 |
| Mark Read |
WPP chalked up 8.7 percent growth in first-half like-for-like revenues to $8.2B, driven by part by a resurgence in demand for strategic communications advice from its PR firms, according to CEO Mark Read.
The PR group registered 10.5 percent growth to $654M from the year-ago period and an 18.7 percent surge from the 2020 period. Operating profit jumped 31.7 percent to $99.6M
CEO Mark Read told O’Dwyer’s the PR growth was across the board at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, BCW, Ogilvy PR and FGS Global.
“The breadth and depth at our offer, from consumer to corporate PR as well as the growing importance to strategic communications for clients, is reflected in the strong, structural outperformance we’ve seen over the past three years,” he said. “All credit to our people and leaders in our PR firms for this performance.”
Read said clients continue to invest in WPP services due to the company’s attractive industry exposure in technology and healthcare, its broad global footprint, and the importance of what it does for their businesses.
He projects full-year growth of six to seven percent.
FleishmanHillard is shuttering its 20-member Dublin office as Omnicom Public Relations reorganizes its global operations... Vested acquires Watermark, a D.C.-based public affairs and special situations firm.... Matter earns two Pinnacle Awards 2026 Marketing & Communications honors for its clients.
Quad/Graphics launches Direct, a Quad Agency to help marketers create, execute and measure direct marketing campaigns in one connected offering... InnoVision Marketing Group SVP/senior creative director Giselle Campos and SVP/general manager Alanna Markey are among the first-ever winners of the San Diego Business Journal’s Indispensables Awards, which recognizes professionals who make the greatest impact within their organizations and across the San Diego business community... Park Place Technologies, an IT infrastructure services firm that works with Feintuch Communications, releases the second episode of its “The Savvy CIO” podcast. 
Ripley PR is named a silver winner in the TITAN American Business Awards’ Outstanding PR Campaign category... Excellera, a corporate-advisory firm, came in at number one in deal count, as well as fourth in deal value, in Mergermarket’s list of top EMEA firms... Thunderly is telling the stories of military veterans who transferred the discipline, organization and leadership skills developed in service to their country into successful post-military careers as franchise business owners, as part of its year-long "American Dreamers: The Stories of Franchising" effort.
Legendary Boston PR man George Regan is stepping down from day-to-day management of his namesake firm. The 75-year-old will remain chairman.
CGLife, a pharma agency focused on clients who are bringing therapies for rare, specialty and hard-to-treat diseases to market, combines with AI-native agency The Considered+AI... PRSA-NY announces the shortlist for the 2026 Big Apple Awards... The Agency East Public Relations, a Fort Lauderdale–based shop that works exclusively with women business owners in the early growth stage, is expanding its practice to help women business owners get found and cited by AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and Claude.
