For years, the world of digital marketing felt a bit like trying to find someone in a crowd using a blurry photograph. We relied on clues and workarounds, things called cookies, lookalike models, and rented identity graphs, to try and connect with consumers. It kept things moving, but it was often a case of educated guesswork. It was never sharp, and it wasn’t always welcome.
That era is officially over.
Today, we’re all navigating a landscape that, rightly, puts people first. With new data protection laws emerging and a universal expectation for transparency, the ground has shifted. Marketers should see this as an opportunity, not a challenge. It’s a chance to move beyond assumptions and build something far more valuable: an honest, respectful relationship between a brand and its customers.
But in this new world, some old habits die hard. A few data brokers still operate in the grey areas, using scraped information that might seem compliant on the surface. But silence is not consent. Trust is something you earn, not something you take.
This shift brings the strategic imperative of first-party data into sharp focus.
From guessing games to genuine connection
First-party data has always been the key to better performance and more relevant customer experiences. It’s no longer just an option; it’s the very foundation of a modern business.
Just as we embraced this new foundation, another powerful force entered the scene: Artificial intelligence (AI). AI has become accessible to everyone, levelling the playing field in incredible ways. But this presents a new, fascinating puzzle. When everyone has the same powerful tools, how do you create a real advantage?
The answer lies not in the tool, but in what you feed it. An AI trained on the same public data everyone else uses will only give you the same, generic answers. The true, game-changing insights come from combining the power of AI with your own unique, first-party data. This approach is how brands will maintain their competitive edge.
Building bridges, not walls
We saw this future coming. We live and breathe the art of enabling smarter collaboration.
At the heart of our work is Open Intelligence, the AI-powered data solution that fuels WPP’s operating system, WPP Open. This isn’t just another algorithm; it’s the world’s first large marketing model, a brain built specifically for marketing and trained on trillions of signals from across the globe.
However, this new landscape presents new challenges. Decentralised datasets are harder to connect. Even if all data were centralised, fragmented martech stacks and disconnected systems make integration complex. And while advertisers want to deliver better performance, they cannot risk harming customer experience or breaking trust.
We believe the answer is not ‘don’t own data’, but rather ‘enable smarter collaboration’. But its true power is unlocked when it is fed a brand’s own first-party data. Through choreograph, WPP Media’s data and technology company, we create and manage consumer and marketing performance data in more than 70 markets. It combines different threads of information: behavioural, contextual and more, to create predictive models tailored to brands’ specific business goals. This delivers always-on intelligence that continuously sharpens everything from audience segmentation to creative personalisation.
We’ve taken this a step further by helping our clients collaborate directly and securely. Through our acquisition of Infosum, we use ‘remote bunker’ technology. Essentially, the data never moves; it stays protected in its secure bunker, giving clients full control while allowing them to connect their insights with a global network of media platforms and retailers.
No single dataset holds the entire picture, but by connecting them responsibly, we can unlock and create exponential value.
A new chapter for the Middle East
This isn’t a far-off vision; it’s happening right now, delivering real and unrivalled results for our clients. By uncovering powerful insights, we help them find their most valuable audiences, improve efficiency, and unlock new avenues for growth.
The Middle East, with its high penetration of digital-first consumers and ambitious national agendas, is perfectly positioned to lead this charge. Advertisers here demand global sophistication while honouring deep-seated cultural expectations of trust. This new approach provides that perfect balance.
Ultimately, this is about reshaping the value exchange between brands and people. Customers will share their information if they receive real value in return, and will champion brands that respect their privacy and deliver more relevant, meaningful experiences.
The future is not about guessing who might want your product. It’s about understanding why people act, predicting what they need, and connecting with them at the perfect moment with a message that resonates.
By Alan Azar, Regional Managing Director, choreograph – WPP Media’s data and technology company.
