WPP Media launches as fully integrated, AI-powered media company

WPP today strengthened its position as the leading marketing services business for the intelligent era with the launch of its AI-driven media company, WPP Media.
Reflecting growing demand from marketers for fully integrated capabilities, WPP Media replaces GroupM as the name for WPP's global media company. WPP Media manages more than $60 billion in annual media investment and works with more than 75% of the world's leading advertisers in over 80 markets. Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom will continue to provide clients with dedicated teams as brands within WPP Media, leveraging common capabilities, technology and support functions.
WPP Media is seamlessly connected with WPP's wider global agency networks and capabilities through WPP Open – WPP's AI-enabled marketing system – creating the industry's most advanced platform for scaled and integrated creative, production, data, commerce and personalized media delivery services. WPP Open is backed by £300m in investment each year and partnerships with the leading AI companies.
WPP Media's fully integrated offering enables clients to unify media, data and production and holistically manage their owned, earned, shared and paid activities to deliver personalization at scale. The company's services are further enhanced with best-in-class connected commerce and state-of-the-art measurement and analytics capabilities.
WPP Media is underpinned by a commitment to accelerate investments in learning and development initiatives that will provide career pathways to the jobs of the future, ensuring employees are empowered to lead marketing and media transformation in the AI era.
For more information about WPP Media's integrated capabilities and to explore WPP Media's new brand identity, visit wppmedia.com.
Brian Lesser, CEO of WPP Media, said: 'Consumers already expect advertising to be relevant and engaging and buying experiences to be seamless; those expectations are only going to accelerate in the age of AI. WPP Media is built for a world in which media is everywhere and in everything. By investing in our AI-powered product, integrating our offer with data and technology, and equipping our people with future-facing skills, we're helping our clients to stay ahead of rapidly changing consumer behavior and unlock the limitless opportunities for growth that AI will create.'
Today's announcement comes as WPP launches a new cross-channel B2B campaign targeting business leaders and senior marketing decision-makers. The campaign showcases WPP's AI credentials, its integrated proposition, and the advanced capabilities of WPP Open. For more, visit wpp.com/ai.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: 'We believe that WPP is the strongest marketing partner for the world's leading brands in the AI era, where technology and talent converge. The move to WPP Media continues our strategy to simplify and integrate our offer for clients. While GroupM was built for a time when media scale mattered most, WPP Media reflects the power of AI, data and technology and simpler, more integrated solutions.
'Our vision for the future is clear – marketing that is informed by data, led by seamlessly connected teams of brilliant people, and full of new opportunities for our clients.'
Contact details:
Felicity Stokes
Head of Marketing and Communications, WPP Media MENA
Felicity.stokes@groupm.com
+971521469638
About WPP
WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.
About WPP Media
WPP Media is WPP's global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit wppmedia.com

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Zawya

3 hours ago

• Zawya

IntelliDent AI and Manipal Academy of Higher Education sign strategic MoU to transform healthcare through AI

IntelliDent AI, a Dubai-based healthtech innovator transforming dentistry through artificial intelligence, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India—an Institution of Eminence and global academic leader. This strategic three-year partnership aims to accelerate advancements in AI-powered oral healthcare through collaborative research, education, and entrepreneurship. The MoU, executed on behalf of MAHE's Manipal College of Dental Sciences (MCODS), Mangalore, lays the foundation for academic-industry cooperation focused on developing future-ready dental AI solutions and equipping students with the technical and entrepreneurial skills to lead the next era of digital healthcare. Key Pillars of the Collaboration: Joint Research Programs: MAHE and IntelliDent will co-develop research initiatives in AI-driven diagnostics, public health, and healthcare innovation—contributing to academic publications, patents, and whitepapers. Training & Internships: MAHE students will gain hands-on exposure through internships and mentorships at IntelliDent, supported by industry insights, guest lectures, and workshops. Entrepreneurial Development: The collaboration will foster cohort-based learning modules, innovation hackathons, and startup support to accelerate the commercialization of student-led healthtech ideas. Knowledge Exchange: Faculty, researchers, and industry experts will engage in reciprocal learning and cross-training to fuel innovation, skill-building, and strategic growth. Affaan Shaikh, Founder & CEO of IntelliDent AI, shared his thoughts on the collaboration: 'This partnership is about reimagining healthcare through ethical AI and innovation. We are thrilled to work alongside one of India's top institutions to shape the next generation of AI health leaders.' The MoU was signed by Dr. Giridhar P. Kini, Registrar of MAHE, and Mr. Affaan Shaikh, with active engagement from academic and innovation stakeholders from both organizations. This collaboration underscores IntelliDent AI's mission to scale accessible, AI-powered dental care globally and MAHE's continued commitment to integrating technology, research, and impact-driven education in the healthcare ecosystem. Together, MAHE and IntelliDent AI are building a bold future where education, innovation, and oral health equity intersect.

