The&Partnership to merge with mSix&Partners to form AI-centric agency

The&Partnership is combining with its media buying and planning agency mSix&Partners, to create a new fully integrated agency with AI at its heart, under the new global brand T&Pm. Both agencies are backed WPP, and this backing will continue with the new T&Pm entity.

With the disruption of AI, the transformation of marketing communications is taking place, from the creation of content to its deployment and optimisation, but the siloed nature of the marketing industry limits its adoption.

The move is the next evolution in The&Partnership’s long-term strategy to provide clients with uniquely integrated, agnostic answers to their marketing challenges and it will unite two already thriving agencies.

Consisting of 1,900 people, spanning four continents with 45 offices worldwide, the new combined company will be operational from 25 March 2024.

Upon the new brand launch, T&Pm promises to ‘connect talent and tech to fuel brand growth’, combining capabilities across creative and media, experience and technology, to offer the kind of genuinely end-to-end marketing solutions it has already built for the likes of Toyota and News Corp.

T&Pm will now build on this momentum, applying its independent partner-led mindset to WPP’s market-leading AI platforms, to effectively become WPP’s AI ‘speedboat’, and accelerate growth across its entire roster of clients.

The&Partnership founder and CEO Johnny Hornby (pictured) said: “Looking back, I’m not sure whose idea it was for our industry to separate creative and media agencies, but I’m sure the motives were more profit - than client-driven.”

“If that separation ever made any sense, it certainly doesn’t today. Modern brands need to connect the dots, brilliant creative thinking can’t be divorced from the smart media systems that bring it to life, all of which can now be personalised at scale by breakthroughs in AI,” he added.

He added that AI’s power is at a pivot point for the industry, but will only be harnessed by a much more holistic approach. “Combining our unique model with WPP’s US$320m annual AI investment, means T&Pm will be well placed to help our clients seize this opportunity.”

The&Partnership is a global creative network, with more than doubled revenues over the last five years through innovative partnerships with major clients like Mars, Toyota, NatWest, TELUS and News Corp.

Similarly, mSix&Partners, a joint venture with GroupM, is one of WPP’s media agencies, with deep expertise in performance-led solutions for clients including EA, easyJet, and PVH’s Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Don't miss: WPP merges BCW and Hill & Knowlton to form new comms agency Burson

This comes just one month after WPP merged two of its largest communications agencies, Hill & Knowlton and BCW, to form Burson. Burson will be a firm that will deliver modern communications leadership at scale to clients across the world, according to the official statement. 

Back in October 2023, WPP merged its creative agencies Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R to form VML. Through the merger, VML will be equipped to support clients on creative brand growth strategy and transformation initiatives, all powered by data operations, technology platforms and partnerships with experienced technology companies. 

Related articles:

WPP merges Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R
WPP teams up with NVIDIA to build generative AI-enabled content engine for digital advertising