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WPP launches AI platform ‘Open Pro’ to let brands create and publish ads independently
WPP has launched Open Pro, a new AI-powered marketing platform that allows brands to independently plan, create, and publish campaigns, marking a major shift in how the advertising giant delivers its technology and services.
Advertising giant WPP unveiled a new chapter in its artificial intelligence strategy on Thursday with the launch of WPP Open Pro, an expanded version of its AI-powered marketing platform designed to let brands plan, create and publish their own advertising campaigns.
The new product, which builds on the company’s existing WPP Open platform, marks a significant step in WPP’s push to democratize access to its technology and extend its reach beyond traditional agency services. The company said WPP Open Pro would allow marketers — from large global clients to smaller businesses — to independently tap into WPP’s proprietary tools and data to strategize, design and deploy campaigns across major advertising platforms.
“The rapid acceleration of technology is fundamentally reshaping our industry and WPP is embracing the opportunity to lead that change,” said Cindy Rose, the company’s chief executive. “Now, we’re adding WPP Open Pro to our offer, a powerful new edition that puts our AI advantage directly into the hands of a much wider array of brands and businesses. This is about transforming how marketing is delivered, expanding our total addressable market, and giving more brands the tools they need to lead in the AI era.”
WPP, one of the world’s largest marketing and communications groups, has been among the most vocal in the industry about the potential for generative AI to reshape advertising — particularly in creative production and media efficiency. With Open Pro, the company appears to be formalizing a “platform” model that could both complement and compete with its own agency networks.
The platform’s core features span three connected functions — AI-powered planning, automated content creation, and campaign publishing. Users can access WPP’s data and insights to build campaign strategies, generate on-brand creative materials in seconds, and either connect to WPP’s Open Media Studio for execution or publish directly to major ad platforms.
Stephan Pretorius, WPP’s chief technology officer, said the new platform offers a level of integration that differentiates it from other AI tools in the market. “While some companies hide their AI behind service teams or focus on just one part of the journey, WPP Open Pro is an integrated solution for campaign implementation, built to deliver outcomes, not just assets,” he said.
Pretorius added that the platform was designed not only for WPP’s global clients but also for “smaller, agile marketing teams and emerging brands” seeking “control, speed and scale with enterprise-grade quality.”
WPP said Open Pro will continue to operate alongside its managed-service offering, which combines human talent with technology-driven execution. But by opening the platform to brands directly, the company is also eyeing a new pool of potential customers — marketers who may not have had the resources to engage a global agency.
Industry analysts say the move reflects a broader trend among advertising groups seeking to reposition themselves amid the rise of AI. As clients increasingly explore in-house production and automation tools, platforms like Open Pro could become both a competitive hedge and a new source of growth for traditional holding companies.
For WPP, which manages more than $60 billion in client media spending annually, Open Pro may also be a test of whether technology-led independence can coexist with the bespoke service that has long defined the agency model.
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