From WPP Media to Open Intelligence: Why Independent Agencies Must Reinvent or Risk Extinction

In a landmark move that signals the future direction of global media, GroupM has officially rebranded as WPP Media, aligning itself more closely with its parent company WPP and asserting a stronger, more unified identity. But the renaming isn’t just cosmetic. Behind the new brand is a sharpened AI-driven strategy, embodied by the launch of Open Intelligence, WPP Media’s proprietary artificial intelligence platform. This development sends a powerful message to the media landscape: WPP is no longer just a holding group of media agencies—it’s becoming an integrated, intelligent media ecosystem.

But as WPP Media tightens its grip on the future, what does this mean for the rest of the industry—especially for the small and independent media agencies struggling to survive in a rapidly evolving environment? This article explores WPP Media’s transformation, the widening gap between media giants and independents, and what must happen if independents hope to not just thrive, but survive. Finally, we introduce a lifeline: More Than Data, a committed ally for independent agencies looking to transform through intelligent media measurement and AI-powered insight.

WPP Media and the Rise of Open Intelligence: A Unified, AI-Powered Future

The rebranding of GroupM to WPP Media is far more than a name change—it’s a repositioning of WPP’s media offering at the center of the company’s future strategy. With the unveiling of Open Intelligence, WPP Media now has an end-to-end AI platform designed to transform how brands approach media across the entire lifecycle—from insight to planning, activation to measurement.

What is Open Intelligence?

Open Intelligence is a proprietary AI ecosystem that connects disparate audience and media data sources into a centralized intelligence layer. The system is designed to:

• Aggregate and unify data from multiple sources (CRM, digital, media spend, consumer behavior, and more)
  
• Generate audience insights that are real-time, scalable, and contextual
  
• Inform audience positioning and targeting with precision
  
• Activate media plans across platforms, guided by AI-led predictions
  
• Measure and optimize media performance through closed-loop analytics

WPP Media executives have positioned Open Intelligence as more than just a tool—it is their operating system. It’s a platform that enables WPP agencies and clients to operate at scale, with speed, accuracy, and intelligence previously unavailable. And perhaps most crucially, it is proprietary—closed to competitors, open only within the WPP network.

This is not just an evolution. It’s a revolution. And for those not inside the WPP Media ecosystem, the message is clear: the future belongs to those who can connect, compute, and optimize at scale.

The Divide: Media Giants vs. Independent Agencies

WPP Media’s transformation highlights a growing divide in the media industry—between the platformized giants and the fragmented independents. WPP, along with Omnicom, Publicis, and Dentsu, are evolving into media-tech ecosystems, integrating data, AI, measurement, and creative under one umbrella.

What do the giants have?

• Proprietary AI platforms (e.g., WPP’s Open Intelligence, Publicis’ Epsilon, Omnicom’s Omni)
  
• First-party data integrations across markets and channels
  
• Massive infrastructure for data storage, processing, and analytics
  
• Deep investment pockets and R&D capacity
  
• Global partnerships with Google, Meta, Amazon, and others
  
• Closed-loop measurement and attribution engines

On the other hand, independent media agencies, while agile and client-centric, face major challenges:

• Fragmented tools and siloed data
  
• Limited access to AI/ML technologies
  
• Underfunded analytics and measurement capacity
  
• Inconsistent or manual audience segmentation
  
• Reliance on third-party platforms without integration

This imbalance isn’t just about technological gaps—it’s about business model gaps. Giants are evolving into intelligent media platforms, while independents are still operating as service agencies. The danger? If independents can’t shift from service to system, from manual to machine-powered, they’ll be squeezed out of the market.

This is Not a Game of Living Better—It’s a Game of Living at All

Let’s be blunt: independent media agencies are in existential danger. What WPP Media’s transformation shows is that the industry is moving from craftsmanship to code, from instinct to intelligence. The playbook is changing—and fast.

To believe that maintaining traditional workflows, relying on human media planners, and outsourcing analytics will keep the business afloat is wishful thinking. The pace of automation, AI adoption, and media consolidation is too fast, and the margins for survival too thin.

Here’s what’s at stake:

• Clients are demanding more: Not just media buys, but media proof—what’s the ROI, what’s the incrementality, what’s the brand lift?
  
• Budgets are consolidating: Fewer, larger clients want fewer, smarter partners.
  
• Talent is moving: Data and AI specialists go where innovation thrives, not where Excel rules.
  
• Measurement is differentiator: Agencies that can’t measure won’t be invited to pitch.

The path forward isn’t just transformation—it’s survival through reinvention.

More Than Data: The Lifeline for Independent Agencies

While WPP Media has Open Intelligence, independents now have something of their own: More Than Data. Born out of a mission to democratize marketing measurement, More Than Data is a fast, accessible, and powerful platform built specifically for small and independent media agencies.

Our mission is clear: Empower independent agencies with the tools, insight, and intelligence to thrive in a new media economy.

What More Than Data Offers:

• Self-service Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM): Build robust models in under 10 minutes with no coding required.
  
• Audience Insight Engine: Connect different audience datasets to build deep, actionable audience knowledge bases.
  
• Planning & Optimization Tools: Go beyond media planning—model, forecast, and optimize campaigns with clarity.
  
• Measurement-as-a-Service: Plug-and-play measurement tools that make performance visible and report-ready.
  
• Strategy Support: Hands-on support to guide your transformation—training, onboarding, model interpretation, and growth planning.
  

We’re not trying to copy WPP Media. We’re building a different model—one that’s open, accessible, and designed for the rest of the market. Where Open Intelligence is proprietary, More Than Data is open source in spirit—collaborative, supportive, and built with independence in mind.

We understand that independent media agencies don’t need complexity—they need clarity. They don’t need a 100-person data science team—they need software that just works. They don’t want to be acquired—they want to be equipped.

Final Thoughts: Rewriting the Rules Together

WPP Media’s rebranding and the launch of Open Intelligence is a watershed moment in the industry. It reflects where the future is heading—towards intelligent, connected, AI-powered media ecosystems. And while that future might feel out of reach for smaller players, it doesn’t have to be.

The gap between giants and independents is real—but it’s not insurmountable. With the right tools, the right mindset, and the right partners, independent agencies can reposition themselves not just as media buyers, but as media intelligence providers.

At More Than Data, we believe this is not just a market shift. It’s a movement. One that calls on every independent agency to act—not tomorrow, but now.

This is no longer about living better. This is about living at all. And together, we can build a smarter, fairer, more resilient media ecosystem—one insight, one agency, and one model at a time.

Interested in learning how More Than Data can support your agency’s transformation? Visit morethandata.biz and start building your future today.