Jaguar Land Rover picks new global agency partner for AI-era marketing push

Jaguar owner JLR has appointed WPP as its global trusted growth partner in a new partnership aimed at reshaping modern luxury marketing in the AI era.

Under the partnership, WPP will support JLR’s portfolio of British luxury brands, including Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar.

The collaboration will bring together WPP’s capabilities across creativity, AI, data and technology with JLR’s in-house marketing and creative teams globally.

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According to the companies, the partnership moves beyond traditional agency models through the creation of a bespoke, integrated and co-located team made up of talent from across WPP and JLR.

The partnership will also be powered by WPP Open, the company’s agentic marketing platform, to deliver integrated services spanning creative, media, production, customer experience and strategic counsel.

In addition, the agreement introduces an outcome-based remuneration structure designed to align WPP’s performance directly with JLR’s business growth objectives.

The companies said the partnership is intended to help JLR navigate industry shifts, capture new opportunities and strengthen business performance across its brand portfolio.

“To supercharge the growth of our modern luxury brands, we needed to think differently. Together with WPP we want to resolve the traditional contradiction between scale and intimacy. Our joint vision for a single, AI-powered modern luxury marketing organisation is the solution," said Lennard Hoornik, chief growth officer at JLR.

He added, “Human ingenuity accelerated by AI is the base of this collaboration. Through unique access to all of WPP’s talent coupled with JLR’s pool of brilliant creative minds, the set-up of the joint co-located team and the outcome-based business model, we have the exclusive pillars of our modern luxury centric partnership.”

In tandem, Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said, “This partnership is a testament to our shared ambition for the future of marketing. Our new mission at WPP is to be the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands in the era of AI. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with JLR, reimagining growth for their iconic brands.

“By combining the brilliance of human creativity with the transformative power of AI on WPP Open, we will help JLR create customer experiences of unparalleled intimacy and luxury, at scale, while writing a new playbook for growth. This is a partnership of kindred spirits, built to deliver transformational growth," she added. 

The move comes as JLR continues to strengthen its leadership bench across Asia Pacific. Last year, the company appointed Garth Turnbull as managing director for the region, tasking him with overseeing the strategic and operational direction of JLR’s Asia Pacific markets.

Turnbull, who previously served as managing director of JLR Taiwan, was also tasked with reinforcing JLR’s house of brands strategy across 15 markets, while ensuring Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar continue to build distinct brand identities across the region.

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