WPP Media Introduces New Framework to Navigate the Emerging AI Advertising Era

Today we’re sharing a new framework designed to help global advertisers understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping the marketing ecosystem and assess marketing platform capabilities for the AI era.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming advertising. As new players enter the market and existing platforms evolve at pace, AI is poised to become – and is already becoming - the next major revolution in marketing. This shift introduces added complexity for advertisers already navigating a volatile landscape. 

The framework provides a structured way to evaluate how artificial intelligence is reshaping the marketing ecosystem and the capabilities required from platform partners. First introduced in the most recent This Year Next Year forecast, it offers a common language and rigorous methodology for assessing the readiness of key platforms across five areas essential to global advertisers and maps the companies best positioned to become primary sources of intelligence for businesses and consumers by 2030: 

1. Data Assets 

2. AI/Tech

3. Distribution 

4. Commerce/Transaction 

5. Content/Media 

Our analysis reveals a highly fluid marketplace with leaders emerging from both established providers and fast‑growing innovators. The analysis highlights significant differences in maturity across categories. Distribution stands out as the most durable competitive advantage - and the hardest barrier for new entrants to overcome - while foundational AI models are rapidly commoditizing. 

The research identifies persistent multi‑modal signals, transparent AI systems, and evolving shoppable content solutions as the capabilities most likely to determine which partners can help advertisers navigate the next phase of the AI era. At this early stage, the AI‑powered advertising landscape remains wide open. Multiple strategic paths across capability development, M&A, and partnerships are likely to reshape competitive dynamics in the months and years ahead. 

To support decision‑making, WPP Media’s analysis places today’s leading players into four Strategic Groups that reflect their current positioning and future potential: Ecosystem Builders, Specialists, Challengers, and Hardware Heavyweights.