What’s gone wrong at WPP? The crown slips at the world’s biggest advertising group

A dark joke is doing the rounds in adland that Wire and Plastic Products, the Kent-based basketmaker that Martin Sorrell bought 40 years ago as a vehicle to build a global advertising giant, might outlast WPP.For decades the financial success and dominance of WPP – its 100,000 employees service global clients from Ford to Coca-Cola – has been the corporate manifestation of Britain’s shining reputation for creative advertising.WPP has housed some of the most prestigious agency networks – from J Walter Thompson to Young & Rubicam – producing globally resonant campaigns such as Dove’s Real Beauty, which challenged stereotypical portrayals of women.Among WPP’s greatest hits are the unlikely pairing of the Sex Pistol John Lydon with Country Life butter, and decades of work for Coca-Cola, including Ogilvy convincing the company to replace its logo on bottles with personal names – a global phenomenon still on shelves 12 years later.But now, as WPP struggles to stem a growing exodus of clients worth billions of pounds and deal with an existential race to match the AI and data capabilities of rivals, there is hitherto unthinkable talk of a breakup

Experiential entertainment is having a gold rush but commercial success is far from certain

When the first ever stage adaptation of the global book and film franchise The Hunger Games opens its doors in London next week, fans paying up to £200 have been promised an “electrifying” and “immersive” experience.The show at the purpose-built 1,200 seat Troubadour in Canary Wharf, which features Hollywood A-lister John Malkovich appearing via screen as the evil President Snow who oversees the televised spectacle of teenagers fighting to the death, is the latest in an explosion of launches looking to cash in on a boom in consumer demand for experiential entertainment, often linked to bankable franchises.The boom in the market for experimental, unusual nights out and shows is well established, from escape rooms, axe throwing and slumber parties to Secret Cinema’s Olympic Park takeover to recreate the setting for Back to the Future and the hugely successful Abba Voyage. Recent pop-ups include experiences linked to Minecraft, Jurassic World and Squid Game.As big money has rolled into the sector, so too has a desire from companies to rely on solid gold intellectual property to bring in the crowds – with mixed results

Bereaved families call for inquiry into UK failure to act on pro-suicide forum

Bereaved families and survivors of a pro-suicide forum have called for a public inquiry into the government’s failure to prevent harm linked to the online platform.The calls came as a report found that coroners had raised concerns regarding suicide forums at least 65 times to three government departments since 2019.They also highlighted that a substance promoted as a suicide method on such platforms has been linked to at least 133 deaths in the UK, with the youngest known victim just 13 years old.The analysis, published by the Molly Rose Foundation – established after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in November 2017 – is the result of systematic review of reports to prevent future deaths issued by coroners.According to their report, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology all failed to act on warnings from coroners about the dangers of pro-suicide forums

‘The wire began to smoke’: how to avoid counterfeit scams on Vinted and other resale sites

When Maheen found a brand-new Dyson Airwrap for the bargain price of £260 on the resale website Vinted, she was thrilled. The seller’s reviews were all five-star, and she trusted in the buyer-protection policy should something go wrong.Sold new, an Airwrap costs between £400 and £480, but Maheen did not suspect anything was amiss. “I had used Vinted many times and it was simple and straightforward. Nothing had ever gone wrong,” she says

New Zealand v England: second men’s T20 international – live

Half-time readingWell that was fun. Phil Salt and especially Harry Brook played some spectacular strokes as England obliterated the record for the highest T20I score on this ground. It’s a seriously good pitch, though, so New Zealand aren’t out of the game.20th over: England 236-4 (Curran 8, Banton 29) Early days but Tom Banton is looking really good in this new role of finisher. He backs away to guide Duffy to the right of short third for four, a superb stroke from a ball that followed him outside leg stump

‘For sure, the chance is there’: Max Verstappen hopeful he can retain F1 title

Max Verstappen is convinced that he is now very much in the fight for the world championship after his victory at the US Grand Prix. Following a dominant win in Austin the Red Bull driver was adamant he could still yet take his fifth title and was enthused at the chance to do so.Verstappen won with a flawless drive from pole to flag at the Circuit of the Americas, and in so doing narrowed the gap to the championship leader Oscar Piastri to 40 points. In what is now a three-way title battle Lando Norris, who took second place, is just 14 points off Piastri.Until this weekend Verstappen has been very circumspect in assessing his chances of competing for the title, despite winning two of the previous three races