Don’t look now, but WPP honcho Martin Sorrell has been tipped to be looking for another acquisition to complement the ad giant’s 24/7 Real Media buy from 2007.
Last year, when Internet giants like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft shelled out cash for digital advertising companies, WPP got in on the fun too. Sorrell opened his wallet to the tune of about $649 million to secure 24/7 Real Media.
In September of last year, Sorrell’s interest in Spot Runner, where WPP already owns a 3 percent stake, surfaced in rumors at the New York Post. Those rumors returned, same same subject, in a new Post report.
Spot Runner looks like a favorite due to WPP already having a piece of the company. If acquired, Spot Runner opens cable advertising to small businesses in a way Google TV has been doing in its testing.
As AdRants noted, ex-Ogilvy executive Andy Berndt, now with Google, told marketers “Google is not starting an ad agency.” Google made similar noises about mobile phones before Android emerged too.
The Post also suggested JumpTap and VideoEgg as possible morsels for WPP to consume. But instead of considering WPP as a competitor, were Google to form an advertising agency, what if they partnered with Google?
We don’t think that’s likely, as both Google and WPP prefer to play with house money. A partnership makes for intriguing ideas, with WPP’s ad agency experience coupled with Google’s dominance in search and online advertising.
Sorrell’s clients may end up on Google and DoubleClick anyway, should that deal receive EU approval, so why not make it easier for multi-million dollar big brand accounts to reach people through all of the outlets WPP and Google could reach?
After all, Berndt’s old Ogilvy firm is part of WPP.
