GroupM forms new addressable ad practice as brands grapple with reaching consumers

WPP's GroupM is creating a new addressable content practice by combining its efforts with sister agency Hogarth Worldwide, as clients look to revamp their audience targeting efforts amid the pending demise of the cookie. The new unit will bring together GroupM’s addressable media and Hogarth’s creative and production capabilities under one umbrella, in an effort to scale personalized content in an efficient way. Jill Kelly, GroupM’s global chief marketing officer, estimates this time of advertising could quadruple in size in the near future. Currently, addressable advertising represents just 5% to 10% of all marketing, Kelly said, a figured she estimates could approach 50% within four years. “This is the scale of the opportunity we’re looking at,” she said. With that potential growth trajectory in mind, GroupM and Hogarth are looking to triple the footprint of their addressable content practice within the next one to three years. Of course, WPP's agencies, which include Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker and Essence, already have existing addressable offerings. The new addressable practice is meant to supplement and complement those capabilities by creating and producing creative content informed by media, enabled by data, and delivered through technology across channels, platforms and devices. “Campaigns are increasingly becoming outcomes-driven, especially as audience-first planning becomes the standard,” Christian Juhl, GroupM Global CEO, said in a statement. “This reality, in addition to the pending deprecation of third-party cookies and the growing number of ad-lite or ad free platforms, means we will have fewer opportunities to reach consumers in the future. A powerful and precise addressable strategy, across media and content, will help brands realize more fully the potential and performance of their message and investments. We're excited to bring this to our clients globally.” The addressable capabilities touted by GroupM’s sibling companies will continue to act as a “front door” for clients, said Richard Glasson, global CEO of Hogarth Worldwide, adding that what his agency has done with GroupM is “really invest in what sits behind that.”

GroupM forms new addressable ad practice as brands grapple with reaching consumers

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