WPP

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WPP is one of the big three communications conglomerates along with Interpublic and Omnicom.

WPP's 2001 revenues were $5791m: Advertising accounted for 46%; specialist communications, 27%; info and consultancy, 15%; and public relations and affairs, 12.3%. Including associates, the Group had over 65,000 full-time people in over 1,400 offices in 103 countries at the end of 2001. In 2001 WPP worked for over 300 of the Fortune Global 500 companies and over half of the Nasdaq 100. WPP serviced 330 national or multi-national clients in three or more disciplines and over 150 clients in four disciplines. Globally, WPP worked with over 100 clients in six or more countries (WPP, 2001, p. 2).


The global WPP group encompasses the J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather, Tempus, Grey Global and Young & Rubicam advertising agencies. The conglomerate also includes public relations, media planning and buying, marketing and research services through Hill & Knowlton, Burson-Marsteller, MindShare and The Kantar Group.

evolution of the group

WPP czar Martin Sorrell was the 'third brother' at Saatchi & Saatchi (now part of Publicis) from 1975 to 1986 before acquiring UK shopping cart manufacturer Wire & Plastic Products (WPP). He used WPP as a vehicle for acquiring 'below-the-line' advertising-related businesses.

In 1987 he made a successful US$566m hostile bid for the venerable J. Walter Thompson. Two years later he expanded the group through the US$825m purchase of the equally prestigious Ogilvy & Mather, despite opposition from ad icon David Ogilvy (1911-1999).

In 2003 WPP successfully bid for the ailing Cordiant group, acquired for a mere US$17 million (plus assumption of debts). It acquired Grey Global in 2004 with cash and shares worth just over US$1.3bn (£720m). As of 2000 Grey had sales of US$1,247 million and earnings of US$19 million.Source [1]

Management


Further reading

  • David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising (New York: Crown 1983),
  • David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man (New York: Atheneum 1963)
  • David Ogilvy, Blood, Brains & Beer: the Autobiography of David Ogilvy (New York: Wiley 1997)
  • Richard Morgan, J Walter Takeover: From Divine Right to Common Stock (Homewood: Dow Jones-Irwin 1991).
  • Lester Wunderman, Being Direct (New York: Random 1996).
  • Karen Miller, The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and postwar public relations (Chapel Hill: Uni of North Carolina Press 1998)
  • Susan Trento, Power House: Robert Keith Gray & the selling of access and influence in Washington (New York: St Martins 1992).

Subsidiaries

PR and Lobbying firms

Full list of subsidiaries

A-C

D-F

G-I

J-L

M-O

P-R

S-U

V-Z

External links

Sharon Beder and Richard Gosden 'WPP: World Propaganda Power' PR Watch, Volume 8, No. 2

Notes

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