DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Elon Musk is going to try courting advertisers. Again.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk, who has a ... complicated relationship with advertisers, is going to appear at a big ad conference. It's pretty standard for tech companies to court advertisers at the Cannes Lions event in France. AdvertisementLast fall Elon Musk told advertisers to go fuck themselves. Maybe he has a different message now: The man who bought Twitter, turned it into "X," and saw his advertising revenue plummet, is heading to the Cannes Lions ad summit in France next week. WPP, one of the world's biggest ad companies, said Musk will appear at an event with WPP CEO Mark Read on June 18.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Mark Read Organizations: Cannes Lions, Service, Twitter, WPP Locations: France

☆ Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi: 28 of her artworks mysteriously disappeared three decades ago. They’ve finally returned home to South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Gertrude Kitongo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —It was a phone call that changed everything. “We have some good news.”Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi had been waiting to hear those words for more than 30 years. Origins of an artistSebidi was born in 1943 near Hammanskraal, South Africa, north of Pretoria. One of artist Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi's early works, which often depict traditional, rural scenes of a time before European colonization came to the African continent. “We need those freedoms.”Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi’s exhibition is on display at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery until May 17, 2024.

Persons: ”, Helen Sebidi, ” Sebidi, Sebidi, “, John Koenakeefe Mohl, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi “, Mark Read, Everard, “ Helen, Read, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi's, Helen Sebidi “, –, – Sebidi, Kim Berman, ’, Helen Sebidi's, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi Sebedi, Gabriel Baard, ” Baard, ” Berman, Thabo Mbeki –, Jesper Osterberg, Gabriel Baard Baard, Everard Read, Helen Sebidi’s Organizations: South Africa CNN, South, CNN, Johannesburg Art Foundation, Everard Read, Galleries, Federated Union of Black Artists, Millary Colony, Arts, Nyköping Folk, School, University of Johannesburg, “, Smithsonian, Folk High School, Swiss Air Freight, University of Johannesburg Art, Swedish Embassy Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Sweden, Hammanskraal, Pretoria, New York, Swedish, Nyköping, Black, “, Stockholm, Sebidi

☆ Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers ‘extensive’ coral bleaching, as scientists fear seventh mass bleaching event
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The southern Great Barrier Reef is suffering from extensive coral bleaching due to heat stress, the reef’s managers said Wednesday, raising fears that a seventh mass bleaching event could be unfolding across the vast, ecologically important site. Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty ImagesThe Great Barrier Reef’s managers plan to extend aerial and in-water surveys across the entire reef over the coming weeks. Hotter ocean temperatures caused severe mass bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Last year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided not to add the Great Barrier Reef to its list of sites “in danger,” despite scientific evidence suggesting the risk of another mass bleaching event. Greenpeace’s Ritter said that following the decision, “the Australian government promised to do everything it can to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Persons: Mark Read, Elliot, Jonas Gratzer, ”, Neal Cantin, Maya Srinivasan, ” Srinivasan, ” David Ritter, “, ” Ove Hoegh, Greenpeace’s Ritter Organizations: CNN, Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science, El, James Cook University, Marine Park Authority, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Foundation, Oceanic, UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Labor Locations: Keppel, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, Cairns, Florida, Caribbean

☆ Kirk McDonald, North America CEO of WPP's GroupM, will leave the company. Read the internal email about his departure.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kirk McDonald, the North America CEO of WPP's media buying division GroupM, is set to leave the company, GroupM confirmed on Monday. Mindshare Global CEO Adam Gerhart will take on additional duties as GroupM North America CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement, Juhl wrote. "He has also been a valuable partner to me and the global GroupM leadership community more broadly." Under McDonald's leadership, GroupM North America has sought to implement a "responsible investment strategy." He has also been a valuable partner to me and the global GroupM leadership community more broadly.

Persons: Kirk McDonald, GroupM, Christian Juhl, McDonald, Adam Gerhart, Juhl, Kirk, Mark Read, Read, Mark Read's bounceback, we've, Kirk McDonald's, I'm, Adam, He's, Christian Organizations: North America, GroupM Global, Mindshare, North, America, WPP, Adobe, GroupM, AT, Time Inc, CNET, Pacific Islanders, Mindshare's Global, GroupM North, Global, NA Locations: Canada, North America, GroupM, America, American, GroupM North America, New York

☆ WPP slashes outlook again as China slowdown adds to tech woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Branding signage for WPP, the largest global advertising and public relations agency at their offices in London, Britain, July 17, 2019. "But I do think in the long run that will correct itself and those companies will become drivers of growth." Read said it was also a tougher quarter in China, where consumer spending had not returned as expected. Analysts at Citi said it was striking that the step down was "not necessarily caused by an intensification of the pressures in the second quarter but by a broadening of pressure". WPP said this month it would merge Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R to create the industry's largest creative agency.

