WPP invests $400 mn in Google

WPP and Google on Tuesday announced a five-year extension of their collaboration focused on advancing cloud and AI technologies to enhance integrated marketing, commerce, and creative production. It includes a $400 million investment by the agency in the tech giant’s technologies.

The partnership seeks to help brands create personalised, data-driven campaigns in a fraction of the time currently required.

The agreement, formalised in Mountain View, was signed between WPP CEO Cindy Rose and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, along with senior leadership from both companies. The investment will contribute to the agency’s AI initiatives through WPP Open, the company’s AI platform for marketing.

Commenting on the partnership, Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said, "I'm incredibly excited about how our new and evolved partnership with Google will redefine what's possible for our clients. By delivering bespoke AI solutions and enabling hyper-relevant campaigns with unprecedented scale and speed, we're accelerating innovation across every facet of marketing to drive unparalleled growth and impact.”      

Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said, "Our expanded partnership with WPP is built on a shared vision to harness the power of generative and agentic AI to transform business outcomes. By enabling WPP to innovate on our AI-optimised technology stack, we are helping create the future of marketing technology for brands today."     

The partnership will introduce new AI-driven initiatives for the agency’s clients. These include developing custom AI solutions built with Gemini, Google’s AI model, to help brands address specific business challenges. It will also enable faster AI model development through Google DeepMind’s technology, which powers the agency’s Open Intelligence platform.

The partnership further includes an expansion of the agency’s Creative Technology Apprenticeship programme, with Google joining as the main curriculum partner. The initiative aims to train more than 1,000 early-career technologists by 2030, equipping them with skills in creative coding, generative AI, and robotics.

Lorraine Twohill, SVP, Global Marketing at Google, said, "As an important partner to Google Marketing, WPP has been working closely with us on a number of AI tools and innovations built with Gemini, all focused on driving brand love and real business growth through truly helpful experiences that resonate with our billions of users around the world. I'm excited to continue exploring what marketing and storytelling look like in this new era, together".

Beyond client work, Google AI will also support the agency’s internal operations by improving data analysis, resource management, and workflow efficiency. Both said new AI tools developed through the partnership will be tested within the search giant’s own marketing operations before being made available to the agency’s clients, ensuring that brands benefit from solutions proven in real-world use.