17649: On Branding, Designing, And Hiring At WPP.

 

MediaPost reported Landor—the branding and design consultancy within WPP Creative—hired and/or boosted a bunch of White executives for leadership roles.

Not sure what to make of the moves.

After all, the recent 3Q earnings call indicated WPP Creative recorded a 5.1% decline. Additionally, WPP CEO Cindy Rose heralded the progression of Eviscerate28, a scheme calling for more layoffs.

So, if WPP Creative is struggling and targeted with deeper RIFs, why add high-level forces?

Plus, how do these hires relate to the earlier creation of WPP Brand & Design and its newly minted leaders?

Were the latest appointments orchestrated and approved by the outgoing WPP Creative CEO or the incoming successor?

Seems like someone needs to clarify the branding and designing of the single White operating company.

The global flaming dumpster is a never-ending shitshow.

WPP’s Landor Bolsters Senior Leadership With 4 Key Hires

By Fern Siegel

Landor has added to its senior leadership team. The four hires enhance the agency's expertise in key sectors: strategy, healthcare and AI. Landor is WPP’s brand/design consultancy.

Andrew Miller and Oliver Maltby join Landor as global executive strategy director and global executive creative director.

Previously, Miller was Chief Growth Officer at BeenThereDoneThat, and earlier at Interbrand. He reports to James Withey, global EVP strategy.

Maltby had been executive creative director at Interbrand New York. He will report to Teemu Suviala, Global CCO. Both Miller and Maltby are based in New York.

Carolyn Griffin joins from JKR as executive strategy director, to strengthen Landor’s healthcare practice, while Marc Lamothe, a six-year agency vet, takes up a new role as global executive director, applied AI and brand intelligence. Prior to Landor, he worked at Fitch.

Nicky Bell, president, Americas and global healthcare practice leader, said: “Our clients are facing immense complexity. They need trusted partners who understand how differentiated brand strategies can unlock growth — even in volatile markets. We are thrilled to welcome Andrew, Oliver, Carolyn and Marc to our talented Landor team.”

17648: Translating WPP 3Q PR WTF.

 

MediaPost reported WPP CEO Cindy Rose displayed the art of PR—propagandistic revisionism—during a 3Q earnings call.

WPP posted a “smaller decline” in the third quarter, which sorta sounds like things are not as shitty as previous quarters—but it’s still a shitshow.

WPP Media provided the least smelliness in the shit pile by recording a 0.3% gain year over year. Um, that’s closer to 0% than even 1%, no?

Meanwhile, WPP Creative was down 5.1%, meaning the guy recruited to replace the outgoing WPP Creative CEO inherited a shitstorm.

To summarize, Rose appears to be containing fires burning in the global flaming dumpster.

WPP Posts Smaller Decline In Q3 As Media Enters Positive Territory

By Steve McClellan

WPP posted a net organic revenue decline of 2.1% for the third quarter, a sequential improvement over the previous quarter. 

One of the brighter notes for the period: WPP Media returned to growth, albeit a slight 0.3% gain year over year.

On an earnings call Thursday CEO Cindy Rose noted that it was the first quarter of growth for the firm’s media division since 2024.  

The company’s full-year outlook remains unchanged. The organic revenue decline for the second half of the year will be low to mid-single digits with Q4 “toward the better end of his range.” The first quarter shortfall was 6.7% while Q2 was off 2.8%.  

“We continue to make progress, and I’m encouraged by our momentum,” Rose stated on the call, adding that the company as a whole is on track to return to growth in 2027, per the goals of its three-year turnaround plan which extends through 2028. 

WPP Production also grew in the quarter—up 2.5%—while creative operations were down 5.1%. 

All regions declined: North America, -1.8%; Europe Middle East & Asia, -1.7%, Asia Pacific, -4.3% and Latin America, -1.2%. 

But Rose asserted that the company had succeeded in stabilizing its business, as evidenced by a number of big new business wins and retentions including the global marketing assignment for The Coca-Cola Company. Other significant wins included DoorDash, Nestle, Uber and Waymo. 

Rose asserted that clients have reacted positively toward the company’s integration efforts. “We’re showing up as one entity without individual agency constraints,” she said. 

One analyst on the call noted that the Coca-Cola retention excluded the North America media business, which went to Omnicom in a separate pitch. Rose responded that the company made the “tough call” not to pursue that piece of business and instead focus on the comprehensive work it will do for the company throughout the rest of the world.  

