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To strengthen its experiential branding offer, WPP has acquired sonic branding business Amp, which will join its design consultancy Landor & Fitch.
The acquisition of the agency, founded in 2009, will see its 60 people from across the U.S., Europe and Asia join the agency network, having created identities for brands such as Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Kraft Heinz, Deloitte, Shell and General Motors.
Led by global chief executive (CEO) and founder Michele Arnese, Amp’s offer includes an AI-powered platform called Sonic Hub, which allows the business to analyze, create and manage sonic assets for clients to ensure a brand’s audio content is consistent even when tailored to engage diverse audiences.
Arnese explained that by joining Landor & Fitch, the business would be given the opportunity to scale its Sonic design framework and Sonic Hub to reach “a broader brand identity context.”
According to Jane Geraghty, global chief executive of Landor & Fitch, the acquisition delivers “an unparalleled breadth of capability—graphic, digital, motion, physical, product and experiential—and now sonic” to the business.
“It will also help us accelerate our rapidly growing accessible design practice. I’m enormously excited about what we can achieve together,” she added.
“With the rise of streaming, podcasting and short-form media, audio has become a critical component of the marketing mix,” explained Mark Read, CEO of WPP. “The acquisition of Amp enhances our offer to clients, helping them create immersive experiences that engage consumers on a deeper level and drive their competitive advantage.”
WPP has yet to reveal whether the Amp name would be retained, whether the agency would relocate to the business’ campuses around the world and what Arnese’s role would be moving forward.
This is the third acquisition completed by WPP in the last month, having strengthened its influencer offer through its purchase of Goat and Obviously, a technology-led social influencer marketing agency based in New York.
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