Many WPP clients find the company's offerings "very complicated" and are looking for a simpler user experience, Rose told investors during the earnings report. What does a solution look like? "We need to be a little less holdco and a little more co," she said. This means more integration throughout the firm and more agency consolidation, as WPP focuses on simpler enterprise and tech solutions.
Sir Martin Sorrell criticized WPP's consolidation efforts as a "disgrace" and expressed doubts about the company's future under current leadership. He suggested that WPP might be beyond saving.
The advertising agency WPP has been asked to work up ideas for a government-endorsed advertising blitz to urge more consumers to invest in stocks through a Tell Sid-style campaign.