The firm said it was on track to save $100 million in costs this year, which will be reinvested in company services. It will save another $150 million in cost cuts next year, said company CFO Joanne Wilson, who previously announced she is stepping down next year to take the CFO spot at spirits marketer Diageo. The search for her replacement is underway.  

Commenting on the results, marketing advisory firm Madison & Wall said, “taken together, the quarter shows stabilization that is now visible in media, but not yet in creative, which at 48% of net revenue is the larger of the two. Comparisons remain easy through the end of the year, indicating a sustained return to growth will depend on whether Creative can follow Media.”

Company shares were up modestly (+1.4%) in early afternoon trading following the release of Q3 results.

17647: WPP CEO Cindy Rose, Like Her Predecessor, Is Full Of Shit.

 

More About Advertising noted how WPP CEO Cindy Rose responded to Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun seeing a trend whereby major brands assign business to the top White holding companies sans traditional pitches.

“What’s really important to me is that my clients fully understand the implications of the decisions they’re making. These are really high-stakes decisions with material business consequences and they deserve careful consideration,” said Rose. “I don’t think we do ourselves any favours, as an industry of professionals, by encouraging clients to bypass proper due diligence.”

Um, wasn’t WPP Production recently exposed for trying to skirt around the triple-bidding process by presenting clients with multiple bids from White production sources within the global flaming dumpster network?

And don’t forget the corrupt sneakiness and criminal shenanigans at WPP Media.

Rose is clearly refining her skills as a world-class bullshit artist, mirroring predecessor Mark Read.

WPP’s Rose bites back at Publicis

By Stephen Foster

Is a scrap brewing between WPP’s Cindy Rose (below) and master-of-all-he surveys Arthur Sadoun at Publicis?

Sadoun has made much of Publicis winning major business without a pitch, saying clients shouldn’t waste their time on big pitches but take a good [look] at one agency group (chiefly his of course) as, these days there are only three contenders, Publicis, Omnicom and WPP. Pepsico is the most recent example of such a switch, with Omnicom on the receiving end.

WPP has lost out to a degree and Rose said in her earnings call yesterday: “What’s really important to me is that my clients fully understand the implications of the decisions they’re making. These are really high-stakes decisions with material business consequences and they deserve careful consideration.

“I don’t think we do ourselves any favours, as an industry of professionals, by encouraging clients to bypass proper due diligence.”

She then rather undermined her position by saying, apropos Coca-Cola’s US media (which Publicis pinched from WPP without a pitch, it then effectively resigned it to take on Pepsico): “We won the rest of the world and we have a huge amount of work to do in a very short period of time. I had people, many, many people, pitching for many, many, many weeks over the summer.

“I was with them myself in London and Shanghai and Mexico City and we made a tough call between spending another six weeks pitching for North America versus delivering against what we had already won.

“It was a fine judgment call we made and it’s as simple as that really.” Which rather makes Sadoun’s point.

But it used to be fun when the holding company bosses routinely took a pop at each other, led by WPP’s then boss Sir Martin Sorrell (who could start a fight alone in a darkened room.) Publicis’ then boss Maurice Levy used to rise to the challenge. Sorrell’s successor Mark Read was low-key, allowing Sadoun at Publicis to make the running (Omnicom’s John Wren usually stays above the fray in his lordly American way.)

Is it time for gloves off?

17646: TGIFryday—Popeyes CMO Flies The Coop.

Advertising Age reported Popeyes didn’t love that chicken appointed Chief Marketing Officer in January, dismissing the executive roughly three months after he named White advertising agency Anomaly as creative AOR for the brand.

The search is on for a CMO successor. Anyone got digits for Annie the Chicken Queen?

Popeyes CMO Matt Rubin is out months after agency overhaul

By Jon Springer

Popeyes has dismissed Chief Marketing Officer Matt Rubin less than a year after appointing him to the role, parent company Restaurant Brands International confirmed. The departure adds to significant marketing leadership turnover among restaurant chains as they deal with difficult economic conditions and declining traffic.

Nation’s Restaurant News first reported Rubin’s departure, citing a system message outlining concerns about sales and traffic. According to the report, Peter Perdue, Popeyes’ U.S. and Canada president, will take a more active role in marketing while the chain searches for a successor.

Rubin, previously Popeyes’ chief digital officer, was appointed CMO in January, succeeding Bart LaCount. Under Rubin, the brand conducted a creative agency review that resulted in Anomaly replacing McKinney as its U.S. creative agency of record in July.

