Talk:WPP plc/Archives/2020

Proposing article updates
Hello! I'm here to make some suggestions to improve this article. Full disclosure: I have a financial conflict of interest, as I am here on behalf of WPP plc through my work at Beutler Ink. I've disclosed my COI at the top of this talk page. I've put all of my proposed updates in a draft in my userspace here: User:Inkian Jason/WPP plc. You can also see the changes compared with the current article here. These changes represent a thorough update of the live article. There a quite a few changes, and I want to be respectful of volunteer editors' time, so I'll post individual requests here for easier review.

History
For History, I'm asking to make the following changes to bring it up-to-date:
 * Deleted unsourced information that failed verification
 * Deleted unsourced detail on Sorrell's career, as this article should focus on WPP, not Sorrell
 * Added a brief summary of activity in the 1990s to fill a gap in the company's history
 * Tweaked language to show that WPP acquired Young & Rubicam Group, not just Y&R
 * Deleted unsourced and inaccurate information saying WPP entered China in 2006 (WPP already had business in China by that time)
 * For WPP Digital, changed founding from "2007" to "in the 2000s" to reflect sourcing and prevent the unsourced content from potentially being deleted
 * Removed mention of several minor acquisitions; as WPP has had many acquisitions over the years, I have tried to single out the biggest
 * Removed biased language (e.g. deleted "hard" from "hit hard")
 * For the Ukraine cyberattack, removed: "It was suggested that poor patch management and user access administration following IT staffing cuts may have contributed to the scale of the infection affecting WPP." While sourced, this accusation came from an unnamed source and only appears in this one article. Other articles on the cyberattack note that this happened to companies throughout Ukraine, not just WPP.
 * Added material on Sorrell's growth strategy
 * Added detail on industry changes and impact for WPP
 * Added material on Mark Read becoming CEO, his focus, and turnaround plan
 * Updated merger

Due to my COI, I would prefer an uninvolved editor review and place the updates if they look ok. Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 19:00, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Being one of the top editors to WPP plc, you might be interested in reviewing my proposed updates to this article. Full disclosure: I have a financial conflict of interest, as I am here on behalf of WPP plc through my work at Beutler Ink, which I've disclosed above. I'm requesting updates by section (starting off with History) because my changes represent a thorough update of the live article and I want to be respectful of the time and effort it takes for volunteer editors to review. Thanks for considering! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:30, 19 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Done. This proposal looks reasonable to me and was very well presented. Other editors may wish to tweak it. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 21:05, 19 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks for reviewing and implementing these changes! Also, thanks for the citation clean up. If you have the time, I'm posting my proposed infobox updates below. Inkian Jason (talk) 19:06, 20 December 2019 (UTC)

Infobox
In my proposed infobox (at right), I'm asking to make the following changes to streamline and update content:
 * Add "communications" to industry parameter
 * Clean up key people by adding wikilinks to CEO, removing "ED", and updating Roberto Quarta's title to "chairman" (executive chairman was a temporary title)
 * Update services (based on those listed at WPP website)
 * Update subsidiaries with current companies and names; remove non-notable subsidiary
 * Updated office locations to show WPP's headquarters location, which is London. Most sources refer to WPP as London-based, and the Dublin executive office has closed

Again, I'd prefer to have an uninvolved editor review and place the updates if they look ok, given my COI.

Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 19:06, 20 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Done. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 19:42, 20 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Thanks again. I plan to return with additional requests in January and hope you might be willing to take another look. Until then, happy holiday season. Inkian Jason (talk) 19:52, 20 December 2019 (UTC)

Operations
For Operations, I'm asking to make the following changes to streamline and update content:
 * Rewrite content to give a description of the current company, its leadership, headquarters, and size
 * Add basic financial information
 * Focus content on notable WPP-owned companies, and remove mentions of companies without Wikipedia entries
 * Simplify mentions of notable WPP-owned companies, as details about those companies are available for readers on their respective Wikipedia pages
 * Replace WPP sourcing with secondary coverage

Currently, the article lists WPP-owned companies by specialty, but it's not entirely accurate how it is conveyed. My draft looks to minimize mislabeling companies.

Again, I'd prefer to have an uninvolved editor review and place the updates if they look ok, given my COI. If you have the time, would you be willing to review this request as well? Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 17:12, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

Just a few thoughts:


 * I think the analysis by speciality in the current version of the article is helpful and would prefer if the proposed new version was structured in a simlar way.


 * While I am OK on including a sentence on strategy, I don't think we need to quote the ceo


 * Recent financial results are best dealt with in the infobox rather than under operations


 * Your proposed list of notable agencies is not adequately referenced.

