'Don’t give it away for free': WPP’s Rob Reilly on why creative still deserves a formidable price tag

It’s an anxious time to be in the business of ideas. Depending on who you ask, creativity is either unravelling—flattened by algorithms, hemmed in by media plans, and devalued by procurement—or on the cusp of reinvention. One camp mourns the decline of craft. The other sees a future fuelled by AI, intuition, and everything in between. The only consensus? The rules are being rewritten.

Rob Reilly has spent his career navigating precisely these kinds of tensions. Now global chief creative officer at WPP, he’s tasked with something that’s eluded holding companies for years: Proving that scale and creative excellence don’t have to be mutually exclusive. It’s a brief that builds on a formidable track record—first at Crispin Porter + Bogusky during its cultural apex, then at McCann Worldgroup, where he helped expand the network’s creative reach on a global stage.

Since joining WPP in 2021, Reilly has steered the group to significant creative gains, including Creative Company of the Year at Cannes Lions 2024 and a Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix for Ogilvy Mumbai’s AI-powered 'Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad' in 2023. That momentum continued at Spikes Asia 2025 last night, where Ogilvy was named Network of the Year and EssenceMediacom took home Media Network of the Year.

In the wake of those wins, Campaign caught up exclusively with Reilly to talk about creative ambition at scale, the evolving role of awards, the reality of AI inside agency walls—and what it really takes to make work that moves both people and business.

Campaign: You’ve spent the last few years trying to fuse creative ambition with holding company scale. What does that ambition look like now?

Rob Reilly: When I joined WPP four years ago, Mark Read [CEO, WPP] told me straight up—he wanted this company to be the most creative in the world. That kind of ambition lands with creative people. We don’t need much—pay us fairly, respect the work, don’t lie to us. That’s it. At first, it was about being the most creative holding company. But when you look at what WPP has—a massive media operation, some of the world’s best creative agencies, incredible talent—you start to think: What if we aimed even higher? What if we had the creative ambition of a Disney, a Google, or a Netflix? Whether or not people see us in that light today, just holding that ambition changes how we think. It attracts better talent. It gives people something to build towards. It raises the bar for everything we do.

Given how dominant AI, data and media have become in industry discourse, does that ambition need to shift? Is there a danger that creativity loses its seat at the table?

It’s funny to me how people talk like data is some new thing. We used to call it research. The only thing that’s really changed is speed—we can access insights faster, which means we can sharpen the strategy, tighten the brief, and ultimately make better work. That’s a good thing. We’ve invested £300 million a year in AI—not just in WPP Open, our own platform, but also through partnerships with Stability AI, NVIDIA, OpenAI. And we’re not just dabbling. We’re actually building systems, training people, and operationalising this stuff across teams. WPP Open lets media, creative, production and analytics work from the same platform. Over 33,000 people are now using it every month. So no, I don’t think creativity is getting pushed aside. I think it’s becoming faster, more informed, more connected. And when creativity and media are actually integrated, not just in theory, you get ideas that land harder and travel further.

Still, when media leads the revenue conversation and performance often dominates the brief, how do you keep creativity from being treated like the free add-on?

That’s simple—don’t give it away for free. That’s when it loses all value. And let’s be real—AI is going to flood the world with average work. We’re going to see more sameness than ever. But that also means the value of truly original thinking is going to go up. The stakes are higher now. We don’t treat creativity like an optional extra. We’ve got people who are brilliant at what they do—serious creatives, not hobbyists. And when you combine that talent with smart production and intelligent media, that’s when you get something genuinely powerful. That’s when creativity actually drives results.

Fresh off a strong showing at Spikes Asia 2025, how do you view the role of awards today—especially in an industry that’s so relentlessly driven by effectiveness?

Awards should be a byproduct, not the reason. Yes, they matter because they signal great work, and they help attract great people. Can you tie a sale directly to a Cannes Grand Prix? Probably not. But look at a brand like Dove. It’s been incredibly successful, not just because of the product, but because it’s spent decades building an emotional connection. When everything else is equal—price, quality, shelf space—people gravitate towards the brand that means something. So yes, performance marketing is crucial. But brand love? That’s long-term. That’s what drives real loyalty. And awards, when they reflect real, resonant work, are still part of that story.

Do you believe that when purpose-led work dominates awards stages, it distorts how we define truly great creative?

