WPP has expanded its partnership with Google in a deal worth $400m over five years, positioning the advertising group to deepen its use of Google Cloud and AI technologies across its business.
The agreement was finalized in Mountain View, California, during meetings between WPP chief executive Cindy Rose and Google Cloud chief executive Thomas Kurian. It aims to accelerate the use of generative and agentic AI in marketing and develop new models for personalization, production and measurement.
The collaboration will also see Google become a key curriculum partner in WPP’s creative technology apprenticeship program, which plans to train more than 1,000 early-career specialists by 2030. WPP said the partnership is designed to enable brands to create campaigns “in days, not months,” while maintaining privacy-first data practices and operational efficiency.
For WPP, the deal represents both continuity and a statement of intent under Rose, who took over as chief executive from Mark Read in September. Rose previously led Microsoft UK and has served on the boards of NatWest and the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
“I’m incredibly excited about how our new and evolved partnership with Google will redefine what’s possible for our clients,” Rose said. “By delivering bespoke AI solutions and enabling hyper-relevant campaigns with unprecedented scale and speed, we’re accelerating innovation across every facet of marketing to drive unparalleled growth and impact.”
Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud’s chief executive, said: “Our expanded partnership with WPP is built on a shared vision to harness the power of generative and agentic AI to transform business outcomes. By enabling WPP to innovate on our AI-optimized technology stack, we are helping create the future of marketing technology for brands today.”
Lorraine Twohill, Google’s senior vice-president of global marketing, added: “As an important partner to Google Marketing, WPP has been working closely with us on a number of AI tools and innovations built with Gemini – all focused on driving brand love and real business growth through truly helpful experiences that resonate with our billions of users around the world. I’m excited to continue exploring what marketing and storytelling look like in this new era, together.”
The agreement is anchored in WPP Open, the company’s proprietary AI platform for marketing, which already underpins many of its creative and data tools. WPP invests around £300m annually in AI and technology and has been developing new systems for automation, content creation and audience modeling. Under the expanded partnership, WPP will integrate Google’s latest AI products, including DeepMind models and the Veo and Imagen video and image generation tools, into WPP Open to speed up campaign production and improve efficiency. Early pilots have, WPP claims, reduced asset production timelines by up to 70%.
WPP agencies including AKQA have been developing applications using Google technology, such as The Generative Store, which adapts visuals and messaging for shoppers in real time using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. Other examples include AI-powered audience models through WPP’s Open Intelligence and automated content creation systems built for clients in retail, technology and energy sectors.
The partnership also extends to talent development. WPP’s Creative Technology Apprenticeship program, launched in 2022, will expand significantly with Google as its primary curriculum partner. The initiative will train participants in creative coding, generative AI and robotics, and has already placed more than 50 graduates in permanent roles across WPP agencies.
WPP and Google said their teams are also collaborating to apply new AI solutions first within Google’s own marketing operations, using real-world performance data to refine and validate the tools before wider rollout to clients. The companies said this approach provides a testing ground for innovation and ensures faster deployment across WPP’s network.
This partnership builds on WPP’s existing investments in AI and follows similar moves by other major agency groups to formalize relationships with technology providers. Publicis Groupe, Omnicom and Havas have each announced AI initiatives in recent months, signaling a growing focus on how generative and predictive technologies can reshape marketing workflows and creative production.
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