Please could you take another look? Thanks. Dormskirk (talk) 17:43, 7 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your feedback. I'm happy to revise my proposal based on these points. But I have a question for you. In some cases, WPP-owned companies do not fit neatly into the specialty categories outlined in the live article. For example, Wunderman Thompson is a merger of ad agency J. Walter Thompson and digital network Wunderman. Similarly, this is the case with VMLY&R. WPP's website has these companies grouped together by specialty on its website. Would that be an acceptable source to use for this purpose? Thanks, Inkian Jason (talk) 18:12, 7 January 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi - The source needs to be independent. Please see WP:RS. Thanks. Dormskirk (talk) 18:31, 7 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Understood! I will see how I can make it work. Most of the current live section is sourced by WPP's website, so I was attempting to provide a summary of WPP-owned companies that did not rely on WPP as a source. I will ping you back here after I have had some time to adjust this proposal. Thanks again for your feedback! Inkian Jason (talk) 18:57, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

I revised my proposed Operations draft per your feedback. Below, you will see I updated the sentence on WPP's strategy to remove commentary from the CEO, deleted revenue, updated the listing of notable companies by specialty and included citations to show that the companies are WPP-owned.

Would you mind reviewing this draft? Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:56, 14 January 2020 (UTC)


 * Done. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 17:11, 14 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks again for you assistance. Inkian Jason (talk) 17:33, 14 January 2020 (UTC)

Television Audience Measurement subsection
I created a draft to streamline the Television Audience Measurement subsection of Controversies that I hope editors will consider. You can find it in my user space draft and below. Essentially, this topic is given undue weight. The live article quotes legal briefs and memorandum of law; it includes the threat of a countersuit, and a response to that threat. To me, it feels like excessive detail for a lawsuit that was ultimately dismissed. My draft below deletes much of the excessive back and forth. It is probably best for editors considering this request to also review this diff highlighting the differences between the live article and my draft.

Again, I'd prefer to have an uninvolved editor review and place the updates if they look ok, given my COI. Would you mind reviewing this draft also? Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 14:46, 15 January 2020 (UTC)


 * I am OK with this but will leave it for others to take a look first. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 14:54, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Sounds good, happy to wait and see if others have any input. I have a proposed introduction and improvements to the navigation box (which has a lot of red links, and things that aren't linked at all) in the works. Thanks again for reviewing. Inkian Jason (talk) 15:57, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Looks fine to me. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 17:50, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks again for your help. Inkian Jason (talk) 17:55, 21 January 2020 (UTC)

Introduction
For the introduction, I'm asking to make the following changes to streamline the content and improve accuracy:
 * Update the description of the company
 * Update the names of WPP-owned companies to match those listed in the infobox
 * Remove Dublin office (which has closed) and correct secondary stock listing to New York Stock Exchange. The live article says NASDAQ, which is incorrect
 * Simplify the content on WPP leadership

Again, I'd prefer to have an uninvolved editor review and place the updates if they look ok, given my COI. If you have the time, would you be willing to review this request as well? I appreciate all your help reviewing these requests, and I believe this will be my last section re-write request.

Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 19:31, 21 January 2020 (UTC)


 * Looks good to me. I have added an extra reference. Dormskirk (talk) 19:38, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks again! Inkian Jason (talk) 20:09, 21 January 2020 (UTC)

Small fix
Sorry to bother again, but I noticed an error from previous versions of the article that I had not caught before when drafting my updates.

The History section says: "The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1988." The company was listed on the NASDAQ in 1988. This secondary listing was changed to the NYSE in late 2017. Is it OK to edit that sentence to say:
 * The company listed on the NASDAQ in 1988 (and later switched its secondary listing to the NYSE).

Thanks for considering this fix! Inkian Jason (talk) 17:00, 22 January 2020 (UTC)


 * Done. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 17:19, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks again! Inkian Jason (talk) 17:22, 22 January 2020 (UTC)

2017 cyberattack
I hope this ping isn't a bother. I was looking over this article again, and hope to get your thoughts on the sentence about the 2017 cyberattacks on Ukraine: "Many of WPP's constituent agencies use Microsoft Windows, and the organisation was among those hit by the 2017 cyberattacks on Ukraine, with some staff's computer access limited to webmail only as much as ten days later."

I've been deliberating if this is necessary for the WPP article, especially since there is an article about the cyberattacks and not all companies affected have similar content written in those Wikipedia articles, but I'll defer to volunteer editors such as yourself. Yes, it was an event that occurred in WPP's history, but it's not an event that defined WPP as a company. Perhaps the article could link to 2017 cyberattacks on Ukraine in See also instead? Just an idea.

Of course, if you think it's best just to keep 2017 cyberattack in History, I will support your decision. I just wanted to point it out as something to think about. I appreciate your time with this. Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:02, 30 January 2020 (UTC)


 * I don't have strong views on this. I would support deletion on the basis of WP:UNDUE if that is the view of other editors. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 15:32, 30 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks for taking a look at this, I'll leave this discussion open to see if anyone else weighs in. Inkian Jason (talk) 16:04, 30 January 2020 (UTC)


 * I have been going through the article to see if there are any other updates needed, and I can't find anything at this time. Thank you again for all your assistance in reviewing and collaborating on this article. If you don't mind, I'll ping you if I have any proposed updates in the future. Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:17, 28 February 2020 (UTC)


 * No problem. Best wishes. Dormskirk (talk) 15:19, 28 February 2020 (UTC)