WARC vs WPP

Byron Sharp revisits seminal book How Brands Grow

Professor Byron Sharp of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute speaks with WARC’s David Tiltman to revisit the core laws behind his influential book How Brands Grow and to explain why many marketers still misunderstand how brands actually win new customers and grow market share.

Byron Sharp revisits seminal book How Brands Grow

Professor Byron Sharp of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute speaks with WARC’s David Tiltman to revisit the core laws behind his influential book How Brands Grow and to explain why many marketers still misunderstand how brands actually win new customers and grow market share.

Jon Cook Steps Down as CEO of WPP Creative and VML

Jon Cook, the founding CEO of WPP Creative and global CEO of VML, has announced his departure, following the recent exit of Troy Ruhanen from Omnicom Advertising. This marks a significant leadership change within the newly formed creative agency divisions of major holding companies. Cook's successor at VML will be Eric Campbell, as indicated in the article's image caption. The announcement comes amid broader restructuring at WPP, which has been experiencing financial challenges and strategic shifts. The industry is closely watching how these leadership changes will affect the creative landscape and client relationships.

• Jon Cook steps down as CEO of WPP Creative and VML.
• His successor at VML will be Eric Campbell.
• The announcement follows the recent departure of Troy Ruhanen from Omnicom Advertising.

Tom Gilbert on Brand Cohesion in the Age of AI

Tom Gilbert, ECD at Design Bridge, discusses the challenges of maintaining brand cohesion when AI enables anyone to create design. He argues that AI should be treated as an instrument, not a tool, and that strong brand foundations are essential. Gilbert, jury president of The Drum Awards for Design, emphasizes the importance of timeless ideas, collaboration, and clear context in award entries. The article highlights his book 'Brands Built By Design' and his experience with clients using AI in brand design.

• Tom Gilbert is ECD at Design Bridge and jury president of The Drum Awards for Design.
• Gilbert wrote the book 'Brands Built By Design'.
• Design Bridge worked on the Guinness brand identity over a decade ago, resurfacing the 'Made of More' line.

PubMatic Adds Show-Level CTV Targeting via Silverpush Partnership

PubMatic and Silverpush have partnered to launch global episode-level contextual targeting for CTV inventory on PubMatic's supply-side platform. This integration allows buyers to curate ad inventory based on content context—such as genre, programme type, or brand safety—before bidding, without relying on cookies or user-level data. Advertisers can select from over 50 pre-built segments, applied pre-bid, across PubMatic's CTV supply, which includes 28 of the top 30 global streamers. Early results indicate improvements in brand awareness, consideration, conversion, and lower cost-per-view, with one WPP campaign achieving 20% higher conversion rates. PubMatic continues to offer audience-based targeting, but notes that combining both approaches may limit scale. The segments are now available globally via PubMatic and leading DSPs.

• PubMatic and Silverpush announced global episode-level contextual CTV segments, enabling pre-bid targeting based on content context.
• The integration covers all CTV supply within PubMatic, including 28 of the top 30 global streamers.
• Buyers can select from 50+ pre-built contextual and brand-safety segments, applied pre-bid, without using cookies or user-level data.