Does WPP really stand to gain anything from killing its agency brands?

The media brands of WPP are all well-known. Precious little will be achieved by killing them all - except needless blood-letting

GroupM is soon to become WPP Media. The process has already started. The sunsetting will trigger possible (actually, for sure) employee layoffs, a deliberate and visible shift in brand positioning, recalibration of brand equity, and — hopefully — the conquest of new horizons for the media-buying behemoth. WPP is also “aligning” the once “red-hot” Grey with Ogilvy, shifting the agency network away from the AKQA Group — yet claiming that Grey will remain independent as an agency brand.

 

Is the rethink a repositioning or a rejuvenation? A retirement or a reassignment of tired brands? Or just a refresh and a