MANILA, PHILIPPINES – “We’re not just adopting AI; we’re redefining the agency model. Clients today demand agencies that are not only tech-savvy, but also deeply human and truly collaborative. That’s our sweet spot. While others see AI replacing people, we see it empowering them.” This idea, shared with adobo Magazine by WPP Chief Executive Officer Crisela Magpayo-Cervantes, was the inspiration behind the company’s recent Open House last August 07, 2025 at its headquarters in BGC. The event was opened with an informative “Sync” among employees, wherein leaders shared the goals of the company and plans for culture enrichment, followed by an afternoon of fun at a myriad of booths in all five floors occupied by the company.
Where artificial Intelligence meets human intuition
Looking back at one of their previous “Sync” events, Crisela shared how they trained their employees on how to use their own AI tools to improve their ideas, and how to amplify them with their own human experiences and input. “We’re showing the world that the future of marketing isn’t AI or humans — it’s humans powered by AI. That’s how we deliver unparalleled value and truly differentiate what we offer to clients,” she elucidated.
“Our core belief is simple: in the age of AI, human talent is the ultimate differentiator. We invest heavily in training our teams to master AI tools, freeing them to focus on high-level strategy and breakthrough creativity for our clients.”
As for its organizational model, she also shared how their human-centric approach will be more closely intertwined with AI. Crisela divulged how mixing their human touch with AI is similar to making a recipe for how future advertising companies should work, and has made a four-point step on the importance of harmony between the two:
- Working Together and Doing More: [AI tools] take care of the boring, repetitive tasks, like sorting through lots of information. This frees up our people to spend more time talking to clients, coming up with big ideas, and solving tricky problems. It means we can do more for our clients with our resources. Our WPP Open platform makes working with our creative agency counterparts also more seamless since we’re using the same platform.
- Letting People Shine: When the AI handles the dull stuff, our talented people can focus on what they’re best at: creative problem-solving, strategic thinking, and building strong client relationships. This makes our team happier and more engaged, and when people are happy, they do their best work and come up with even more brilliant ideas.
- Staying Ready for the Future: The world of marketing is always changing. Companies that just use new technology without keeping their people at the center might get left behind. WPP Media is making sure we’re always learning and adapting, combining human skills with AI smarts. This makes us strong and ready for whatever comes next, ensuring we stay relevant and innovative. Anyone in WPP Media can create AI agents on our platform using the latest large language models available. This is also about them investing in their own future, not just WPP Media.
- Giving Clients the Best: In the end, all this means our clients get better results. We can use the AI’s insights to make smarter plans, create more personal ads, and come up with truly creative solutions. And because there’s always a human touch, clients feel understood and valued, building strong, lasting relationships. The efficiency gained through AI allows for more time to be spent on understanding client business needs and developing truly impactful strategies.
The five-floor fun of the Open House
To bring to life the best of human creativity and AI excellence, and its mission to give its employees their rightful space to shine and flourish, WPP transformed its five-floor office to a funhouse of activities for its Open House.
Out of the dozens of booths displayed by teams, four stood out and received merits. The first was “Openmind Virtual Shopping Assistant” which won ExCo’s choice for being able to integrate the brand and client with the AI, creating a rewards system and gamification for brand recall. Second was the People’s Choice, “Finance and People Teams- Exco Matchmaker: Leadership Assessment,” which utilized AI to gauge leadership readiness of employees and best leader matches to identify a pool of possible mentors or coaches for career development. Third was “Enterprise Hue and I- Color Analysis” which garnered the Most Creative Special Award. And lastly, “M Essentials Prompt Challenge” which achieved the Most Engaging Special Award.
Different vendors also played a part in each floor to add to the festivities, including headshot photos for employees by adobo Magazine; coffee; snacks and street food; and music from Spotify, DJs, and an indie artist.
This lively arrangement was the perfect setting for WPP employees to demonstrate their unleashed creativity, and for the company to further nurture its people. Alongside the entertainment were talks from WPP’s Senior Director for Talent Christine Go Kiao-Ching on company culture; Senior HR Business Partner Abigail Varona on updates on people and performance; HR Business Partner Patricia Sevilla on what’s in store for employees, and employee experience and engagement; and awards and promotions presented by Chief Executive Officer Crisela Magpayo-Cervantes.
