WPP Group Vietnam

WPP began life as a maker of wire shopping baskets. Today it is a world leader in communications, experience, commerce and technology.

WPP grew rapidly over the following three decades, initially through large acquisitions and subsequently through organic growth alongside smaller-scale M&A.

Today WPP is a world leader in communications, experience, commerce and technology, and home to many of the industry’s most admired and successful agency networks.

The company has been a leader not only in scale but in the modernisation of the industry – pioneering the application of data and technology to communications, the consolidation of media buying to achieve the best outcomes for clients, and the seamless integration of different marketing services to provide clients with the most effective and efficient solutions.

WPP was also the first marketing services company to publish a sustainability report (in 2002), and remains a leader in the field as a member of the FTSE4Good Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Throughout its history WPP has valued and championed creative talent, and then applied that talent to achieve business results for clients – which is why WPP was not only the Most Creative Group at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from 2011 to 2017, but also the Most Effective Group in the Effie Index from 2012 to 2018.

WPP is a creative transformation company. WPP bring together brilliant people to build better futures for clients. As a worldwide team, WPP have the scale, flexibility and speed to deploy those skills where and when they are most needed, and to deliver the most effective and efficient growth solutions for partners.

• 203,000 people (including associates)
• 3,000 offices
• 112 countries

The Group works with 369 of the Fortune Global 500, all 30 of the Dow Jones 30, and 71 of the NASDAQ 100. Some 913 clients are served in three disciplines. 629 are served in four disciplines; these clients account for over 53% of Group revenues. The Group also works with 477 clients in six or more countries.

• Communications: World-leading capabilities in advertising, content, media investment, public relations and public affairs give them unmatched breadth and depth in the world of communications.
• Experience: Expertise in branding and design, service design, platforms and applications allows them to create vivid, compelling and hyper-relevant brand experiences for clients.
• Commerce: With deep omni-channel retail experience, including creating direct-to-consumer platforms and helping clients navigate marketplaces such as Amazon and Alibaba, WPP provide cutting-edge commerce solutions – both online and offline.
• Technology: Data management, marketing technology consulting and systems integration services, alongside unique partnerships with the world’s leading technology companies, deliver value and growth for clients.

Training and development

WPP invest in a range of development programmes to prepare people to respond to changing client requirements. This year WPP increased focus on programmes which equip people to work collaboratively, connecting across the breadth of company to deliver for the growing number of clients who seek this type of service.

Overall, WPP spent £44.9 million on training in 2017 (2016: £45.1 million) with 63% of their people taking part in formal training programmes, averaging 5.6 hours per person.

WPP training programmes include:

• Maestro: Orchestrating Client Value: Develops the effectiveness and confidence of senior client-facing people inspiring courage, collaboration and innovation. There have been 4,369 participants from 158 WPP companies since 2003. WPP’ve now launched Maestro Fusion, a five-day course to help client team leaders navigate complex business issues and to transform client and internal relationships from transactional to trust-based partnerships.
• WPP Mini MBA: Workshops to help rising talent broaden their business and marketing knowledge, develop leadership skills, and deliver client value. To date, 3,160 of people have participated. Latest module is focused on how to help clients who look to WPP to provide an agile, integrated and bespoke partnership across multiple disciplines. It covers mindsets and skills including: relationship building, communication and influence, cross-cultural competence and discipline fluency.
• WPP Fellowship: WPP's pioneering three-year programme develops high-calibre management talent with experience across a range of marketing disciplines. 204 Fellows have gone through the program or are participating.
• WPP MBA Fellowship programme: A global multidisciplinary programme for MBA graduates, with 82 participants to date.
• WPP Leadership Toolkit for Managers: An interactive educational resource hosted on the WPP intranet. Provides knowledge and tools to help users demonstrate effective leadership, nurture their teams, and align them behind organisational goals.
• The Learning Hub: A new searchable database that enables WPP companies to share training resources and best practices. The database includes 310 resources so far.

Employees can participate in a further range of training opportunities to develop their professional skills, leadership competencies and functional expertise.

Internships and apprenticeships

WPP's companies offer a range of internship and apprenticeship opportunities to attract young people into industry and help them kickstart their careers.

7,888 paid internships and apprenticeships were offered during 2017 (2016: 6,413).

It is WPP’s policy that all internships and apprenticeships should be paid positions so they are accessible to people from all socio-economic backgrounds. Many internships focus on diverse candidates. Participants gain real-world work experience, with access to training and development, networking opportunities and an alumni network. WPP companies involved include GroupM, Geometry Global, J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy, VMLY&R and Wunderman.

Education partnerships

WPP partner with schools, colleges and universities to promote industry, build skills and create a future pipeline of talent. WPP involvement ranges from strategic partnerships with leading universities to work with schools local to offices. Many of people serve as visiting lecturers or teachers.

Inclusive workplaces

WPP aims to create an environment in which everyone is treated equally and has the same opportunities to develop in their career. WPP believe that greater diversity, inclusion and gender balance leads to more rewarding and successful workplaces.

A blend of views and experience also helps their teams to create work that connects with clients’ diverse and global consumer base.

WPP promote and monitor inclusive working practices and support companies to increase diversity through awareness-raising and training, recruitment, policy development, mentoring and flexible working practices. Diversity is already included in online ethics training completed by all employees and, during 2018, WPP are adding further modules on unconscious bias.