Dive Brief:
- WPP unveiled WPP Open Pro, a new offering that allows brands to independently use its artificial intelligence-powered operating system, according to a press release.
- The ad-holding group claims to be the first in its category to provide this type of model. Open Pro has three core service areas: AI-powered campaign planning, content creation at scale and campaign publishing, which brands can either handle directly or hand off to WPP's Open Media Studio.
- Open Pro is positioned for performance-oriented marketers and smaller clients, such as startups or regional teams within a global brand, that may not have the resources to enlist a fully integrated agency. The launch follows WPP pledging to invest more in AI, a technology that is increasingly critical for agency success.
Dive Insight:
Open Pro represents a new type of bet for WPP and for agency networks at large — one that speaks to how AI is reshaping aspects of marketing services. Rather than hiring a specific agency, clients can now leverage WPP’s AI-powered models for independent campaign planning and deployment. Open Pro is mostly angled at smaller businesses that cannot afford a full-service integrated agency and categories that prioritize speed and performance, such as e-commerce.
The Open Pro concept points to a potential depreciation in mid-level marketing services, with more client demand either flowing to plug-and-play automated tools or bespoke models for deep-pocketed brands. It’s at once a risky bet — a lot can still go wrong with AI — and a display of confidence from WPP that its technology is ready for prime time.
WPP CEO Cindy Rose in a press statement emphasized that the ad-holding group’s “talented teams will always be at the heart of what we do, providing world-class strategic and creative partnership to the world’s most complex brands” through WPP Open.
“Now, we’re adding WPP Open Pro to our offer, a powerful new edition that puts our AI advantage directly into the hands of a much wider array of brands and businesses,” said Rose. “This is about transforming how marketing is delivered, expanding our total addressable market, and giving more brands the tools they need to lead in the AI era.”
Open Pro covers three stages of getting a campaign off the ground. Users can tap into the solution for planning and strategy, relying on AI agents that share WPP’s proprietary, partner and industry data. Following that, Open Pro offers AI-generated content creation, quickly spinning up brand-appropriate and channel-specific ads. Finally, Open Pro aids with media execution, with users able to either publish their work directly on ad platforms or use WPP’s Open Media Studio for those purposes.
For WPP, Open Pro is designed to boost revenue by forging a line into new client bases. The company, which will share a Q3 trading update on Oct. 30, is trying to bounce back from a punishing period of declines and account losses. Rose, whose background is in tech, joined as CEO in September and has reaffirmed a commitment to AI as part of the turnaround. WPP last week pledged another $400 million to Google’s AI tech as part of a five-year partnership extension.
With Open Pro, WPP is not only competing with other agencies that are winning new business through AI, but also digital ad platforms that have raced to stand up internal generative AI tools courting small- and mid-sized marketers. For example, Amazon in September rolled out an AI “creative partner” that assists with similar tasks as Open Pro: product and audience research, storyboarding and content creation. On the agency front, WPP is also facing down the creation of a new behemoth as rivals Omnicom and Interpublic Group are on track to combine late next month.
