WPP has strengthened its commitment to data and analytics by signing up two established agencies – JWT London and Cohne & Wolfe – to its Data Alliance, the group dedicated to enhancing access to data-driven capabilities.
Founded by KBM Group, GroupM, Kantar, and WPP Digital in 2011, The Data Alliance was developed to foster collaboration, share knowledge and connect data across the group.
WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell (pictured) has been a long-term advocate of the power of data, recently declaring “we are now Maths Men not Mad Men”.
Mark Read, chief executive of WPP Digital, said: “The decision more formally reflects the growing importance of data in driving creative and communications programming. In 2014, we expect WPP agencies to continue to take advantage of the breadth our data assets and we are very pleased to see these agencies invest in this group-wide collaboration effort to make WPP even stronger in this area.”
Cohn & Wolfe chief executive Donna Imperato added: “We have always recognised that research is critically important and we have always used research,” says . “But with a huge amount of real-time data now available, we need to get even more serious about it, and integrate it even more thoroughly into our creative process.”
While she acknowledges that clients may not yet be ready to buy big data solutions from PR agencies, Imperato claims the agency will benefit strongly from improved access to data.
She added: “It will make our client work better and more measurable and help our clients sell more product.”
