VML 2025: Pure Creativity Boosted With Technological Wizardry

Over the past year VML UK has successfully solidified itself into a fully unified powerhouse with strategic clarity at the helm.

Its leadership team was led for most of the year by Pip Hulbert who has now moved into the role of EMEA chief client officer, international markets - Ewen Sturgeon, EMEA CEO, has stepped into the role in the interim.

Ryan McManus leads the creative charge in his role as CCO, while Ben Worden is charged with strategic excellence as CSO, and David Lloyd leads on customer experience as chief experience officer and chief data officer UK EMEA.

Earlier this year the leadership spoke with Creative Salon about building up an obsessive, gutsy, driven squad.

As the team pace ahead with the rollout of WPP Open so clients can get the best of multiple agencies, it's this prioritisation of togetherness that has shaped a phenomenal array of work this year.

Creative Salon on VML's 2025

The agency kicked off the year with a brand-perfect campaign for HSBC showcasing the bank's premium offering.

As part of HSBC's "Everything's Premier" messaging, Piccadilly Lights was lit up to highlight how Premier extends to all areas of life, including health, travel and more.

Perhaps the most poignant campaign of the year from VML was 'Heirloom' for Suicide & Co.

Created with Sticker Studios, the hard-hitting film sheds much needed light on the hidden side of suicide bereavement.

Another striking campaign by VML was 'DIY by IKEA'. Understanding the reality that many households face expensive repair bills, the campaign shed light on how IKEA's affordable range can be used to cover up household mishaps.

Meanwhile, VML continues build on its long-term partnership with Duracell.

Celebrating the six-year long partnership, Duracell's CMO for Europe and president of Europe and Africa Javier Hernandez Reta and VML's CCO Ryan McManus discussed the importance of emotional connection for brand building.

One Duracell campaign moved away from the bunny to highlight the impact of children swallowing lithium batteries with a bitter twist on fairytales.

The out-of-home activity featured fairytale-like imagery with text that spelled out bitter truths parents wouldn't want to tell their kids such as "Your mummy loves your brother more than you".

And in a major new business coup VML sweeped up the account for asset management firm Generali. By developing its global "Here. Now" platform, it showcased the agency's strategic prowess at positioning.

The platform is centred on how the present defines the future and breaks from traditional insurance marketing.

For Costa Coffee VML delivered 'Made With Heart/Make Life A Little Better', which celebrated human moments around coffee.

And last - but not least - the agency's continued partnership with Boots gave rise to a Christmas campaign centred around Puss In Boots.

Creative Salon says...In a fragmented media landscape where consumer's attention spans are ever shorter, strategically leveraging AI has led VML to be a go-to full-service shop for brands looking for globally impactful campaigns.

With Ryan McManus at the helm as CCO, supported by Sanjiv Mistry and Juliana Paracencio as ECDs, there is no doubt that the world class tools at WPP will only further power its creative excellence.