WPP has unveiled an AI tool called WPP Open Pro, enabling marketers to plan, create, and publish campaigns independently, without the need for agency assistance.
WPP Open Pro builds on WPP Open, the holding company’s AI platform for marketing, and is available to users for an access fee and charges based on usage.
The holding company claimed Open Pro does not replace WPP Open or mark a pivot away from it, but is an extension of the platform and its strategy, which remain at the centre of WPP’s managed service offering.
WPP’s chief technology officer, Stephan Pretorius, maintained that Open Pro “will not replace work that we do with our clients today” and is “additive” to its current services.
Speaking to Campaign, he said: “WPP Open Pro is a growth strategy for us to fill a need that we haven't been historically fulfilling. Most of our clients have large brand portfolios and global footprints, and there's often a need in smaller markets, or indeed smaller brands within those companies, to do things differently.”
Open Pro uses technology from WPP’s partners, including OpenAI and Google. The latter announced a $400m (£299.9m) partnership with the holding company in October.
Cindy Rose, who joined WPP as chief executive from Microsoft in September, said: “The rapid acceleration of technology is fundamentally reshaping our industry and WPP is embracing the opportunity to lead that change.”
In the planning function, users can access WPP’s data and insights to develop campaign strategies, powered by AI agents that draw on WPP’s proprietary, partner and industry data.
Marketers can then generate brand and channel-specific ads, in the form of video and static images.
To publish the ads, WPP Media clients can integrate with and hand off to WPP's Open Media Studio for media execution. Those that aren't clients of WPP Media can publish content directly to ad platforms including Meta and Google.
Matt McNeany, who was hired from Omnicom as president of WPP Open in July, told Campaign there are still strategists in WPP who are “stronger” than the AI.
“While WPP Open Pro does the media, it doesn't do all the media,” he said. “As clients get to more evolved questions, that's when they come back to us and [agencies] are complementary to the core platform.”
On the impact on agency relationships, Pretorius said: “Our approach is not to pretend that AI isn't happening and that it's not transforming marketing. Our strategy is to lean into it and use it as an opportunity for growth.
“If we didn't bring Open Pro to market, our clients would simply have used other general-purpose AR tools or some other software vendors to do this.”
WPP Open Pro’s main focus is currently on digital performance media, but could expand further into other channels like TV in the future, Pretorius said, adding that “there's virtually no marketing content that you can't make with AI”.
He said: “You might not make a Super Bowl ad with AI this year, [but] I'm not ruling it out in the future.” WPP is already using AI in the production of TV campaigns, including for upcoming Christmas campaigns.
In reference to the access and usage charges, McNeany said it is “good value” with no “big upfront cost barrier” and is quick to set up.
“Every time you are using it, you're replacing another cost, which typically would have been significantly more expensive,” he added. “This is a better way of servicing our clients. It frees up time and capacity to deal with some of the more sophisticated questions, which they come to the agency for.”
In addition, McNeany said that while Open Pro will create some efficiencies, it does not mean the end of marketing work, but allows clients to do more. “Open Pro is pretty focused. It doesn't aim to do everything; it aims to focus on campaign implementation.”
