In what the holding company characterized as a streamlining move, WPP has acquired the minority stake in agency T&Pm that it did not already own, giving it 100% ownership of the agency.
T&Pm was formed earlier this by the merger of creative agency The & Partnership and media agency mSix, which has leveraged GroupM’s buying power and other resources. Both firms were founded by agency veteran Johnny Hornby and partners in 2001. WPP purchased a minority stake in the agencies in 2007 and a controlling interest in 2019.
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WPP said that T&Pm will continue to operate as a standalone agency, while collaborating with other WPP agencies.
As part of the move, T&Pm is placing WPP’s AI-powered marketing operating system, WPP Open, at the core of its marketing models.
The agency now has approximately 1,800 people in 42 locations around the world. Clients include Amazon, Argos, British Gas, EA, Mars, NatWest, News UK and Toyota, many of which are served in collaboration with other WPP agencies.
The agency is known for embedding teams on-site with clients, a strategy that is credited with fueling growth.
While the agency has been utilizing WPP Open’s AI tools within its content operations, WPP Open now becomes the backbone of T&Pm’s future client service model, according to the holding company.
Hornby stated, “This is a very exciting next phase for us. Our belief in the superior agility of integrated teams has fueled our global success. Now, AI is transforming the speed at which we can partner with clients to create growth and WPP’s early investment in Open gives us a big advantage.”