Popeyes will continue working with Anomaly, an RBI spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age.

Anomaly’s first campaign for Popeyes, “That Chicken from Popeyes,” debuted in late August, pairing the chain’s Louisiana cooking credentials with a value message centered on its $6 Big Box meal.

Popeyes’ U.S. same-store sales fell 5.2% in the second quarter, but RBI executives previously said its recovery was on track and predicted positive comparable sales in the second half.

Perdue’s message suggests the chain’s performance has fallen short of those expectations.

“Our business performance, particularly sales and traffic, is not where we need to be,” Perdue said in the message, according to NRN. “Despite significant effort across our organization and system, our results are falling short of what we believe Popeyes is capable of delivering.”

RBI reports its third-quarter results Thursday.

17645: Things Are Getting Frosty At Wendy’s.

Associated Press reported Wendy’s—struggling with rising beef prices and failing restaurants—received a buyout offer.

Hmmm. The fast feeder’s longtime White advertising agency is VML, part of the WPP network that recently secured Wendy’s US media business. So, it’s arguably a triumvirate of losers.

Plus, Wendy’s recently hired a new CMO, which could spell OMFG for VML and WPP.

Maybe WPP should bid on Wendy’s and add it to the portfolio of services. Such a move would offer employment opportunities to the thousands targeted for layoffs.

Wendy’s, struggling with beef prices and growing competition, gets a buyout offer

By Dee-Ann Durbin

Wendy’s shares jumped more than 14% Wednesday after noted investor Nelson Peltz made an offer to buy the chain, which has been struggling with high beef prices and aging stores.

Peltz’s Trian Fund Management and several partners are offering Wendy’s $7.35 per share in cash, or a premium of nearly 19% over the stock’s closing price on Tuesday, in a deal that would take the company private. The offer values Wendy’s at $1.4 billion.

Wendy’s, which is based in Dublin, Ohio, confirmed receipt of the unsolicited proposal in a statement Wednesday and said its board has formed an independent committee to evaluate it. At the end of last year, Wendy’s had 5,969 restaurants in the U.S. and 1,428 outlets in 38 countries.

Wendy’s, founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas and named after his daughter, is known for its square burgers and Frosty desserts. The fast-growing chain introduced the drive-thru window in 1970 and went public in 1976. In the 1980s, as it jockeyed for sales with McDonald’s and Burger King, Wendy’s launched salad bars and ran its iconic “Where’s the beef?” ad campaign.

But as the fast-food market grew even more competitive and rival burger-focused chains like In-N-Out and Five Guys expanded, Wendy’s fell behind. Wendy’s share of U.S. burger chain sales fell from 11.5% in 2019 to 10.4% last year, according to Technomic, a market research company.

In recent years, inflation has also hurt Wendy’s and other U.S. fast-food chains, who have seen traffic from lower-income consumers fall as they raised prices to combat rising labor, food and packaging costs.

Wendy’s said Wednesday it is moving “with urgency” to rebuild its menu with a focus on quality and improve marketing and store operations. Wendy’s hired Bob Wright, who formerly led Potbelly, as its president and CEO in May. He’s the fourth CEO to lead the company since 2024.

Wendy’s has been closing outdated U.S. restaurants so it can focus on its more profitable locations. The company closed 240 restaurants in 2024 and said earlier this year that it planned to shutter up to 358 locations in 2026.

Then, last month, one of the largest U.S. franchisees for Wendy’s filed for bankruptcy protection after the chain tried to terminate its franchise agreement. Michigan-based Meritage Hospitality Group operates 314 Wendy’s restaurants in 15 states.

In a letter to the company’s board of directors, Peltz said going private “will deliver the best outcome for the broader stakeholder base.”

“Wendy’s sits at a critical juncture,” Peltz wrote. “The external environment has become increasingly challenging given the significant pressures on the U.S. consumer, economic uncertainty, persistent commodity inflation and intensifying competition, particularly within the QSR (quick service restaurant) burger category.”

Peltz has invested in companies from Procter & Gamble and Disney to DuPont. According to a regulatory document filed Wednesday, Trian’s stake in Wendy’s totals 16.3%.

Peltz considered a take-private bid for Wendy’s in 2022 but told the company in January 2023 that he had decided against it, citing its improved business momentum, according to TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles.

