WPP and Google have extended their partnership for five years, with a focus on developing cloud technology and AI tools to enhance the marketing services of both companies.
The extended partnership involves a $400 million investment from WPP in Google technology. The spend will support WPP’s efforts to incorporate AI into its services, including its AI marketing platform, WPP Open.
According to a news release Tuesday from the two companies, the partnership “aims to revolutionize how brands approach integrated creative, production, media, experience and commerce.”
The new agreement will provide WPP clients with innovative, bespoke AI solutions developed with Google’s Gemini. The Generative Store, for example, will adapt product visuals and messaging for each consumer, leveraging Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. The Generative Store is a digital retail concept developed by AKQA, a design and innovation company owned by WPP, that uses AI to create a personalized, luxury shopping experiences.
Google Cloud’s AI technologies will also power WPP Media’s AI data solution, Open Intelligence, which WPP Media says will allow it to create and deploy unique audience models for clients with greater precision.
WPP will receive early access to Google’s latest AI models (including Veo and Imagen), integrated directly into WPP Open, which it says will speed up the creative work for clients and expedite the delivery of campaign-ready assets. Preferred access to Google’s AI data will also allow for the activation of customized campaigns across all media, including Google Ad Platforms.
Additionally, Google joins as the primary curriculum partner of WPP’s Creative Technology Apprenticeship program, which is expanding its efforts to develop the next generation of industry talent. The program, which has already resulted in 50 permanent placements across WPP agencies since 2022, aims to train more than 1,000 early-career creative technologists by 2030. The curriculum will cover topics such as creative coding, generative AI and robotics, with real-world projects from clients like like L’Oréal and Unilever.
Last year, WPP partnered with Google to make its WPP Open marketing operating system more efficient. The collaboration allowed WPP to incorporate Gemini 1.5 Pro technology into its AI-powered system.
