1 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8
Summary
Chief executive Cindy Rose aims for annual savings by 2028 after the advertising group’s shares fell about 73% in five years and it dropped from the FTSE 100.
The three-year overhaul includes workforce, real-estate and supplier cuts, leadership consolidation and a single creative umbrella, while shifting Cannes spending toward AI-focused client events.
Rose, who took over in September, is trying to revive WPP as AI reshapes advertising and rivals Publicis and Omnicom outpace it, despite recent client wins and a new self-service AI platform.
As WPP bets its future on proprietary AI, can it win a tech race against rapidly evolving open-source platforms?
Can a technologist CEO save a creative giant by cutting costs without also cutting its creative soul?
Elevate28 Unveiled: WPP’s Bold Plan to Save £500 Million and Reinvent Advertising by 2028
Overview
In response to a severe 2025 crisis marked by an 8.1% revenue drop and a 70% profit plunge, WPP launched Elevate28 in early 2026 under new CEO Cindy Rose. The plan tackles deep-rooted issues like excessive agency fragmentation and slow AI adoption by consolidating agencies into four integrated divisions and investing in the AI-powered WPP Open platform. Elevate28 aims to save £500 million annually by 2028 through job cuts, office consolidation, and brand streamlining, enabling strategic reinvestment and debt reduction. While facing talent retention challenges and fierce competition, WPP seeks to become a simpler, tech-driven partner aligned with evolving client needs and industry shifts.