WPP launches Analytics arm and opens Kantar office in Melbourne

Global professional services firm WPP has unveiled two new developments in Australia. The firm’s Kantar label has opened an office in Melbourne, its second in the country, while WPP itself has established a new data analytics practice in order to provide its research and consulting services with data-driven insights.

Kantar is the research, consulting and insight arm of advertising giant WPP. Its operating brand for the public domain, Kantar Public, works for policymakers, government communicators and public sectors clients. According to Kathy O’Donoghue, the co-head of Kantar Public in Australia, the new locale in the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria will enable the firm to better serve its growing client base in the region. “We are thrilled to be able to offer our expertise, innovation and insight to clients in the Melbourne region.”

From its base in Sydney, Kantar Public has been serving clients in the east coast for years. The research and consulting firm supports decision-makers with evaluating public services, developing public policy, communication support, political advisory and the communication & change parts of programme delivery. Globally, Kantar Public has 30+ offices across all five continents.

Meanwhile, WPP in Australia has launched a new Analytics business unit aimed at enhance its data science offering. The wing, operating as WPP Analytics, is led by Rob Pardini, who has been appointed Managing Partner. Pardini joined WPP in 2016 as Chief Data Scientist, having formerly worked for marketing and advertising agencies Maxus, Mindshare and Carat.

Leveraging the immense data pile WPP has access to – WPP is Australia’s largest market research and media buying group – WPP Analytics will unleash its data science capabilities on consumer behavior, loyalty and credit card datasets to gain “deep insight into what Aussies think and feel, and how they act and transact,” Pardini explained.

This information will prove invaluable for companies seeking to optimise their marketing strategies, pricing and customer experience journey. “By connecting the consumer research, digital, media and transactions data at our disposal, we have unparalleled visibility on the purchase decision-making process, and how to get people to open their wallets. This will benefit our clients and all the agencies within our group, who can now access this information more easily than ever before.”

During engagements, WPP Analytics will work closely together with other operating companies within the WPP group, including WPP Consulting, as well as Kantar, including Kantar Consulting and Kantar Public.

Commenting on the service offering launch, Caspar Wright, Managing Partner of WPP Consulting for Australia and New Zealand, said: “WPP Consulting’s mission is to deliver breakthrough growth strategies based on deep understanding of how consumers actually think and behave, and in a world of big data, that means analytics.  We’re excited to collaborate with WPP Analytics to bring better strategic solutions to our clients.”