LONDON, UK: WPP Plc announced the acquisition of a 30% stake in Majority, the US-based creative agency that combines a multicultural talent model with award-winning general marketing capabilities.
Majority was founded in 2021 by CEO Omid Farhang and Hall of Fame athlete-turned mogul Shaquille O’Neal, alongside Chief Strategy Officer Asmirh Davis and Chief Marketing Officer Jorge Hernandez. In 2022, the agency’s leadership team added Chief Culture and Innovation Officer Brandon Butler.
Majority’s key clients to date include The Coca-Cola Company, the NBA G League and Match Group. In 2022, it was named Adweek’s Breakthrough Agency of the Year and Ad Age’s Small Agency Newcomer of the Year. Majority was also named among Fast Company’s most innovative companies, alongside WPP and Ogilvy.
The strategic partnership between WPP and Majority will create a compelling and differentiated offer to the current and prospective clients of both companies. Majority specialises in “disruptive creativity that moves culture” across services including advertising, strategic planning, digital, branded entertainment, design, product innovation, experiences, art and activism.
The agency has a diversity-led approach to hiring and developing talent based on the premise that greater diversity is a competitive advantage for creating impactful marketing that lands in culture. All of Majority’s C-suite and more than 75% of its employees represent the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
Majority is based in Atlanta, an important centre for WPP as the base for a growing number of clients and a hot bed of creative talent. The agency will make use of WPP’s new campus in the city, which opened its doors this month.
Omid Farhang, founder and CEO of Majority, said: “Our first chapter was about creating fertile ground for a more diverse talent mix to do the best work of their lives. Our next chapter wants to be about expanding opportunity through scale, and with its global reach, leading capabilities and commitment to creativity, WPP is the ultimate partner to help us author it.”
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “We have been really impressed by the vision, market positioning and trajectory of Majority since its launch in 2021 and we are delighted to become strategic partners in the agency. We’re excited to be working with Omid and the team as they continue to do great work and change our industry.”
Majority raises $9.75mn to expand mobile banking services for migrants in the U.S.