GroupM is expanding its sports and entertainment offering under a new global agency brand, ESP.
ESP will be made up of two separate businesses: ESP Properties and ESP Brands.
Both businesses will be a part of WPPs media investment management company GroupM, but will stay independent of its media-buying operations.
According to a company statement, ESP Properties will be GroupM’s first company to dedicate its services to rightholders from the world of sport and entertainment, including federations, leagues, events, teams, publishers and venues. It will offer services catering for data, digital and content development.
It will also offer global partnership sales on behalf of rightsholders, both to existing WPP brand clients and beyond.
Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, said: There is significant and growing demand on the part of clients to invest more in content and sports but few in our industry have had a serious response to this. Our new ESP Properties will bring creative power and commercial insight to rightsholders for the first time, providing unmatched opportunities to better tailor their offerings to the needs of todays brand sponsors.
ESP will also work hand in hand with our recent investment in Bruin Sports to provide our clients with access to many high-value media and sponsorship opportunities.
Dominic Proctor, chairman of ESP and president of GroupM Global, said: The global launch of ESP Properties brings leading commercial and creative capabilities to some of the worlds most celebrated names across sports and entertainment. Sport is a driving force in media and we want to serve the market better by assisting rightsholders in optimising their properties and creating more winning partnerships with leading brands.
The new ESP Properties will be led by John Kristick, global CEO of GroupM ESP since 2011.
ESP Properties will launch with over 150 staff in hubs across New York, Chicago, London and Singapore, plus additional teams in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Dubai amongst others.
