WPP, Microsoft, Pinterest: This Week's Top Five Stories

WPP Appoints Baiju Shah as Chief Strategy Officer

Baiju Shah has been appointed WPP’s group Chief Strategy Officer, replacing Damian Blackden.

In this role, WPP has said Baiju responsibilities will include accelerating the delivery of its Elevate 28 strategy, while unlocking further corporate development opportunities across the company. To achieve this, he will be working closely with its management team and Board to help shape investments and operations in order to create long-term competitive advantages.

“Few leaders combine strategic thinking, technology expertise and a deep understanding of where client needs are heading as effectively as Baiju,” says Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP. “As WPP’s group Chief Strategy Officer, he will play a critical role in accelerating our Elevate28 strategy, helping to shape our investment priorities, anticipate the future needs of our clients and position WPP for the next wave of growth.”

Microsoft Considers Xbox Spin Off as Demand Exceeds Supply

Microsoft is exploring whether to spin off Xbox, operate it as a wholly-owned subsidiary or shift it into a joint venture, according to The Information. No decision is imminent.

Amy Hood, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Microsoft, and CEO Satya Nadella have already signed off on larger budgets for franchises including Halo, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

The moves come as Amy manages competing demands, with record AI infrastructure build, shareholder returns and a gaming division under pressure each pulling capital in different directions.

McDonald's Canada Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

McDonald’s Canada has announced the appointment of Jennifer DelVecchio as its new Chief Marketing Officer. 

She succeeds Francesca Cardarelli, who held the role for just over a year and is now moving to McDonald’s Headquarters in Chicago, to take on a newly creative role that supports the company’s global marketing function. 

“I couldn't be more excited to lead this iconic brand at such a pivotal moment,” Jennifer says. “I’m joining a talented and passionate McDonald's Canada team, brilliant agency partners and outstanding franchisees to write this next chapter together.

“As we look toward the future, my focus is to ensure our marketing is as innovative as it is creative, and to show up in meaningful, relevant ways for Canadians from coast to coast.”

Pinterest and Estée Lauder Launch Personalised Scent Scanner

In partnership with Pinterest, Estée Lauder and Jo Malone London have launched Scent Scanner – designed to recommend fragrances based off of a user’s Pinterest.

Using the visual preferences consumers have expressed on the Pinterest boards, the Scent Scanner will give personalised Jo Malone fragrance recommendations. 

With their permission, users can connect a Pinterest board from their profile and the Scent Scanner analyses the visual cues and themes in their saved content to build a “curated fragrance pairing” – a personalised set of Jo Malone London scents.

It takes into consideration factors such as imagery, colour palettes, textures, destinations, rituals and aesthetics to suggest the fragrances best suited to the individual.

This, Estée Lauder says, has been created to offer new ways for consumers to find their own personal scent – shifting the starting point towards images rather than words, which can often be difficult for buyers to interpret. 

Adobe and LinkedIn Launch Marketing Skills Training

According to the LinkedIn Economic Graph, AI skills are the number one area of focus for marketing professionals today – with the share of marketing job postings requiring AI literacy skills more than doubling year-over-year. 

To help better prepare the marketing workforce for these AI-led changes, Adobe and LinkedIn have announced a partnership to deliver AI essentials for marketers.

Courses are designed for individuals at any stage of their career journey and feature short-form, social-first learning formats to encourage flexible learning alongside daily workflows.