17650: On Strategery At WPP.

 

Adweek spotlighted WPP CEO Cindy Rose on why she’s “Not Claiming Victory Yet” with the Roserrection.

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Rose can’t claim victory because Eviscerate28 is still closer to failure than success. The best she can declare is slowing WPP’s death spiral—and just barely.

Doesn’t help that she’s restructuring while purported leaders are abandoning the global flaming dumpster. A revolving and revolting roster at the C-Suite level hardly inspires trust—for clients and drones alike—counteracting Rose’s repetitive use of the term.

WPP Media cannot proclaim revitalization. As Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun stated, 91% of account assignments are won by WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis. WPP Media nabbed new business by simply being among exclusively limited options.

Rose believes her strategy is on track. Herein lies an issue perhaps exposing her Adland inexperience.

There’s a basic advertising tenet: Breakthroughs happen when strategy and execution harmonize.

Rose might think her undisclosed strategy works. However, the execution sucks.

The delusional stabilization phase is stymied by companywide instability.

The recruitment of outsiders displays a lack of faith with insiders’ capabilities.

Ogilvy aside, WPP Creative lacks creativity.

Thanks to industry commoditization fueled by the single White operating company, WPP AI offerings are not extraordinary, but rather, extra ordinary. Ditto all WPP services.

Rose shouldn’t bear complete blame. She inherited a Titanic post-collision with an iceberg. Yet it will take way more than a strategy to save the sinking ship.

Finally, in 2021 when DEIBA+ was a performative imperative, former WPP CEO Mark Read admitted, “While our U.S. data shows progress between 2018 and 2020, it also underlines the work we have to do to ensure greater representation of Black, Asian and other under-represented communities within WPP—especially at the more senior levels.”

If the situation was bad five years ago, how much worse is it today?

Cindy Rose on Why She’s ‘Not Claiming Victory Yet’ and How AI Agents Could Boost Margins

One year in, the CEO says her strategy is on track. Here’s what has changed and what still needs to be done

By Alison Weissbrot

When Cindy Rose became CEO of WPP a little over a year ago, the company was in its worst decline since the pandemic, with revenue down 5.4% and margins eroding fast. 

Today, WPP reported that Q3 revenue, less pass-through costs, fell 2.1% to $3.2 billion (£2.41 billion), narrowing from Q2’s 2.8% decline. Reported revenue was up 0.5% year-over-year to $4.4 billion. Meanwhile, WPP Media returned to 0.3% growth for the first time in six quarters.

Rose said it’s a sign her strategy to return WPP to organic growth by 2027 is taking shape. Nearly a year into that plan, the business is starting to show signs of health, following two quarters of narrowing declines.

(Read the full story here—Adweek subscription required)