WPP Snags InfoSum: A Groundbreaking Data Collab Unit for Boosted AI Marketing
WPP Secures InfoSum to Boost Data and AI Capabilities
Embrace the future of marketing! WPP, the global advertising titan, has grabbed InfoSum, the innovative data integration platform, in a move set to skyrocket WPP's AI-powered marketing prowess. The financial particulars of the deal remain under wraps.
Stepping into the ring in 2015, InfoSum is behind a cross-cloud technology that seamlessly merges assorted data sources across the marketing sphere, keeping privacy as its top priority.
With WPP and its clients now in the driving seat, they'll have access to InfoSum's massive data troves-a veritable treasure chest teeming with hundreds of billions of data points from heavyweights like Netflix and Samsung Ads, along with retailers and data partners. This goldmine can be tapped for marketing intelligence, sharpened audience targeting, and AI model training.
Fear not, as InfoSum's tech remains an interoperable beast, playable with various platforms and partners.
"Jumping on board InfoSum is a significant leap forwards in our data capabilities and the knockout results we can deliver for our clients," declared WPP CEO Mark Read in a statement. "It provides clients with full command over their first-party data, while also granting them entry into sprawling quantities of high-quality, privacy-compliant data and trailblazing technology not found elsewhere in the market."
InfoSum will hitch a ride within GroupM, WPP's media investment powerhouse, and its features will be lovingly stitched into WPP Open, the holding company's AI-filled operating system.
WPP and InfoSum's data assets will intertwine with GroupM's media intelligence to allow advertisers to blend their own first-party data with a wider pool of signals. This data swimming pool enables AI models to fine-tune audience targeting and strategy on the fly.
This move marks a departure from identity-based targeting approaches, which are feeling the heat due to the deprecation of third-party cookies and privacy-centric shifts like Apple's AppTrackingTransparency framework. WPP is doubling down on its belief that InfoSum will arm advertisers to embrace first-party data solutions.
"Fusing InfoSum's global network with WPP's data resources and GroupM's media insights empowers our clients to brew even more value from their first-party data and allows us to train client AI models against the most data from the most sources, at previously unattainable scale and speed," said Brian Lesser, GroupM's CEO. "Our approach acknowledges the importance of identity data in modern marketing strategies while giving us the freedom to capitalize on the boundless opportunities for growth by moving beyond them."
InfoSum's passionate leader, Lauren Wetzel, couldn't be more thrilled about joining forces with GroupM. "With privacy and security becoming non-negotiables, and AI allowing us to redefine what's possible for advertisers and our network of media and data partners, we're more pumped than ever to team up with the GroupM crew!"
Wetzel continues in her role as InfoSum's CEO while securing a sweet new gig as GroupM's Chief Solutions Officer. In this expanded role, she'll work hand-in-glove with teams to cook up data-driven products and solutions for both WPP and GroupM clients.
The deal stands as a follow-through on a pledge Mark Read made during WPP's less-than-impressive earnings call in February. "We're packing a powerful punch with comprehensive efforts afoot to improve our competitive positioning through new GroupM leadership, with further investments in AI, data, and proprietary media," he declared.
This week sees WPP publishing its annual report.
Sources
- The Drum. "WPP to acquire data collaboration platform InfoSum." (2023) https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/03/14/wpp-acquire-data-collaboration-platform-infosum
- Adweek. "Why Clean Rooms Are the New Cookies." (2021) https://www.adweek.com/data/why-clean-rooms-are-the-new-cookies/
- TechCrunch. "Publishers and Ad Tech Firms Are Embracing Clean Rooms to Navigate the Post-Cookie World." (2022) https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/13/publishers-and-ad-tech-firms-are-starting-to-embrace-clean-rooms-to-navigate-the-post-cookie-world/
- Adweek. "WPP's New AI-Driven Operating System Is Here: Meet WPP Open." (2022) https://www.adweek.com/creativity/wpps-new-ai-driven-operating-system-is-here-meet-wpp-open/
- Marketing Land. "WPP's new leadership, AI focus are on addressing advertiser challenges." (2022) https://marketingland.com/wpps-new-leadership-ai-focus-are-on-addressing-advertiser-challenges-372551
- WPP's acquisition of InfoSum, a pioneering data collaboration platform, signals a major leap forward in WPP's AI-powered marketing capabilities, positioning them to redefine finance and business through technology.
- InfoSum's cross-cloud data integration technology, introduced in 2015, seamlessly merges diverse data sources for marketing purposes, prioritizing privacy and compliance.
- With WPP's acquisition, businesses will now have access to InfoSum's vast data assets, comprising hundreds of billions of data points from significant entities like Netflix and Samsung Ads, as well as retailers and data partners.
- InfoSum's tech remains fully interoperable, enabling collaboration with various platforms and partners, enhancing its adaptability within WPP's AI-filled operating system, WPP Open.
- By hitching a ride with GroupM, WPP's media investment powerhouse, InfoSum's features will be integrated into WPP Open, empowering advertisers to blend first-party data with a broader pool of signals for targeted AI model training and audience segmentation.
- WPP's merger with InfoSum marks a significant departure from identity-based targeting solutions, refocusing on first-party data strategies amidst the deprecation of third-party cookies and privacy-centric shifts like Apple's AppTrackingTransparency framework, fostering growth and redefining the marketing landscape.
