No Longer A Frienemy?

The much-repeated phrase of Martin Sorrell – that Google is neither friend nor enemy to agencies, but rather a frienemy – seems to have run its course at WPP.

Others still embraced it – Maria Louise Francoli, CEO, MPG, said that Google was a threat but a “good threat” from the conference platform at the C Squared Venice Media Festival yesterday, but Dominic Proctor, Worldwide CEO of Sorrell’s WPP-owned Mindshare, was not for hedging.

“Google is certainly a threat and the more they go on platforms and say that they are not a threat, the more I’m certain they are,” he said.

Proctor felt it was a threat that could be overcome if agencies could restructure effectively and regularly in the future.

Google: 020 7031 3000 www.google.co.uk WPP: 020 7408 2204 www.wpp.com