WPP merges G2, Ogilvy, JWT shops

WPP’s indication that the merger of G2 Joshua and OgilvyAction could include other agencies has come to the fore, after the group said the two would merge with JWTAction to form a new global operation, Geometry Global.
Having initially denied the move, the group conceded that there were “ongoing discussions between G2, Ogilvy and other WPP companies about collaborating in a number of strategic areas”.
Geometry Global will be a worldwide activation and shopper-marketing network and will operate as an autonomously within WPP.
It will bring together complementary expertise in consumer activation, trade marketing, shopper marketing, one-to-one marketing and digital activation.
Both the G2 and OgilvyAction brands will be scrapped but JWTAction will retain its name within Geometry Global. The group will operate in 56 markets and have 4,000 staff.
JWT Europe chief executive and JWT London chairman Toby Hoare (pictured), will add the chairman’s role alongside his existing duties.
The executive team will include OgilvyAction chief executive Steve Harding and G2 chief operating and chief financial officer Matthew Schetlick. Both will take on the same roles at Geometry Global and be based in New York.
G2 Joshua chief executive Sarah Todd, who succeeded Tim Hipperson earlier this year, will be chief executive of Geometry Global UK. Hipperson joined Zenith Optimedia in May.
Hoare said: “With peoples’ attitudes and behaviours transformed by the digital and mobile revolution, traditional activation requires both a broader set of capabilities and a laser-focused approach to be truly worth the increased investment from marketers.”