Persons: Toby Melville, Mark Read, Read, Wunderman Thompson, Paul Sandle, William James, Jason Neely Organizations: WPP, REUTERS, Tech, Technology, Citi, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, GroupM, United States

☆ Insiders question WPP CEO Mark Read's bounceback plan after chaotic period of mergers, account losses, and a stock market slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"OMD and Publicis are winning all the meaningful pitches," said a former WPP agency executive, referring to competitors Omnicom and Publicis Groupe. Further, GroupM is just one of the many parts of WPP's business that Read needs to fix. Insiders describe a whirlwind of change but confusion about the bigger visionA current WPP agency executive said they were frustrated by what they described as a vacuum of information about the bigger strategy for WPP. Getty Images"It feels like something bigger has to happen now," said a current WPP agency executive. The ongoing pitch for Volkswagen's $4 billion global media business underscores the tremendous amount of resources needed to win the proposal, and the huge prize at stake.

Persons: Christian Juhl, San, GroupM, Publicis, Kirk McDonald, McDonald didn't, Ogilvy, it's, Thomas Singlehurst, Juhl, Mark Read's, It's, Read, Martin Sorrell, AKQA, Sard, Wunderman Thompson, J.Walter Thompson, Joanne Wilson, Andrew Scott, Roberto Quarta, Angela Ahrendts, Craig Barritt, —, haven't, Clark, Arthur Sadoun, WPP's Read, Michael Farmer Organizations: WPP, Publicis, L'Oreal, Omnicom Media Group, Pfizer, North, GroupM, Verizon, Discovery, Adobe, Citigroup, Shanghai, reined, AKQA Group, Finsbury Glover, Partners, Young, Rubicam, London Stock Exchange, Brexit, Getty, Burberry, Apple, The New School Industry, VW, Groupe, Epsilon Locations: San Francisco, China, EssenceMediaCom, Kansas, Kansas City, New York, Mayfair , London, New York City

Branding signage for WPP, the largest global advertising and public relations agency at their offices in London, Britain, July 17, 2019. The fourth, GroupM China’s CEO and country managing director for WPP China, Patrick Xu, was questioned by police but not detained, the person said. An employee stationed in the closest police precinct to WPP's Shanghai office said police could not comment. "As our fourth largest market globally, China will continue to play a crucial role in WPP's long-term growth strategy. Police visited U.S. management consultancy Bain & Co's Shanghai office in April, then in May, state TV aired a program showing a raid of consultancy Capvision Partners' offices.

Persons: Toby Melville, GroupM, Patrick Xu, Xu, Mark Read, Mintz, Capvision, Bain, Casey, Laurie Chen, Alison Williams Organizations: WPP, REUTERS, Rights, WPP China, Financial Times, Outdoor Holdings, SEC, Police, Bain, Co's, TV, Capvision Partners, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Shanghai, China, Beijing, Co's Shanghai

Branding signage for WPP, the largest global advertising and public relations agency at their offices in London, Britain, July 17, 2019. The fourth, GroupM China’s CEO and country managing director for WPP China, Patrick Xu, was questioned by police but not detained, the person said. Calls to GroupM's office in Shanghai to seek comment went unanswered and Xu did not immediately respond to an email requesting a response. An employee stationed in the closest police precinct to WPP's Shanghai office said police could not comment. Police visited U.S. management consultancy Bain & Co's Shanghai office in April, then in May, state TV aired a program showing a raid of consultancy Capvision Partners' offices.

The "AI for business" diploma offers training in data and AI for client leaders, practitioners, and WPP executives, according to WPP's website. The team work under AI expert Daniel Hulme who was appointed chief AI officer at WPP two years ago. While lawmakers and philosophers alike still debate whether content produced by generative AI models amounts to anything like human creativity, advertisers have already begun using the technology in their promotional campaigns. Unilever, which owns more than 400 brands including Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, has its own generative AI technology that can write product descriptions for retailers' websites and digital commerce sites, it said. The company's TRESemmé haircare brand has used its AI content generator for written content and its automation tool for visual content on Amazon.co.uk (AMZN.O).

