WPP links agencies for global identity network

WPP is combining five of its companies to form a network of corporate identity specialists to work with global clients.

The Enterprise Identity Group joins London-based Sampson Tyrrell with sister companies in the US, Portugal, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The combined revenues for the agencies last year totalled 30m.

WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell comments: “We believe that identity, together with media advertising and market research is one of the three major services that global businesses are actively seeking.”

The group will be run by Sampson Tyrrell’s chief executive Dave Allen and Jim Johnson chief ex ecutive of Anspach Grossman in the US. The other three companies are SBG, Artistree and O&M Enterprise.

Johnson says: “This new venture enables us to construct client teams that combine the best of US, European and Asia Pacific thinking. The vital issue for our clients is just having one point of contact for global programmes.”

The company set up the net work following an extensive res-earch project among executives at 25 global companies who indicated that corporate identity is an in creasing concern for multinational organisations.

The main findings of the research indicate that the global bus iness world is shrinking, forcing companies to be more strategic.

The study also shows corporate identities have to be global, espescially if they are to service the growing markets in Asia Pacific.