[Marketing Week] Bob Koigi: WPP joins AI-driven reinvention. Can legacy agencies keep up?

WPP, the world’s largest advertising and communications group, recently made a bold and telling move: it replaced its global media buying business, GroupM, with a new entity, WPP Media, positioning it as an 'AI-powered, fully integrated media company.' This isn't just a rebrand, it's a strategic reset. WPP is betting on artificial intelligence not just to optimize workflows, but to reimagine what a media company should be in the 21st century.

WPP is not alone in this evolution. Across the industry, agencies and marketing giants are abandoning traditional models built on headcount, manual workflows, and billable hours in favor of data-driven, tech-enabled platforms that can deliver more with less and faster.

Campaigns of the week

foodora, one of Europe’s food delivery services, has partnered once again with creative agency GUT to launch “The Reserved Sign,” a bold new campaign that transforms ordering in from a backup plan into the highlight of your day.

Building on their previous collaborations to reposition delivery as an empowering and exciting choice, the campaign introduces a clever new creative device: the reservation sign.

During this year's World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the association Règles Élémentaires and the communications agency Serviceplan Paris unveiled the operation Le Poids des Règles, to raise awareness of a staggering figure from the association's new 2025 study: 42% of women in Europe have already been in a situation of menstrual insecurity, for financial reasons, over the past 12 months.

To support this growing group of unprepared but devoted cat owners, the WHISKAS brand, a player in cat food since 1958 and part of the Mars family of brands, has launched a new global campaign aimed at guiding them through early kittenhood – all done through a new creative content series centred around a podcast hosted by cats.

Since its foundation in 1908, Toblerone’s unmistakable triangle shape has set it apart from a world of square, standardized treats. It’s never just been chocolate — it’s been a bold, travellinked icon, often gifted and always expected. Synonymous with travel and thoughtful gifting, Toblerone has long been a favorite pick-up when returning from a trip.

Agencies and accounts

Valley Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, has announced it has named Doner as its strategic and creative agency of record, with Doner Media leading media buying and planning across platforms, following a competitive review.

Primark has appointed social strategy and creative agency SocialChain as its new global social media agency following a competitive pitch process.

McCann has announced a significant new business win, welcoming global appliance brands Beko, Whirlpool, and Hotpoint into its portfolio in McCann Worldgroup Bucharest. The appliance company has returned to the agency after two years with an ambitious and clear mandate: to reshape brand building with an end-to-end transformation powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Partnerships and acquistions

Nielsen, a global player in audience measurement, data, and analytics, has announced a multi-year renewal agreement with FOX Television Stations for Local TV measurement across 18 of FOX’s owned and operated local markets.

PepsiCo has announced a worldwide partnership with Formula 1, beginning in 2025 as part of a multi-year commitment. This partnership unites the world's fastest growing sport with three of PepsiCo's powerhouse brands: Sting Energy, Gatorade, and Doritos. Each brand will be brought to life with the partnership as the deal connects the high-energy excitement of Formula 1 with PepsiCo's passion for creating unforgettable fan experiences around the world.

Other major news of the week

Accenture has announced that after a transformative tenure as chief executive officer of Accenture Song, David Droga has chosen to step down from day-to-day leadership of Accenture Song at the end of the fiscal year and take on a broader strategic role across all of Accenture as vice chair.

Havas has announced the launch of a share buyback programme of its own ordinary shares. The Programme will start on June 2, 2025, with a duration up to the next annual general meeting of the shareholders of the Company to be held in 2026.

Bob Koigi is the editor-in-chief of Marketing Report.One

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