drones are deemed unnecessary and summarily dismissed? Don’t count on it.

 

WPP Offers New ‘Open’ Version Designed To Attract Broader Client Set

 

By Steve McClellan

 

WPP today unveiled a new version of its marketing operating system WPP Open that’s designed to appeal to smaller clients across the global ad market. 

 

It’s called WPP Open Pro, designed as a self-serve marketing platform where brands can plan, create and publish campaigns independently. 

 

WPP CEO Cindy Rose said that the company’s staff would always “be at the heart of what we do...with WPP Open at the core.” 

 

That said, she added that the new Pro offer “puts our AI advantage directly into the hands of a much wider array of brands and businesses. This is about transforming how marketing is delivered, expanding our total addressable market, and giving more brands the tools they need to lead in the AI era.” 

 

The company stressed that while Pro is designed to attract new smaller clients, it’s also an alternative to existing clients. 

 

The new platform is built on the broader WPP Open OS.  

 

According to the company, Open Pro enables users to plan with AI-powered tools to develop campaign strategies and quickly evaluate audiences and competitive landscapes.

 

Content can also be developed speedily at scale. And clients publish content directly to “major ad platforms,” or hand off to WPP Open Media for execution.  

 

“WPP Open Pro is an integrated solution for campaign implementation, built to deliver outcomes, not just assets,” said Stephan Pretorius, Chief Technology Officer at WPP.  

 

He said that makes it well suited for clients and brands seeking “consistency and compliance at scale,” as well as for performance marketing teams and, “crucially, provides smaller, agile marketing teams and emerging brands with direct access to WPP’s professional capabilities and intelligence.” 

 

Find a sizzle reel on the new offering here.

17227: Omnicom-IPG Close To Closing…?

MediaPost reported on the Omnicom acquisition of IPG nearing completion with a headline—Omnicom-IPG Expected To Close In November—that could be misread.

 

After all, IPG has been holding “Going Out Of Business” sales over the past year, pruning its portfolio of White advertising and digital agencies.

 

So, it’s possible other enterprises—including IPG—could be permanently closed as the deal is completed.