Welcome in, today is Wednesday, July fifteenth, and we begin with a report that WPP is planning more job cuts before the year is out. AdNews reports that WPP plans another round of global job cuts, in the mid to high hundreds, between now and the end of the year. The figure is sourced to AdAge, which attributes it to a person familiar with the matter. The company has not confirmed it, so treat the number as unconfirmed. The reductions are described as part of Elevate28, the turnaround plan built by chief executive Cindy Rose since she took the job in September of last year. Per AdNews, that plan targets five hundred million pounds in cost cutting, merges back office functions, and consolidates leadership at global, regional and market levels, with a return to growth pencilled in for sometime in 2027. The context is a headcount already contracting. Staff numbers stood at ninety-nine thousand at the end of 2025, down more than eight percent from one hundred and eight thousand a year earlier. Full year revenue was thirteen point five five billion pounds, down eight point one percent on a reported basis and down three point six percent like for like. Revenue fell again in the March quarter, which the company called consistent with expectations, with an improving trajectory expected later in the year. Separately, More About Advertising notes that WPP Media, a business of roughly forty thousand people, has hired Darren Minshall as chief people officer, and reads the timing alongside the reported cuts. Industry reaction leans toward framing Elevate28 as a structural reconfiguration rather than a headcount exercise, folding semi-independent networks into integrated units with shared leadership, technology and data. A recurring concern in the trade is that reductions land on mid-level creators and strategists while management layers hold, which some argue would thin the specialist expertise holding companies exist to sell. Also today, a leadership change at another network. Storyboard18 reports that Havas has created the role of chief strategy officer and appointed Raphaël de Andréis. He will hold the job alongside his existing post as chief executive of Western Europe, and report to chairman and chief executive Yannick Bolloré. Per the report, he will shape group strategic direction, oversee the brand portfolio, and support the rollout of Converged.AI. That is the group's operating system for tying data, technology and creative together. Havas says the structure is meant to improve alignment and build a more integrated delivery model for clients. Following our earlier report on Farmers Insurance naming Havas Media its media agency of record, the brand is now moving on the creative side. MediaPost reports Farmers is rebranding around a campaign called Honesty Is Our Policy, leaning into a pink identity and touting new coverage, while parting with J.K. Simmons, the long-running spokesperson at the centre of its advertising. MediaPost and Marketing Dive both frame it as an attempt to keep the comedic register while retiring the face that carried it. On that framing, both outlets suggest Farmers becomes a live test of what a recognisable campaign asset is worth once a repositioning starts. Now, a few more headlines moving the trade today. Digiday reports World Cup ratings are up at the tournament's halfway mark, with enthusiasm holding so long as the United States and Mexico stay in, leaving late buyers facing a tight window for what remains. Grid Worldwide has exited TBWA South Africa through a management buyout, according to Bizcommunity and The Media Online, returning the shop founded by Nathan Reddy to independent ownership. Adweek reports Conagra Brands has selected WPP-owned Barrows as its commerce marketing agency of record following a competitive review. And finally, Adweek reports indie holdco Meet the People has acquired Dallas-based LOOMIS, buying itself a foothold in the Southern market.