The news: WPP will consolidate its global production capabilities into a single integrated unit, WPP Production, to unify teams, platforms, and workflows under one structure.
- WPP Production will launch on February 23, combining production teams across Hogarth, VML, and Ogilvy into one organization led by Richard Glasson, global CEO of Hogarth.
- The unit will employ more than 10,000 people across 40-plus locations worldwide.
- WPP Production will use WPP’s Open operating system to integrate generative AI, virtual and hybrid production, and performance feedback into content workflows.
WPP said the move is not driven by cost-cutting and that it does not anticipate layoffs.
In an interview with EMARKETER, Glasson framed the consolidation as a response to client demand rather than internal restructuring, citing the need to deliver high-quality content for every audience, channel, and moment.
Why it matters: WPP Production reflects a shift in marketing from episodic campaigns to always-on, multi-channel content delivery—a shift that has made production logistics, not creative ideation, the primary constraint. As brands are required to continuously version, localize, and optimize assets across platforms, legacy production models have struggled to keep pace.
37% of marketers cite time-consuming creative production as a top challenge in their media campaigns, alongside inconsistent creative quality across platforms (35%), and ads not optimized for platform specifications (34%), per Smartly.