WPP Uses Social, Mobile to Drive Profits

By Carla Rover • March 4, 2011 •

WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, which includes Ogilvy and Mather and the Young and Rubicam Brands, earned 1 billion pounds in profit for the first time in its history, up 27.9 percent from 2009. Why? Social and mobile network advertising were an integral part of the group’s offerings, and this attracted skittish companies looking for creative advertising with high ROI. During tough economic times, like we’ve experienced in 2010, companies look to advertising as a sound investment, according to CEO Martin Sorrell.

“In Western markets we are seeing companies who are not investing in capacity, they’re afraid of making a mistake, so they instead invest in the brand,” Sorrell told Reuters. “You have $2 trillion sitting on the balance sheet of Western multinationals and they’re not spending it.” Sorrell recently stated during a presentation at the Mobile World Congress that the company was planning investment in “middle-stage, interesting companies that enhance our mobile offerings.” Sorrell also stated that although consumers are now spending 20-25 percent of their time online, WPP’s client base is only devoting 14 percent of their budgets to online. The potential to grow that percentage, according to Sorrell, is huge, as brands are drawn towards the “holy grail” of mobile advertising; effective location-based services.