WPP explores sale of PR arm Burson

WPP is exploring a potential sale of its public relations arm, Burson, as the advertising giant embarks on a major restructuring to cut costs and simplify its operations. WPP has reportedly hired advisers at Goldman Sachs to explore strategic options for the division. The review is part of CEO Cindy Rose’s "Elevate28" plan, aiming to transform WPP from a traditional holding company into a "single operating company" with four core divisions: Media, Creative, Production, and Enterprise Solutions.

Google leads IPL ad race

Google has emerged as a leading advertiser during Indian Premier League Season 19, promoting its AI-powered search tool and Gemini. Other major advertisers include Reliance Consumer Products, Havells India, Vishnu Packaging, and K P Pan Foods. The number of advertisers dropped by 26%, down from 58 to 43, leading to a concentrated ad landscape dominated by tech and consumer brands.

Microsoft and Publicis Groupe deepen alliance

Ten years after co-creating the AI platform Marcel, Microsoft and Publicis Groupe have expanded their partnership to build a full-stack marketing solution that unifies legacy systems, AI agents and identity-based data to accelerate marketing outcomes in the era of agentic AI.  As part of the deal, Publicis will roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot to over 114,000 employees, adopt Azure as a preferred cloud platform, and become Microsoft’s global media agency of record.

Intuit pulls the plug on SMB MediaLabs

Intuit is shutting down its small-business-focused advertising unit, SMB MediaLabs, less than three years after its launch, marking a retreat from its push into media. The network, which leveraged data from platforms like QuickBooks and TurboTax to help brands target small businesses, is being wound down as the company refocuses on its core financial software and AI-driven services.