Jaguar Land Rover hands global mandate to WPP Media

MUMBAI: Jaguar Land Rover has moved a step closer to appointing WPP as its global creative partner, entering an exclusivity period after a review that stretched nearly nine months.

The development puts WPP ahead of incumbent Accenture Song and rival Omnicom in one of the most closely watched global advertising pitches in recent years. The review spanned creative and marketing duties across JLR’s four core brands: Defender, Discovery, Jaguar and Range Rover.

Under the current arrangement, Accenture Song is expected to continue servicing the account until mid-2026. The exclusivity window allows JLR and WPP to finalise commercial terms and operating structures ahead of a targeted decision deadline by the end of the first quarter, according to media reports.

If confirmed, the appointment would mark a major creative win for WPP and signal a strategic shift for JLR as it rethinks agency models to better support its evolving brand and business goals. The prolonged review highlights the carmaker’s push beyond traditional agency set-ups, with sharper focus on integration, accountability and measurable outcomes.

WPP global client lead and EVP, global strategic growth Will Fernandez, flagged the development on LinkedIn, describing it as a move towards an outcome-based, creative-first operating model for some of the world’s most desirable automotive brands.