WPP has been appointed as the global growth partner for Jaguar Land Rover, in a move aimed at strengthening the automaker’s portfolio of luxury brands including Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar. Corporate press releases really do love phrases like “trusted growth partner.” Humanity apparently cannot simply say “agency mandate” anymore.
Under the partnership, WPP and JLR will create a bespoke integrated team combining talent from across WPP’s global network with JLR’s in-house marketing and creative teams. The collaboration will be powered by WPP Open, the company’s AI-driven marketing platform, and will operate on an outcome-based remuneration model designed to align business performance with marketing objectives.
The newly formed team will provide integrated services spanning creative, media, production, customer experience and strategic consultancy. The companies said the structure is intended to help JLR scale marketing efforts globally while maintaining a more personalised consumer experience across its luxury portfolio.
Lennard Hoornik, Chief Growth Officer at JLR, said “To supercharge the growth of our modern luxury brands, we needed to think differently. Together with WPP we want to resolve the traditional contradiction between scale and intimacy. Our joint vision for a single, AI-powered modern luxury marketing organisation is the solution.
“Human ingenuity accelerated by AI is the base of this collaboration. Through unique access to all of WPP’s talent coupled with JLR’s pool of brilliant creative minds, the set-up of the joint co-located team and the outcome-based business model, we have the exclusive pillars of our modern luxury centric partnership.”
Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said “This partnership is a testament to our shared ambition for the future of marketing. Our new mission at WPP is to be the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands in the era of AI. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with JLR, reimagining growth for their iconic brands.
“By combining the brilliance of human creativity with the transformative power of AI on WPP Open, we will help JLR create customer experiences of unparalleled intimacy and luxury, at scale, while writing a new playbook for growth. This is a partnership of kindred spirits, built to deliver transformational growth.”
