WPP and IBM launch AI-powered B2B solution to transform marketing engagement

WPP (NYSE: WPP) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have unveiled a business-to-business (B2B) solution, WPP Open for B2B, powered by IBM’s artificial intelligence and data platform, watsonx. This strategic partnership aims to revolutionize how B2B marketers identify and engage clients and prospects throughout the buying journey, enhancing return on investment and streamlining complex marketing challenges.

WPP Open for B2B leverages the advanced capabilities of watsonx to address the intricate dynamics of B2B marketing, where buying groups—comprising multiple stakeholders with varying priorities—pose a significant challenge in delivering consistent and effective marketing messages. The new platform promises to transform this landscape by enabling marketers to accurately identify and engage these buying groups, optimizing marketing efforts and expenditure.

Enhancing its capability, WPP and IBM are collaborating with LinkedIn to refine the understanding of buying group dynamics. This partnership will allow brands to market more effectively, reaching target buyers with precision and relevance. Penry Price, Vice President at LinkedIn, highlighted the importance of building relationships and ‘collective confidence’ among all stakeholders, which is crucial for successful B2B marketing.

Alan Webber, Program Vice President for Digital Platform Ecosystems at IDC, noted the potential of this product and partnership to significantly amplify B2B marketing effectiveness. Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM, and Stephan Pretorius, Chief Technology Officer at WPP, both emphasized the transformative impact of this collaboration, which combines IBM’s AI innovation with WPP’s marketing expertise to tailor solutions that are both powerful and trusted.

The platform includes several innovative features:

– AI-powered Buying Group Brain: Developed by WPP, this AI model, built on IBM watsonx.ai and trained with reliable data, enables precise identification of target buying groups and tailors marketing strategies across various channels.

– Orchestration and Optimization: This feature uses insights to optimize engagement and progression of opportunities for buying groups, including recommendations for channel mix and content consistency.

– Chief Marketing Officer Command Center: An AI assistant that serves as a central hub for CMOs, providing data insights, scenario planning, and predictive analytics to facilitate data-driven decision-making.

IBM has begun implementing this new platform within its own marketing and communications division, expecting to accelerate growth through AI-enhanced marketing strategies. The synergy between IBM’s technological innovations and WPP’s creative expertise is anticipated to drive significant advancements in how businesses engage with B2B markets.

WPP Open for B2B ensures enterprise-scale security and governance, easily integrating into clients’ existing systems with the support of IBM Consulting and leveraging IBM watsonx.governance toolkit for transparent AI model performance tracking.

This partnership represents a strategic advancement in utilizing AI to address complex B2B marketing challenges, offering a holistic approach that is set to redefine the standards of engagement in the industry.