Mark Read

101 Great Minds on Music Brands and Behavior

Mark Read, Chief Executive Officer, WPP

Mark has held multiple leadership positions at WPP since joining in 1989. As CEO of WPP Digital he was responsible for WPP’s first moves into technology. In 2015, he became the Global CEO of Wunderman, which he transformed into one of the world’s leading creative, data and technology agencies. Mark was voted the industry’s Most Influential Person of 2019 in Econsultancy’s Top 100 Digital Agencies report, and in 2022 was recognised as an Involve Heroes Champion of Women in Business for the fifth consecutive year and named #1 in the Empower Advocates list which recognises leaders who create diverse and inclusive business environments. In 2021 he was awarded Fellow of the IPA status for outstanding services to the industry in the IPA's New Year's Honours. Mark was appointed to the Natural History Museum’s Board of Trustees by the UK Prime Minister in 2022.

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“We’re helping our clients to leverage sound to forge authentic connections with their audiences, evoke emotions, and create memorable experiences.”

— MARK READ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WPP

Uli Reese: The recent acquisition of amp by WPP has created quite a buzz in the industry. Can you share with us the strategic thinking behind this acquisition and how it aligns with WPP's vision?

Mark Read:  We’re excited to welcome what we believe is the world's leading sonic branding company to WPP. amp has unparalleled expertise in creating sonic identities for global brands and the acquisition aligns perfectly with how we position ourselves as the creative transformation company. Sound has become a critical component of the marketing mix, especially with the rise of streaming, podcasting, and short-form media.  We’re giving our clients the ability to create immersive experiences that engage consumers on a deeper level. It's about leveraging the power of sound to drive our clients' competitive advantage in the marketplace to help deliver growth.

Reese: amp certainly has an impressive portfolio of clients and has been at the forefront of the sonic branding industry. How do you see amp's expertise strengthening WPP's capabilities in branding?

Read: That’s one of the reasons why we wanted amp to join WPP; it complements our existing market-leading strength in experiential branding. It will join our brand and design consultancy, Landor & Fitch, and together, with amp’s deep understanding of music and sound combined with Landor’s strategic rigor, we’ll be creating high-quality, differentiated, and ownable sound experiences for our clients.  It can help set brands apart and – no pun intended – to cut through the noise.

Reese: I’m in total agreement. The use of sound, voice, and music to build authentic connections for brands is an extremely powerful approach. I know amp's unique offerings is what grabbed WPP’s attention: its Sonic DNA® design approach and Sonic Hub® AI toolset to deliver valuable audience insights and creating sonic experiences for brands.

Read: We were impressed by how the creative platform allows amp to analyze, create, and manage sonic assets with consistency and precision. With new channels popping up it can be overwhelming for brands to meet the demand for assets. amp’s Sonic Hub® leverages the potential of generative AI to deliver these assets at scale. The combination of human creativity and technological innovation is exciting to us at WPP.  With Generative AI able to produce work we thought only humans could do, there is tremendous potential here.

Reese: The acquisition of amp is a significant move as sound continues to grow as a vital branding element. How do you envision the future of sound in the marketing landscape?

Read: Sound’s significance will only continue to grow in the marketing mix. How we interact with brands is now all encompassing – we recognise the Netflix’s start-up sound or the signature tune of Mastercard ads, and building a sonic identity can also mean actualizing the sound and feel of being in a Mercedes Benz car.

We’re helping our clients to leverage sound to forge authentic connections with their audiences, evoke emotions, and create memorable experiences.

Reese: It's clear that the integration of amp within the WPP network opens up exciting possibilities.

Read:  Absolutely.  We’ve seen so much interest from our clients. Often these are clients who hadn’t really considered the potential for sonic branding but as soon as we mention it, they can see the opportunity. 

Reese: The acquisition of amp undoubtedly signals a new chapter for both companies. How do you envision the future collaboration between amp, Landor & Fitch, and the wider WPP network in terms of harnessing the power of audio?

Read: Judging by the reaction so far, we are going to see a tremendous amount of collaboration between amp and the rest of our network. It’s going to open up our ability to create truly holistic brand experiences so it’s very exciting to me and to our leadership. The best collaboration comes when people can work together around innovative ideas and opportunities to take to our clients and that’s why I see so much potential here.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, and Uli Reese, Author of the 101GreatMinds Series

Note: The interview took place in London, WPP Headquarters on the 18th of May 2023.

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