Jordan Bevan
WPP has announced a major restructuring of its global production operations, bringing together its existing production capabilities into a single unit called WPP Production. The new division is set to formally launch on February 23, 2026, and will centralize creative production teams across the holding company under one global platform.
The move combines WPP’s in-house production resources, including its global production company Hogarth, along with production teams embedded within agencies such as VML and Ogilvy. Once operational, WPP Production will employ close to 10,000 staff across more than 40 locations worldwide, making it one of the largest consolidated production organizations in the advertising industry.
Leadership of the new unit will sit with Richard Glasson, currently the global CEO of Hogarth. Under the new structure, creative producers across WPP will operate through a unified system designed to improve coordination, speed, and scalability as client demand for high-volume, multi-format content continues to grow.
The consolidation reflects broader pressures on agency holding groups to simplify operations and modernize service delivery. In late 2025, WPP reported a decline in revenue excluding pass-through costs and signaled that operational simplification and new marketing service models would be central to its turnaround strategy. Production integration and increased use of AI tools are now positioned as key components of that effort.
WPP Production will operate on the group’s WPP Open platform, which integrates data, technology, and workflows across creative, media, and production services. The company says the new structure is intended to support virtual and hybrid production models, generative AI-assisted workflows, and real-time optimization of content, particularly in always-on media environments where content requirements shift rapidly.
Rather than focusing on cost reduction, WPP has indicated that the reorganization is aimed at improving efficiency and responsiveness to client needs. The company does not expect layoffs as a result of the consolidation. Instead, the new unit is designed to function as a centralized production engine capable of delivering large volumes of content while maintaining consistency across markets.
As part of the rollout, WPP plans to expand its global studio footprint, building on existing Hogarth Studios infrastructure and a recently developed content capture and virtual production facility in London. Additional studio locations are expected to open in multiple regions to support localized production alongside global scale.
The launch of WPP Production comes amid wider disruption in the advertising sector, including ongoing consolidation among agency groups and accelerated adoption of AI technologies. With scale, technology integration, and operational efficiency becoming increasingly critical, WPP’s move signals a strategic shift toward a more centralized and platform-driven production model across its global network.
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