WPP acquires data collboration platform InfoSum.WPP has acquired data collaboration platform InfoSum, integrating it into GroupM’s AI stack in an effort to offer clients a new generation of AI-enhanced marketing solutions.
The move gives WPP and its clients immediate access to one of the world’s largest cross-platform sources of privacy-safe, actionable data — enhancing marketing intelligence, audience targeting, and AI model training.
WPP claims the acquisition enhances the breadth and scale of data intelligence for WPP clients, leapfrogging traditional identity-based solutions.
“Bringing InfoSum into WPP is a major step forward for our data capabilities and the results we can deliver for our clients,” said Mark Read, CEO of WPP.
InfoSum’s patented cross-cloud technology enables data collaboration without moving or exposing data. This allows WPP and its clients to generate audience intelligence by connecting data sources across the marketing ecosystem without moving or exposing data.
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“It allows clients to stay in complete control of their first-party data, while also giving them access to vastly greater quantities of high-quality, privacy-compliant data and pioneering technology that is not available anywhere else in the market today,” Read added.
InfoSum’s technology will be integrated into WPP Open, the company’s intelligent marketing operating system.
Clients will be able to rapidly build, train, and deploy custom AI models that utilise diverse datasets, generating insights and audiences instantly, optimising campaigns across the entire marketing ecosystem, and delivering measurable improvements in campaign performance within hours rather than weeks.
“Directly integrating InfoSum’s global data network and technology infrastructure will allow our clients to create even more value from their first-party data and enable us to train client AI models against the most data, from the most places, at unprecedented scale and speed,” said Brian Lesser, CEO of GroupM.
“Our approach recognises the importance of identity data to today’s marketing strategies while allowing us to take advantage of the limitless opportunities for growth we can create by moving beyond them. As more and more clients leverage our AI-first solutions, every client model, every audience, and every campaign will benefit from network effects that will exponentially increase their intelligence and competitive advantage,” Lesser added.
InfoSum’s extensive global data network represents hundreds of billions of data signals across multiple dimensions of data from media platforms including Channel 4, DIRECTV, ITV, Netflix, News Corp, and Samsung Ads, as well as major retailers around the world and identity and data partners including Experian, TransUnion, Circana, Dynata, and NCSolutions.
Lauren Wetzel, CEO of InfoSum, added: “InfoSum’s mission has always been to reimagine how data powers marketing in a secure, privacy-first, and, most importantly, impactful way for advertisers and consumers. WPP and GroupM are the perfect partners to help us accelerate our impact on a truly global scale. We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with the team at GroupM as privacy and security become non-negotiables, and AI allows.”
InfoSum’s infrastructure will remain interoperable with existing platforms and partners to ensure current and future customers can continue driving growth through secure data collaboration.
As part of the deal, Wetzel will remain CEO of InfoSum and also serve as Chief Solutions Officer at GroupM, helping lead the development of data-driven products and solutions across WPP.