Crypto Insight

10 hours ago

• Crypto Insight

The anatomy of a crypto scam: How to stop and prevent common threats

In the vast world of crypto, the line between opportunity and deception is razor-thin. The traits that make digital assets attractive — anonymity, independence and rapid transferability — also create fertile ground for fraudsters. Scams are woven into the fabric of the crypto ecosystem, exploiting trust, greed and fear. Unlike traditional financial systems with regulators, the decentralized crypto space allows opportunistic actors to thrive. Understanding the structure of these scams is crucial. Just as forensic investigators dissect crime scenes, analyzing the architecture of crypto scams reveals the calculated maneuvers used to siphon funds. Each scam follows a familiar blueprint — preying on human psychology and the lack of regulation in decentralized finance (DeFi). Breaking down these frameworks provides valuable insights, helping investors and institutions recognize warning signs and fortify defenses in this high-risk environment. The hook — perfect bait for every target The first stage of any scam begins with the hook: a carefully crafted message or offer designed to capture the victim's attention and trigger an emotional response. Before setting the hook, scammers often invest significant time gathering information about their targets. They sift through leaked emails, phone numbers and other personal information to build a profile, crafting a personalized scam to increase the likelihood of success. By incorporating specific details — such as the target's language or personal information — the fraudsters add a layer of credibility that creates trust. Once armed with their target's details, scammers move to the hook, preying on curiosity, trust and the promise of easy profits. Whether it's a phishing email, a fake account alert or an investment opportunity promising 'guaranteed returns,' the goal is to present something too enticing to ignore. A common example is the fake exchange account scam, in which victims believe they have been given accidental access to a large sum of unclaimed money. The scam begins with an unexpected message stating, 'Your account has been created,' accompanied by login credentials for an account/wallet on a cryptocurrency exchange. The victim logs in and finds a balance of $10,000 waiting for them. Delight is replaced by greed as they attempt to withdraw the funds. But there's a catch: the system requires a small deposit — perhaps $1,000 — to unlock the full amount. Once the fee is paid, the scam becomes clear: the exchange was fake, and the deposit is now in the hands of scammers. This scam works because it preys on greed and the allure of a 'lucky break.' Victims become so focused on the reward that they ignore the warning signs, such as bad grammar in the message or lack of domain security on the website. The setup — establishing trust and gaining access After successfully hooking a victim's attention, scammers focus on building trust. This phase involves cultivating a sense of legitimacy and familiarity with scammersgoing to great lengths to establish a personal connection. Scammers may even employ tactics like investment scams, where they spend weeks or months grooming their victims, engaging them in friendly conversations and feigned relationships to create a strong bond. Only once this trust is deeply established do they introduce the fraudulent investment or fake platform, luring victims to transfer funds that they will never see again. The SIM swap attack is another devastating example whereby scammers exploit technological trust. By gathering personal information that is available publicly on social media, such as birthdays, pet names or even favorite sports teams, the fraudster can impersonate the victim. They then contact the target's mobile service provider, armed with these personal details, and request a phone number transfer to a SIM card in their possession. With control over the victim's phone number, they can bypass two-factor authentication and gain access to crypto wallets, bank accounts and emails. The setup phase succeeds because scammers exploit both technological trust and personal familiarity. Humans are, by nature, social creatures, and scammers exploit this characteristic by building relationships that appear genuine. In the SIM swap, scammers manipulate trust in technology, using the victim's digital security habits against them. The execution — draining funds through hidden mechanisms Once access is gained, scammers move to the execution phase, where they drain funds using hidden mechanisms. This is the most devastating stage, as the carefully designed setup ends in significant financial losses for the victim before they've even realized something is wrong. For example, in 2018, a victim boarded a short flight, unaware that scammers had executed a SIM swap while he was offline. By the time the plane landed, funds had been siphoned from his crypto wallet. With control over his phone number, the scammers were able to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) and gain access to everything. Another good example is the poison wallet tactic which targets large over-the-counter (OTC) platforms. Scammers trick targets into sending small amounts of funds to fraudulent addresses. They do this by creating wallet addresses that look very similar to the initial and final characters of the victim's legitimate address. They then send a small transaction to the victim, hoping the fake address will show up in the user's transaction history. When the victim next makes a transaction, they may unwittingly select the fake address from their history. In this tactic, scammers take advantage of automation and human error. Bots monitor wallet balances, triggering automatic withdrawals when a balance crosses a certain threshold. Meanwhile, the use of familiar-looking addresses plays on the victim's carelessness and trust in their own records. The stolen amounts might be small per transaction, but cumulatively, they siphon off thousands daily, all going virtually unnoticed.

Khaleej Times

12 hours ago

• Khaleej Times

Apple executives held internal talks about buying Perplexity: Reports

Apple executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer, the report said, adding that the tech behemoth's executives have not discussed a bid with Perplexity's management. "We have no knowledge of any current or future MA discussions involving Perplexity," Perplexity said in response to a Reuters' request for comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Big tech companies are doubling down on investments to enhance AI capabilities and support growing demand for AI-powered services to maintain competitive leadership in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Bloomberg News also reported on Friday that Meta Platforms tried to buy Perplexity earlier this year. Meta announced a $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI last week and hired Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence unit. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has weighed the idea with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI decision-makers, as per the report. The iPhone maker reportedly plans to integrate AI-driven search capabilities, such as Perplexity AI, into its Safari browser, potentially moving away from its longstanding partnership with Alphabet's Google. Banning Google from paying companies to make it their default search engine is one of the remedies proposed by the US Department of Justice to break up its dominance in online search. While traditional search engines such as Google still dominate global market share, AI-powered search options including Perplexity and ChatGPT are gaining prominence and seeing rising user adoption, especially among younger generations. Perplexity recently completed a funding round that valued it at $14 billion, Bloomberg News reported. A deal close to that would be Apple's largest acquisition so far. The Nvidia-backed startup provides AI search tools that deliver information summaries to users, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.