Persons: Mark Read, Read, we've, Mondelez, Shah Rukh Khan, Daniel Hulme, Nestle, Gandon, Ray, Johannes Vermeer's, Aaron Rajan, Nestle's Gandon, Martin Sorrell, You've, Ben King, Richa Naidu, Martin Coulter, Matt Scuffham, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Nestle, Unilever, Marketing, Investment, Reuters, WPP, Oreo, Cadbury, Bollywood, YouTube, Facebook, University of Oxford, Global, Google, Go, Market Technology, Consumer, Walmart, Carrefour, Kroger, Thomson Locations: Africa, India, London, Swiss, Okta

☆ Two measures of global corporate health flash red
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) lowered its estimate for global container trade this year as companies reduce inventories and higher interest rates and recession risks in Europe and the United States drag on global economic growth. The company, one of the world's biggest container shippers, said it expects container volumes to fall by as much as 4%. Maersk controls about one-sixth of global container trade, transporting goods for retailers and consumer companies such as Walmart (WMT.N), Nike (NKE.N) and Unilever (ULVR.L). The International Monetary Fund last week said that it expects global economic growth to slow this year, led by advanced economies even as food prices have come down and the March banking turmoil has been contained. It expects the global growth to slow to 3% this year and next, from 3.5% last year.

Persons: Jon Nazca, . Moller, Mark Read, Grey, Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Swift, David Jackson, Josephine Mason, Catherine Evans, Deepa Babington Organizations: Triple, Majestic, REUTERS, Maersk, WPP, Walmart, Nike, Unilever, Reuters, Ogilvy, Apple, Amazon.com Inc, Companies, Global, Nissan, Caterpillar, Monetary Fund, DHL Group, Thomson Locations: Strait, Gibraltar, Algeciras, Spain, U.S, Europe, United States, Beijing, slowdowns, China

☆ WPP lowers full-year forecast as tech clients curb spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

WPP, the world's biggest advertising group, downgraded its full-year like-for-like growth forecast to 1.5-3.0% from 3-5% after lower spending from tech clients caused its revenue in North America to decline in the second quarter. Chief Executive Mark Read said the group delivered a "resilient" performance in the first half, with growth accelerating in all regions except the United States. "(The U.S.) was impacted in the second quarter by lower spending from technology clients and some delays in technology-related projects," he said on Friday. "China returned to growth in the second quarter albeit more slowly than expected." The British company reported a 2.0% rise in like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs to 5.81 billion pounds ($7.39 billion) in the first half.

Persons: Mark Read Organizations: WPP Locations: British, North America, United States, U.S, China

☆ Two measures of corporate health flash red
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Persons: Jon Nazca, . Moller, Mark Read, Grey, Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Josephine Mason, Catherine Evans Organizations: Triple, Majestic, REUTERS, Maersk, WPP, Walmart, Nike, Unilever, Reuters, Ogilvy, Apple, Amazon.com Inc, Companies, Global, Nissan, Caterpillar, Monetary Fund, DHL Group, Thomson Locations: Strait, Gibraltar, Algeciras, Spain, U.S, Europe, United States, Beijing, slowdowns, China

☆ Legacy media companies enter dark times as failures mount and Netflix rises again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Netflix vs the S&P 500 over the past five months. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Disney vs. the S&P 500 over the past five months. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Warner Bros. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Paramount Global vs the S&P 500 over the past five months. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Comcast vs the S&P 500 over the past five months.

Persons: Bob Iger, David Zaslav, Bob Bakish, Wells Fargo, Warren Buffett, It's, dethroning, Donald Trump's, Mario, Zaslav, Greenfield, there's, There's, Simon & Schuster, Mark Read Organizations: Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, Paramount Global, Getty, Companies, Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros . Discovery, Paramount, CNBC, Fox Corp, Comcast, MSNBC, dethroning Fox, Mario Bros, Boston University, Hollywood, Activision, Simon &, WPP, Cannes Lions Locations: Cannes, France

☆ WPP CEO Mark Read on the state of the advertising market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWPP CEO Mark Read on the state of the advertising marketJulia Boorstin sits down with WPP CEO, Mark Read, from the Cannes Lions advertising festival about where ad dollars are moving and his outlook for the rest of the year.

Persons: Mark Read, Julia Boorstin Organizations: WPP, Cannes Lions

☆ A.I. explosion will only lead to more innovation in advertising, says WPP CEO Mark Read
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA.I. explosion will only lead to more innovation in advertising, says WPP CEO Mark ReadMark Read, WPP CEO, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss the strength of the ad market, the development of influencer marketing, and how A.I. could be used to boost creativity and expand ad innovation.

Persons: Mark Read Mark Read Organizations: WPP

☆ Nvidia WPP deal: The world's biggest ad agency is going all in on AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —WPP, the world’s largest advertising agency, has teamed up with chipmaker Nvidia to create ads using generative artificial intelligence. This new technology will transform the way that brands create content for commercial use,” WPP CEO Mark Read said in a statement. The platform will enable WPP (WPP)’s creative teams to integrate content from organizations such as Adobe and Getty Images with generative AI to produce advertising campaigns “more efficiently and at scale,” according to WPP (WPP). In the demo screened by Huang, WPP had created realistic footage of a car driving through a desert. “It’s much easier to identify the jobs that AI will disrupt than it is to identify the jobs that AI will create,” Read told the Financial Times Monday.