Charles said an independent special committee is expected to evaluate the proposal and both parties have entered into a confidentiality arrangement.

“In our view, a take-private makes sense as Wendy’s turnaround is likely to be prolonged given the challenged state of the lower-income consumer and soft state of the quick service burger category,” Charles wrote Wednesday in a note to investors.

Wendy’s is scheduled to report its quarterly financial results next week. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of 9 cents per share on sales of $531 million, according to FactSet.

Shares rose 93 cents to $7.07 Wednesday. They have fallen 26% since the start of this year. 

17644: Playing Musical Chairs 2.0 In Adland.

 

Advertising Age reported on the C-suite musical chairs playing across Omnicom and WPP, showing how one CEO resignation/departure triggered a dizzying game with lots of moving furniture and song and dance.

Omnicom and WPP seek to simplify structures and offerings. Yet the constant convulsions complicate and confound completeness.

And the music might be a funeral dirge.

Omnicom leadership changes continue as McCann names global chairman

By Brian Bonilla

McCann has elevated Chief Creative Officer Andrés Ordóñez to global chairman, marking the latest leadership shakeup in the Omnicom Advertising network. His promotion comes just two weeks after Ad Age reported that Tyler Turnbull, the agency’s global CEO, plans to join WPP Creative as chief executive in March 2027, succeeding the outgoing Jon Cook.

Ordóñez will remain chief creative officer in addition to assuming the global chairman role, which was last held by Daryl Lee, who departed three months ago.

Omnicom has no plans to appoint a new global CEO for McCann, a spokesperson said. Omnicom didn’t immediately confirm if Turnbull is still expected to stay until March.

Ordóñez joined McCann following Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group of Cos. in late 2025; prior to that, he had a seven-year stint at FCB, where he eventually rose to global chief creative officer. Ordóñez will report to Andrew Robertson, who took the helm as global CEO of Omnicom Advertising in September following Troy Ruhanen’s retirement.

“There’s no shortage of big, complicated challenges facing our clients—and that’s what makes this moment exciting,” Ordóñez said in a statement. “I believe creativity does more than solve those challenges: it creates demand, and demand drives growth. I’m looking forward to getting closer to our clients and our people, asking the right questions and turning what we learn into work that moves businesses forward.”

This is the latest change for the agency network, which rebranded from McCann Worldgroup to McCann last year and has seen several executive changes, including the departure of its New York CEO, Amber Guild, which was announced in August.

17643: Publicis Groupe Finds A Voice For Marcel.

 

MediaPost reported Publicis Groupe created two leadership roles for Marcel, the AI doodad that has seemingly generated little use since its unveiling in 2018.

Indeed, for years insiders at the French-based holding company recognized Marcel as a source of confusion, shrugging, and eye-rolling indifference.

Now a Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer have been appointed to expand the platform and offer undisclosed client services.

Given Marcel was initially envisioned as a tool to identify and connect talent within the White holding company, perhaps the AI doodad named the two executives. On a semi-related note, was Marcel ever programmed to implement DEIBA+ considerations?

Marcel is probably still years away from justifying and/or recouping the significant investment made for its invention. Hell, the new CEO and CSO are likely uncertain about explaining, utilizing, and selling it.

Publicis Expands Marcel, Taps Hagedorn As Its First CEO

By Steve McClellan

Publicis has created two new leadership roles for its AI platform, Marcel, which began as an internal AI-driven communications and workflow system for employees six years ago, but which is now taking on a broader client-facing role. 

Scott Hagedorn, global chief solutions architect, has been named CEO of Marcel, and Sam Levine Archer, global chief solutions officer, has been named Chief Strategy Officer. 

They will lead the expansion of Marcel which has evolved into a broader platform that uses AI agents and other specialized AI tools to help clients with marketing and business decisions. 

Both executives will continue in their existing roles. They joined Publicis in 2022 from Omnicom and have helped lead the Groupe’s AI and data initiatives since then.  

Marcel’s expanded offerings include Influencer and creator marketing, sports and cultural marketing, content intelligence, and AI-driven search services.  

The company announced the news Thursday, noting that Marcel will combine capabilities from Publicis Sapient, Epsilon and Lotame to connect clients’ business data, customer data and marketing data, while allowing clients to retain ownership of their data. 

Marcel, which is named after company founder Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, is designed to work with multiple large language models (LLMs), rather than relying on a single AI provider, according to the firm.