WPP expects its India business to resume growth in the second half of 2026 after a slowdown in the June quarter, while the advertising group positions AI, commerce and enterprise services as its primary growth engines under the Elevate28 turnaround strategy. The company's leadership used the interim earnings call to outline how client retention and integrated offerings are becoming more important as marketers consolidate spending with fewer agency partners.
India's slowdown tied to event timing
India saw a moderation in growth during the second quarter, which chief financial officer Joanne Wilson attributed to the timing of major events rather than underlying demand. "India saw a moderating trend into the second quarter, largely driven by the timing of events. We expect a resumption of growth in the second half," Wilson said during the call.
The slowdown contrasts with the broader Asia-Pacific region, which returned to growth in the second quarter with a 0.3% increase after declining 3.8% in the first half. WPP highlighted India as one of the markets where it successfully retained key accounts, including Reckitt's business in India alongside global mandates such as Huawei, Tesco, L'Oréal and Skechers.
Chief executive Cindy Rose described these wins as integrated, multidisciplinary mandates. "These are integrated, multidisciplinary mandates awarded to WPP as one team," she said, referring to business that spanned media, creative, social and influencer marketing.
Commerce and enterprise services take centre stage
WPP's growth strategy extends beyond traditional advertising into commerce, customer experience and AI-powered marketing. Rose described commerce as "the ultimate organizing principle for modern marketing," noting that global commerce advertising has now surpassed television advertising.
The company formally launched WPP Enterprise Solutions in July, combining capabilities across commerce, CRM, customer experience, content transformation and AI-powered marketing operations. The division generated approximately £1.8 billion in revenue last year and is already working with brands including IKEA, Ford, Nestlé and L'Oréal. WPP executives said enterprise solutions would be deeply integrated with media, production and creative businesses rather than operating as a standalone consulting unit.
For marketers, the shift means agency relationships are expanding beyond campaign work into areas such as first-party data, loyalty, commerce infrastructure and customer experience. This aligns with the broader industry movement toward AI for Marketing applications that span the full customer journey rather than isolated touchpoints.
AI partnerships reshape the offering
Artificial intelligence remains central to WPP's proposition. The company expanded partnerships with Google, Adobe, Meta, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft during the first half, embedding new AI capabilities directly into WPP Open, its marketing platform.
Initiatives include a predictive cultural intelligence engine developed with Google DeepMind, Meta's AI-powered creative intelligence tools and a strategic partnership with AWS to help brands deploy agentic AI solutions at scale. Rose argued that the advertising industry is moving beyond traditional identity-based targeting toward what she described as the "era of intelligence," where brands use real-time consumer signals to anticipate behaviour and optimise campaigns.
WPP Open now connects more than 350 data partners and provides access to insights across five billion consumers in over 100 markets. The company expects 2026 to remain a transition year as it stabilises the business before returning to growth in 2027, reiterating its target of delivering £100 million in cost savings this year as part of Elevate28.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
WPP's strategy signals that marketing budgets are shifting toward commerce infrastructure, customer experience and AI-powered operations - areas that now sit alongside media and creative as core agency offerings. The £1.8 billion revenue generated by Enterprise Solutions before its formal launch indicates the scale of demand for these capabilities.
For marketing teams, the practical implication is that AI skills are becoming a baseline requirement for managing agency relationships and internal operations. Marketers who understand how to apply AI to campaign optimisation, customer data and commerce will be better positioned as agencies restructure around these capabilities. An AI Learning Path for Marketing Managers can help build the working knowledge needed to evaluate AI-driven proposals and collaborate effectively with technology teams.
WPP's emphasis on integrated, multidisciplinary mandates also means marketers should expect fewer but deeper agency relationships. The ability to deliver media, creative, commerce and technology solutions under one roof is becoming the standard for major accounts, which shifts how marketing teams evaluate and manage their agency partners.
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