WPP Unifies and Expands its Business with Telefonica in Latin America

Jan. 23, 2024

WPP today announces that it has expanded its relationship with Telefónica across Spanish-speaking Latin America following a competitive pitch.

WPP’s new operating model for Telefónica will be known as the Blue Spark Partnership, providing a seamless integration of WPP expertise and resources to deliver creative and strategy for the brand across the region. The Blue Spark Partnership team will be led by the newly formed VML, which was launched in October 2023 following the merger of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R.

The Blue Spark Partnership will work across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela and will also comprise four Centres of Excellence in strategy, social media, owned media and trade media. The WPP team brings together talent from across the network, led by VML – who separately as VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson has worked with Telefónica for over 15 years – alongside Design Bridge & Partners, Ogilvy and Kantar. The Blue Spark Partnership was created by VML's John Lynn and will be led by WPP Global Client Lead Sebas Muriel. The bespoke marketing model will leverage global expertise through WPP's regional campuses and Centres of Excellence to deliver agile solutions for into Telefónica's local markets.

Elisa Caballero, Chief Consumer Officer in Telefónica Hispam, said:

“With its extensive experience in implementing regional and global capabilities, WPP has consistently demonstrated creative and strategic excellence with data at the core. This, coupled with WPP's unrivalled footprint in the region, placed it head and shoulders above the rest to solidify its position as our preferred partner across Hispam.”

 

Juan Pablo Jurado, LATAM CEO, VML, said:

“WPP has a strong track record of working together with Telefónica, including helping it to win the first two Gold Lions in the its history at Cannes Lions 2023, so we’re delighted to continue our partnership with the brand and expand our services across these key Latin American markets. With the recent announcement and creation of VML, the Blue Spark Partnership represents a new era of collaboration and innovation, enabling us to deliver exceptional results at scale. We’re excited to embark on this new chapter with Telefónica, leveraging our expertise and resources to continue driving growth and success.”

 

VML is also the agency of record for Vivo, a Telefónica company in Brazil, and the strategic and creative agency of record for Movistar, a Telefónica company in Spain.