There’s definitely pressure to turn every piece of work into a statement about something bigger—especially when that’s what gets celebrated. But good creative doesn’t automatically mean it has to be purpose-led. Great work is great work. It moves people, it builds brands, and it delivers results. But when purpose is real—when it comes from the brand, when it solves something, when it fills a gap no one else is stepping into—that’s when it becomes powerful. Governments aren’t always able to show up the way they should. Institutions fall short. Brands can step into that space. And let’s be honest—young people expect it now. They see straight through performative work. But when a brand shows up in a meaningful way, it sticks. That’s impact. And to me, that’s the only reason purpose should exist in the work. Not to tick a box, not to win a Lion—but to actually do something.

A great example of this is Vaseline’s ‘Transition Body Lotion’ work (watch below) from Ogilvy Singapore. That campaign felt authentic, timely, and impactful. It wasn’t a stunt. It was a real product solving a real problem—and it’s become one of the top-selling products in Thailand. It started in the trans community and now it’s used far more widely. That’s the kind of work we should all be doing: Ideas that stick, solve something, and scale.

Do you feel like APAC work is getting the global recognition it deserves? Is it influencing creativity elsewhere?

It’s getting there. We’ve seen big wins—Grand Prixs at Spikes, AdFest, even Cannes. But it’s always hard to tell how work will travel. Sometimes great ideas get overlooked because the case video didn’t quite land. Maybe the voiceover missed the mark, or the edit wasn’t tight enough. It’s frustrating, because the ideas are there. I’ve seen brilliant work come out of India, Thailand, China, Korea. But packaging matters. We work hard on that and spend serious time making sure our stories are told right. Campaigns like 'Shah Rukh Khan My Ad' still hold up. It used AI before AI was cool. We’ve been pushing boundaries in this region for a while now.

You’re one of the few vocal creatives in the industry openly championing AI as a tool, not a threat. What’s your relationship with it—and how has that evolved?

I was sceptical at first. I’m a writer, so the idea of letting a machine anywhere near my words felt... off. Like, no way am I letting a bot touch my voice. But eventually I tried it—and I realised it wasn’t replacing me. It was sharpening me. Enhancing me. Now I treat it like a creative partner. I’ll write something, and it’ll nudge me—“Hey, this bit’s clunky.” It challenges me to tighten things, rethink structure, push my tone. Especially on those days when you're too close to the work or too tired to see it clearly, it gives you a new angle—immediately. But here’s the real reason I’m leaning in: AI is going to force out a lot of mediocrity. If the average stuff can be automated, then only the best will stand out. It’s not about cutting corners. It’s about holding the line on what great work actually looks like—and giving it more room to shine.

Is there a piece of work you’ve seen lately—outside of WPP—that made you think, “I wish we’d done that”?

Yeah—there’s this video called Big Dogs by an Indian rapper, Hanumankind. It’s totally bonkers—in the best possible way. I saw it and just thought, what is this? It’s bold, it’s weird, it’s wildly creative. I love stuff that takes risks like that. I’m inspired by that kind of energy. I follow people like Doechii too—her videos are off-the-wall. I like when things feel a bit unhinged. We’ve lost a bit of that fun in advertising. I want more of it.

What’s your take on celebrities being named creative directors of brands? Genius marketing move—or creative overstep?

Honestly? I like it. I always use Pharrell as my example. The guy doesn’t sew or sketch, but he’s pure creative energy. Ray-Ban bringing on someone like ASAP Rocky—it’s already happening, and when it’s a genuine collaboration, not just a photo op, it can work. To me, it’s not about whether they can design something. It’s about whether they can help shape culture. If they understand the audience, if they bring something fresh to the table, then why not? Creativity doesn’t have to come in a suit. It comes from instinct, influence, and being tapped into what people care about.

Finally, what’s your word of the year?

Curious.

That’s the big one. I want people—especially young people—to be wildly, unapologetically curious. About AI. About culture. About what’s coming next. We’re at the beginning of something huge—like the steam engine moment or the birth of the assembly line. And the only way to thrive in that kind of shift is to lean in. I read a piece recently that said by 2027, 10% of companies will master AI and capture 90% of the market gains. That’s wild. But I believe it. And I want us to be in that 10%. So yes—be curious. It’ll keep you relevant, keep you growing, and honestly, keep you alive.