Agency agenda: Sir Martin Sorrell says 'Data is not the enemy of creativity'

Speaking on Agency Agenda, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s newest Marketing Connected podcast series with agency leaders, Sir Martin Sorrell shared an unfiltered view of where the global advertising industry is headed. The founder of WPP and current executive chairman of S4 Capital believes the sector is at a critical turning point shaped by AI, economic pressure, and shifting global power markets.

“Strategic and creative remain pivotal,” he said. “In an AI age, they become even more important.” While some in the industry still pit creativity against data, Sorrell dismissed that tension. “That’s nonsense,” he said. “Data gives you deep insights into consumers, and tech gives you the ability to deliver the creative work in a more effective way.”

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Digital already makes up around 70% of global ad spend and could rise to 80% by 2030. In this landscape, S4 operates on four principles: digital-only services, data-driven decision making, a model built around “faster, better, cheaper, and more,” and a unified brand structure under Monks. Efficiency, he noted, is becoming more important as companies operate in slower-growth environments with higher inflation and interest rates.

Sorrell also pointed to Asia as a strategic growth region, especially India. “India is super important. It will be the third largest market in the world,” he said, adding that geopolitical uncertainty will continue to shape how global networks operate across regions.

On holding companies and consolidation, Sorrell was blunt: legacy agency brands should not be erased in the name of simplification. Strong brands, he argued, still carry value if backed by the right leadership. In essence, his message to the industry is that in an AI-driven world, scale still matters — but intelligence, integration and creativity matter more.

Also tune in to the full conversation on Spotify:

Tune into the rest of this conversation on your favourite podcast platforms, by searching up Marketing Connected. For all the visual people out there, we’ve got your back as well, with our vodcasts on YouTube.


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