WPP Media has launched Open Intelligence, a “Large Marketing Model” capable of turning “trillions of data signals into predictive actionable intelligence, so you can perform in every channel, every market and with every consumer globally,” according to the company.
WPP Media – formerly known as Group M – goes on to describe the new system as an “always-on, predictive intelligence, active everywhere, refined in real-time by the results it drives, creating the world’s most sophisticated feedback loop” ‘and believes that the groundbreaking AI-powered platform that transforms how brands understand and engage consumers while maintaining strict privacy standards.
How does Open Intelligence works
Open Intelligence is trained specifically on commercial, behavioural, geographic and cultural data to forecast audience behaviour and marketing results.
The source data is consumer panels, retail media networks, connected TV providers, campaign data and it’s data science models, instead of relying solely on traditional identity markers like cookies or device IDs.
They claim it draws from trillions of real-time signals collected from over 350 partners across 75 global markets, enabling brands to reach billions of adults worldwide with exceptional accuracy and speed.
WPP also claim that it:
- Connect to clients’ first-party data (without moving/copying it)
- Uses the recently-acquired InfoSum clean room tech
- Can activate inside “walled garden” platforms.
- It can analyse complex patterns without compromising privacy or data security.
- Continuously learns from consumer interactions with content, brands, and platforms, building a detailed and evolving understanding of consumer intent.
The Open Intelligence launch came with a pre-pack of partners
The launch comes with a pre-pack of partners supporting Open Intelligence – just like a technology software launch. There was not mention of creativity, insights or any of the usual advertising industry related buzzwords.
Technology leaders such as Google, Microsoft Advertising, and FreeWheel provided cloud infrastructure and model orchestration. Data and measurement firms including Experian, Circana, and Lumen Research contributed intelligence and insights from commercial, geographic, and demographic dimensions. Digital platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Snap offer behavioural data and cultural engagement signals.
Five use cases for Open Intelligence
Asked what Open Intelligence enables WPP Media clients to do that they couldn’t do before, WPP pointed out five different use cases:
- Customers can train custom models based on their unique data, marketing intelligence, and business objectives
- Customers can continuously optimise audience segmentation, creative development, and media buying
- Generate predictive signals from customer data, enriched with the other media and retail intelligence
- Make faster, smarter marketing decisions that improve ROI and reduce wasted spend
- Deliver personalised campaigns across every channel – reaching 5 billion people globally, with full regulatory compliance and consumer trust built in
The USP for Open Intelligence was given as “The intelligence covers every part of your marketing mix: owned, earned, shared and paid.”
AI marketing models are coming thick and fast
WPP is not the only player jumping on the AI bandwagon. Many marketing services businesses are now offering AI-enabled tools:
- Meta: Mark Zuckerberg announced new AI tools to create, plan and execute entire ad campaigns within the Meta platform. All marketers will need to do is assign a budget – Meta’s AI will do the rest.
- EY (formerly Ernst & Young Consulting) launched EY Studio+, an AI-powered platform built on top of the 37 agency businesses it has acquired, aimed at delivering AI consulting and implementation.
- MiQ, the programmatic media company, announced Sigma, an AI platform designed to give media buyers an AI agent for trading.
What does all this mean for retail media?
Retail Media’s success has been built on the value of retailer first-party data. However, WPP’s Open Intelligence could be perceived as a threat in several ways:
- The Appeal of Retailer First-Party Data Diminishes: Open Intelligence claims to operate without identity cookies or device IDs, yet still integrates massive datasets from diverse sources. This sounds broader and more scalable than what many Retail Media Networks can offer through basic first-party data applications.
- Scale and Market Power May Eclipse Retail Media: WPP’s reach, partnerships, and tech investment make it difficult for individual retailers to compete. WPP also has deep brand relationships via Mindshare, EssenceMediacom, and Wavemaker. These agencies can easily guide brand budgets toward WPP Open, pointing out that their behavioural, geographic, and cultural datasets as more effective than what Retail Media Networks offer.
There is still a huge opportunity for one reason: Retailers hold something unique – verified transaction-level purchase data, often enhanced through loyalty programmes. This quality and precision is unmatched elsewhere.
Verified transaction-level purchase data gives more opportunities to retailers, not less:
- Monetising Data Through Open Intelligence: Using clean room providers like InfoSum, retailers could provide anonymised first-party data to enrich WPP’s models—creating value for brands and agencies.
- Drive Advertising Performance and Attribution: Retailers could enable campaign activation and measurement across offsite programmatic inventory via Open Intelligence, using its diverse datasets to improve attribution accuracy.
- Enhance Their Proposition by Partnering: Rather than compete, retailers could collaborate with WPP. Merging retailer data with Open Intelligence’s wider signals could unlock a level of shopper and consumer insight that no brand could access elsewhere.
