WPP partners with KDDI in Japan to enhance Web3 digital content capabilities

WPP today announced it has partnered with KDDI, one of Japan’s leading telecommunications groups, to develop Japan’s next generation of digital content capabilities.

The partnership will support Japan’s digital creators by fusing WPP’s scale and digital creative expertise with KDDI’s Web3 expertise, as well as its relationships with IP and content creators. It will also enable WPP and its agencies to collaborate on commercial and creative opportunities together with KDDI, jointly expanding WPP’s client offering and IP, including KDDI’s newly launched ‘αU (Alpha-U)’ Web3 platform.

WPP CEO for Japan, Kyoko Matsushita, said: “As Japan’s digital ecosystem catches up with the rest of the world, it is critical that content creators are equipped with the latest technology to set them up for success. As the creative transformation company, WPP is delighted to partner with KDDI to develop these best-in-class tools, which will provide our clients’ brands with unrivalled content opportunities.”

Hiromichi Matsuda, Executive Officer at KDDI, said: “We are very honoured to have signed a strategic partnership with WPP to jointly enhance our Web3 business offering. KDDI has pioneered the Metaverse in Japan, represented by our “Virtual Shibuya” work. Due to the borderless nature of the Metaverse, we believe we can create world-class services that originate in Japan; our partnership with WPP will help to boost our momentum. Together with WPP – who do not shy away from change – we aim to create services suitable for this new era, and an alliance that can spread its wings globally.”

This announcement follows WPP’s recent global partnership agreements with BigCommerce and Stripe to expand WPP’s commerce and payment solution offerings, as well as with Epic Games to build next-generation interactive experiences that leverage Unreal Engine.