WPP says it will be placing artificial intelligence at the heart of marketing solutions, as it takes full control of T&Pm.
T&Pm was formed last year with the merger of The&Partnership and mSix&Partners. The agencies were both part-owned by WPP, but now the global advertising giant has taken full control.
WPP stated that the acquisition of the minority shareholding was a “further simplification of its structure” but that the agency would continue to operate as a stand-alone company.
As part of the deal, T&Pm will put WPP’s AI-powered marketing operating system, WPP Open, at the centre of its marketing models.
“This is a very exciting next phase for us. Our belief in the superior agility of integrated teams has fuelled our global success,” explained Johnny Hornby, founder and CEO of T&Pm.
“Now, AI is transforming the speed at which we can partner with clients to create growth and WPP’s early investment in Open gives us a big advantage.”
Mark Read, CEO of WPP added:
“Two years ago, I showed Johnny the early iterations of WPP Open, our AI-powered operating system for marketing. He immediately saw its transformational potential and has since become one of its most compelling advocates. T&Pm is a great example of how we are putting AI at the heart of the groundbreaking work we do for our clients.”
T&Pm employs around 1,800 people in 42 locations around the world, while last year WPP opened its first UK campus outside of London, in Manchester.
