GroupM delivers 5.5% growth from India in Q1 for WPP amid global declines

New Delhi: In a quarter marked by challenges across global markets, WPP India recorded a solid 5.5% increase in revenue during the first quarter of 2025. 

The overall global performance of WPP saw a 5.0% decline in revenue year-on-year, with significant drops across North America, the UK, Western Continental Europe, and China. 

The decline in China, in particular, was notable, with a sharp 17.4% drop due to client assignment losses and the country’s continued macroeconomic pressures. 

In contrast, India’s positive momentum stood out, driven by GroupM’s strong new business acquisitions and a revitalised approach to data-driven marketing.

GroupM, WPP’s media planning and buying arm, was central to India’s robust performance. 

Despite global pressures on client spending, GroupM capitalised on new client wins, including brands like Godrej Consumer Products and Electronic Arts, while pushing forward with its AI-driven data initiatives. 

The company’s ongoing investments in AI and its recent acquisition of InfoSum have positioned it well for long-term growth.

The overall revenue for WPP in the first quarter was £3,243 million, down by 5.0% compared to the same period last year, with revenue less pass-through costs dropping by 7.6%. 

However, India’s performance continued to highlight the market’s potential, reflecting not just resilience but also an ongoing strategic focus on technological advancements and efficiency improvements.

WPP’s leadership, spearheaded by CEO Mark Read, remains optimistic about India’s role in its global strategy. With further integration of AI tools like WPP Open and a focus on simplifying operations, the company aims to further bolster its operations in India and other emerging markets, positioning itself for an upswing in the latter half of 2025.

“We continue to make solid progress on our strategic priorities. With the internal focus of integration behind them, VML and Burson are seeing renewed momentum in new business with Generali, Heineken and Levi Strauss & Co important wins during the quarter. The acquisition of InfoSum and its integration into GroupM’s data offer accelerates our AI-driven data approach, leapfrogging traditional identity-based solutions. We are also on track with the continued adoption of WPP Open across the organisation with 48,000 of our people (c.60% of client-facing staff) using it in March vs. 33,000 in December,” Read said. 

On the Q1 performance, Read said, “Our financial performance in Q1 was in line with our expectations, reflecting macroeconomic challenges and the timing of new business, and we expect these factors to continue in Q2 with performance anticipated to improve in the second half.”

Talking about the impact of trade wars, Read said, “While WPP is not itself directly affected by tariffs, they will impact a number of our clients as well as the broader economy. At this point we have not seen any significant change in client spending and we reiterate our full-year guidance which already reflected a challenging environment. As ever, we remain agile and vigilant and will continue to be disciplined on how we are managing our cost base.”