☆ WPP Says Growth Target on Track Despite Softness From Some Tech Clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The WPP headquarters in New York. Chief Executive Mark Read said the company has seen some slight softness from some of its technology clients following several years of increasing budgets. Photo: WPPAdvertising holding company WPP PLC says it is on track to hit its organic growth target this year as other parts of its business help offset lower spending from some technology clients. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. The measure strips out currency fluctuations, acquisitions, disposals and costs such as expenses billed to clients.

☆ The CEOs of the world's biggest advertising companies just outlined how AI is about to transform their businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Advertising agency CEOs are eager to signal their companies' AI expertise to Wall Street. Speaking on this quarter's earnings calls, executives at the world's largest advertising agency groups also outlined some of their recent AI client projects and technology task forces. "What's changed over the last six months is the application of AI through generative AI into the creative process," Read said. Omnicom is running more than 20 projects where it combines Omnicom's historical data with GPT's automation technology, Wren said, though he didn't specify exactly how it was being deployed. That will require more creative assets, Sadoun said on the Publicis earnings call.

☆ We're going to see an A.I. 'creative renaissance' in our industry, WPP CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe're going to see an A.I. 'creative renaissance' in our industry, WPP CEO saysMark Read, CEO at WPP, says artificial intelligence will open up "tremendous creative opportunities."

☆ WPP, Like Ad-Company Rivals, Says It Expects 2023 Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

WPP PLC is the latest major advertising holding company to say it expects continued growth in 2023 as clients keep spending on its services. PREVIEWWPP said like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs increased 6.9% in 2022 and 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Total revenue in 2022 was £14.4 billion, equivalent to about $17.3 billion, while revenue less pass-through costs was £11.8 billion. Chief Executive Mark Read said that consumers have continued to spend, and clients have continued to invest in their brands. Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA both said they expect organic revenue growth this year of 3% to 5%.

“There’s no such thing as a set forecast right now,” said Sophie Kelly, senior vice president of whiskies at Diageo North America, speaking at the same event. The firm, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mediabrands, cut its growth forecast for next year to 4.8% from an earlier prediction of 5.8% in June. Organic revenue growth is a metric that removes the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and disposals. Airbnb Inc. slashed its advertising spending and invested in brand marketing, lessening its reliance on search-engine marketing. “We knew that people are changing their behavior,” said William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer.

☆ Complexity for Marketers Has Meant Opportunity for Ad Agencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Their performance is striking compared with ad agencies’ plight five years ago: Facebook and Google had established direct relationships with marketers and were winning growing portions of their ad budgets before agencies could even offer their services. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. PREVIEWSome major owners of ad agencies watched their growth slow or flatten in 2017 and 2018. Agency companies have responded by building practices to help marketers on platforms like TikTok and Amazon. Marketers navigate outside partnersSome major marketers still want to keep a close handle on some of their data efforts.

In the three years to the end of 2021, Alphabet, Meta and Snap (SNAP.N) hared ahead. The upshot was the Big Tech groups boasted 2021 revenue of $380 billion, most of which was digital advertising. Alphabet, Meta and Snap saw revenue up a miserly 2.4%, on average. For one thing, digital ad giants’ stellar 2021 made maintaining the pace trickier. Meta and Alphabet will still see some of this cash given traditional ad players will use platforms like Google for these big clients’ digital advertising.

☆ Ad group WPP wrestles with wage pressure in resilient quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares in WPP, which have fallen 20% in the last 12 months, were down 3.8% early on Wednesday. Analysts at Citi said they reduced their earnings per share forecast by around 5% following the margin guidance change. Read said Brazil and India were stand-outs in the quarter, although COVID-19 lockdowns weighed on China, which was down 9%. Western Europe was "softer", he said, with adjusted like-for-like revenue down 2.1%, dragged lower by a COVID-19 contract in Germany in the prior year. ($1 = 0.8651 pounds)Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Marketers’ Continued Spending Makes WPP Latest Ad Giant to Boost Guidance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

PREVIEWLike-for-like revenue less pass-through costs compares net sales at constant currencies and excludes acquisitions, disposals and costs such as expenses billed to clients. The company saw like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs increase 3.8% in the third quarter, compared with the period a year earlier. WPP Chief Executive Mark Read said the company’s clients’ appear to be continuing their spending in the fourth quarter. “We’re not expecting a slowdown in the fourth quarter,” Mr. Read said. In September, Interpublic Group of Cos.’s Magna unit clipped its U.S. advertising growth forecast for 2023, saying a weaker economic environment is likely to cut into spending.

Search resuls for: "Mark Read"

25 mentions found