Cultivating a kinder culture
WPP Senior Director for Talent Christine Go Kiao-Ching emphasized the importance of maintaining a human-centric culture, especially at a time when technologies such as AI are on the rise. “Maintaining a human-centric culture is not just important — it’s critical,” she began to explain. “On a global scale, I think with the rapid rise of AI, the tendency is to be too focused on just efficiency. But more than efficiency, we would want to look into how to ethically and responsibly use AI as well.”
She went on to elaborate that having people collaborate closely with AI would also remove some biases that are based solely on the results of just algorithms: “The human-centric approach will actually lend that layer of review in terms of empathy, critical thinking, and creativity.”
“We still need a human element in terms of creativity as well. While AI can produce visuals in seconds, it primarily excels in automation, data analysis, and a certain level of pattern recognition.” She pondered that ultimately, it’s human empathy, creativity, and emotional intelligence that would draw the line between algorithm-powered AI, and intuitive know-how.
“AI is good, but the prompt that you use actually differentiates everything. It’s also building trust and adoption. AI is a good tool, but without the human part looking at it — working on it — I don’t think you will produce the same results.”
There’s always room for growth
Leading the mid-year review for WPP employees was Senior HR Business Partner Abigail Varona. The mid-year review was set to recalibrate the goals of the employees and plot where they are now in their progress. “It’s a time for self-reflection, goals, what you have accomplished, and what were your challenges,” she clarified.
The mid-year review encouraged employees to use their own AI tool, WPP Open, for their self-assessment. This would allow each member of the company to set realistic goals for themselves, and stay on track of their progress — making achieving them all the more fulfilling.
Abigail also explained that a new practice that they’re trying to implement this year is having managers acknowledge their team members’ self-reflection on the platform to know how to better coach and guide them. This paves the way to a healthy and customizable career development plan within its own people, and fostering a nurturing relationship between staff and managers, and between employees and employer.
WPP also prides itself on the top-notch training programs that it freely offers its employees for their development — encouraging growth for both in and out of their company obligations. One of its key programs is Media Masters which is most beneficial for the company’s new talent and fresh graduates. This program fast-tracks their progress by immersing them in the media business. With a strong digital focus, it prepares them for the evolving media landscape. Notably, it has already garnered award-winning participants, many contributing to victorious teams in prestigious media awards within their client categories.
More work means more play
Perks and benefits were in abundance, as introduced by HR Business Partner Patricia Sevilla. The first to be announced was WPP joining the adobo Cup again this year, which was met with tumultuous applause and hollering from eager employees who can’t wait to show off their sportsmanship with adobo Magazine. Second was the proclamation of the comeback of what WPP calls “Passion Clubs,” where employees present their hobbies to the HR and their Executive Committee (ExCo), and potentially have these hobbies sponsored by the company. It also encourages employees to form new social circles within the company, establishing a good rapport amongst themselves.
Third was “AI’s Got Talent,” an ongoing nationwide talent competition where employees are encouraged to showcase their gifts. Next up was “What If Wednesdays,” an internal initiative where employees are tasked to discuss different case studies to garner new learnings, expand their knowledge, and collaborate with other teams. This was followed by “Coffee with ExCo,” where new members of the company will be introduced. This is set to happen every last Thursday of the month, and personnel are invited to talk and hang out with their Executive Committee — bridging the gap between leaders and employees. All of these plans are geared towards unifying WPP as a single solid unit, comprised of satisfied employees who are well-taken care of, and therefore are more productive in their output.
WPP also forged partnerships with brands that could benefit its employees and enrich their daily lives. In partnership with BDO, WPP employees will receive special corporate offers; salary loans with lower interest rates; and waived annual membership for credit card holders. The company has also partnered with Grab for Business for its employees, allowing them to use the service so they can visit clients outside the office or even go home safely with the ride-hailing app. Lastly, WPP employees will receive a free UPsize from PICKUP Coffee, fuelling their energy and motivation to be productive at work.
“This is all to make sure that employees have a better experience,” Patricia shared as she closed her segment.
WPP walks the walk towards becoming an ideal organizational model
In a single afternoon of fun and frivolity mixed with exciting announcements and surprises, WPP has demonstrated, nay proved that they are truly breaking new ground in leading with an exemplary organizational model. The harmony between technology and human intuition within its own agency is growing to be a unique and ideal synergy necessary for the modern time.
The agency’s full support in providing its employees with the right tools to upskill, and its rewarding perks and plans for employees make WPP not just a beacon of innovation and generosity, but also a crucible where creativity is truly cultivated.
