WPP has announced the acquisition of InfoSum, a leading data collaboration platform, which will now be integrated into GroupM, WPP’s media investment division. This move aligns with WPP’s strategic focus on enhancing AI-driven marketing solutions amid the industry’s shift away from reliance on cookies and traditional identity-based data.
InfoSum’s innovative technology enables secure data collaboration by connecting data across multiple platforms without the need to move or share it directly, utilizing a cross-cloud approach. Integrating InfoSum’s capabilities with WPP Open, WPP’s marketing operating system, will empower clients to combine their first-party data with additional data signals from InfoSum’s network, WPP’s own data assets, and GroupM’s media sources.
This integration will enable clients to leverage federated learning techniques to build and train AI models using a wide variety of datasets. WPP believes this will accelerate and enhance campaign optimization and audience targeting.
InfoSum’s extensive data network includes partners such as Channel 4, DIRECTV, ITV, Netflix, News Corp, Samsung Ads, along with data providers like Experian, TransUnion, Circana, Dynata, and NCSolutions.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, emphasized the strategic importance of the acquisition, saying, “Bringing InfoSum into WPP is a significant leap forward for our data capabilities. It allows clients to maintain full control over their first-party data while gaining access to expansive, privacy-compliant datasets and cutting-edge technology unavailable elsewhere in the market.”
Brian Lesser, CEO of GroupM, added, “Integrating InfoSum’s global data network and technology will help our clients unlock more value from their first-party data and enable us to train AI models on unmatched scale and speed. Our AI-first approach balances the critical role of identity data with vast new growth opportunities beyond it.”
Lauren Wetzel, CEO of InfoSum, expressed excitement about joining WPP and GroupM, stating, “Our mission to revolutionize marketing through secure, privacy-first data collaboration fits perfectly with WPP’s vision. Together, we can accelerate global impact as privacy and security become essential and AI reshapes what’s possible.”
InfoSum’s platform will allow WPP clients to quickly set up secure data environments optimized for federated learning, making it easier than ever to scale custom AI models and onboard data. The platform will continue to be interoperable with existing technologies, ensuring seamless integration for current and future clients.
Following the acquisition, Lauren Wetzel will remain CEO of InfoSum and take on an additional role as Chief Solutions Officer at GroupM, driving the development of data-driven products and solutions across WPP’s client base.
For companies interested in partnership opportunities, more information is available at InfoSum Partners.
