If search and social media have democratised marketing in the world, artificial intelligence (AI) is advertising’s most profound revolution yet, WPP’s CEO Mark Read said at the Waves Summit 2025 on Thursday in Mumbai.
Speaking about the future of advertising, Read, who took over as chief executive of advertising and marketing services firm WPP after the exit of Martin Sorrell in 2018, believes that AI can help advertising professionals improve their creative output more quickly.
“Today, we are at a critical juncture with the AI revolution. In my view, this is as profound if not more than any previous shift. For the first time, computers can perform tasks we once thought only humans could — writing copy, taking photos, creating videos, analysing documents and making recommendations. While AI may not be creative in the human sense, it can augment human creativity in incredibly powerful ways,” he said.
Under Read’s leadership, WPP, which he calls both a creative and technology company, has acquired AI firms such as UK-based tech firm Satalia and launched WPP Open — an in-house AI platform that helps generate campaign ideas, conduct research and produce content across text, image and video.
“Globally, advertising is a trillion-dollar industry. During the strongest years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector continued to grow at 6 to 7% (per annum). Our clients learnt a great deal during this period. In today’s economic and societal environment, brands hold increasing value because consumers trust them. And advertising plays a crucial role in building trust,” he said.
He also highlighted advertising’s contribution to economic growth. “It plays a significant societal role by funding the media industry, supporting entertainment, drama, and film. It also helps fund technologies and services like search engines, free tools like Google Maps, social media platforms, email, and creative platforms such as YouTube,” he said.
Read also pointed to India’s small and medium enterprises (SME) which are key to the domestic advertising market. WPP’s media unit GroupM had projected the advertising market in India to touch Rs 1.64 lakh crore by the end of current calendar year, driven by digital advertising. SMEs prefer using digital advertising for their communication needs to manage costs and improve efficiencies, experts said.
Read also highlighted WPP’s initiatives in India as it sought to converge creativity and technology. WPP, he said, was strengthening its global development centers in India, growing its enterprise tech and investing in new creative technology capabilities.