WPP boss Mark Read: We’ve had a tough time for two years October 25, 2018 WPP chief executive Mark Read has said he is determined to improve the company’s performance to compete with its peers, as shares plunged on this morning’s quarterly results. The advertising business dropped as much as 22.5 per cent to 818 pence per share earlier today. Sales fell 1.5 per cent in the third quarter, following [...]
Truth to power: Adtech has to stand up for journalism October 22, 2018 The future of the press is in doubt. If you need an example of just how powerful fake news has become, remember August, when even seasoned journalists accepted at face value a spoof campaign ironically titled “Don’t believe every tweet”, featuring bogus quotes from Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey. The changes in journalism have not [...]
Theresa May launches consultation into forcing firms to report ethnicity pay figures October 11, 2018 KPMG, WPP and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are among a number of businesses to have signed up to a new charter by Theresa May that aims to improve the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees. Alongside the charter the Prime Minister has also launched a consultation into mandatory ethnicity pay reporting, following last [...]
WPP loses major Ford advertising contract to US rival Omnicom October 9, 2018 WPP has been dealt a major blow as it lost a key Ford advertising contract to the agency of one of its biggest US rivals, Omnicom. The news will be a major setback for new chief exec Mark Read, who was only appointed at the start of September. Ford was one of WPP's longest-standing advertising partnerships, as [...]
Martin Sorrell says he regrets nothing months after leaving WPP amid allegations of misconduct October 1, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell has said he has no regrets over his behaviour while in charge of WPP. The former chief executive left the firm in April after claims of personal misconduct, saying his departure was in “the best interest of the business.” In an interview with the BBC, Sorrell denied treating subordinates poorly, using company [...]
Shares in ad giants tumble on report of US advertising sector probe September 28, 2018 Shares in major advertising firms experienced movement today after a report claimed US federal prosecutors had started investigating media-buying practices in the US ad industry. An article in the Wall Street Journal claimed investigators had begun reviewing the ad industry and started to hand out subpoenas as part of the probe. Publicis shares fell 2.7 per [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell seals stock market return as S4 Capital shares enter market tomorrow September 27, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell will seal his return to the stock market tomorrow when shares in his new advertising venture start trading under the name S4 Capital. A meeting of shell company Derriston Capital earlier today saw shareholders vote through all resolutions, rubber stamping the reverse takeover of S4 and its acquisition of Dutch agency MediaMonks. Sorrell purchased Derriston in [...]
Read reshuffles WPP as he combines two leading marketing agencies September 26, 2018 Advertising giant WPP continued consolidating its business today as it said it would merge two of its leading agencies. It confirmed it would combine VML and Y&R into a new agency called VMLY&R. It will be headed up by global chief exec Jon Cook, who will report to newly appointed WPP boss Mark Read. In his [...]
We are veering towards a Brexit brain drain – it’s time for brands to shake things up September 26, 2018 There is a lack of innovation among British businesses; this was a problem highlighted in our latest research. It’s also a problem which threatens the future of UK businesses outside of the EU bloc, potentially hindering our ability to attract and retain talent. Fast-growing economies such as China, Indonesia, India, the US, and Germany [...]
M&C Saatchi: WPP needs ‘radical surgery’ for post-Sorrell future September 21, 2018 M&C Saatchi's boss has warned his firm is ready to swoop on rival ad agency WPP’s territory as Sir Martin Sorrell’s successor is busy performing “radical surgery” on the business. David Kershaw hailed surging earnings at M&C Saatchi, seeing revenue almost double to £215.4m after new accounting rules changed the way revenue from customer contracts [...]