Wavemaker Italy

What Wavemaker Italy does

Wavemaker Italy is the Italian operating arm of Wavemaker, a global media investment business and B2B agency operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP within GroupM Worldwide. Formed in 2017 through the merger of MEC and Maxus, Wavemaker is positioned as a Top 5 global media network operating across more than 80 markets, with five offices in Italy (Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin, Verona) and global headquarters in London. The agency provides media planning, media buying, content, consultancy, and activation services to enterprise clients, generating revenue through agency fees, media commissions, and consultancy engagements under a professional services model. Named clients span consumer goods (L'Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive, Cadbury, Oreo, Danone, Chupa Chups), retail/e-commerce (DoorDash, Amazon), entertainment (Netflix, Merlin Entertainments), transport (Eurostar), and government (Royal Navy).

Wavemaker's competitive position rests on its integration with GroupM, which books approximately one in every three ads globally, providing unmatched distribution scale and inventory access. The agency's proprietary technology stack includes GeoGraph (a demand-signal tool along rail routes for clients like Eurostar), an AI-fuelled end-to-end planning platform that optimises across multiple audience growth segments across all channels, and the Growth Opportunity Roadmap auditing performance across Search, Social, Content, Video, Programmatic, Ecommerce, Audiences, and Website & Apps. Office locations are supported by regional headquarters in London and New York, with 1,400+ subject matter experts, nine centres of excellence, and over 1,000 innovation partners within the wider network. The consultancy practice is described as representing 20% of business revenue.

The firm is operationally active: ranked #1 global media agency network for new business in 2023 by COMvergence, it has secured flagship enterprise wins including L'Oréal International Distribution (three-year EMEA contract across 30+ markets from September 2024) and Merlin Entertainments ($34m EMEA and US remit plus $24m UK business). It has also been consistently recognised at Cannes Lions and the Festival of Media, including the Titanium Grand Prix for the DoorDash All-The-Ads campaign in 2024. AI capabilities are embedded across multiple delivered solutions rather than offered as standalone products, including a deployed conversational AI Virtual Recruitment Assistant for the Royal Navy and Generative AI work for visual brand identity development.

Name

Wavemaker Italy

Legal name

Wavemaker Global Ltd

Website

https://wavemakerglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Wavemaker Italy is the Italian arm of Wavemaker, a Top 5 global media agency network (WPP/GroupM) providing media planning, buying, consultancy, and activation services to multinational enterprise clients across consumer goods, retail, entertainment, and other sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Agency Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Media Planning & Buying (MPAAABAA)

Keywords

• Media planning services
• Media buying agency
• Media investment management
• Advertising agency services
• Media consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Media Planning and Buying Services: Wavemaker generates revenue through media planning and buying services for global brands, operating as part of GroupM and WPP's media investment group. Revenue is generated through agency fees, media commissions, and consultancy services across 80+ markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Wavemaker is a global media investment business providing media planning, buying, content, and technology services to enterprise brands across 80+ markets. Operating as part of GroupM and WPP, the agency delivers full-service capabilities including media consultancy, activation, content strategy, e-commerce optimisation, and proprietary technology tools such as GeoGraph and an AI-fuelled planning platform. Wavemaker Italy operates locally within this structure with offices in Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin, and Verona serving clients in the Italian market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Media Planning and Buying Services
• Global Consultancy
• Transformative Growth Consulting Toolkit
• AI Virtual Recruitment Assistant
• Generative AI Visual Identity Enhancement

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in live-chat traffic for Royal Navy recruitment
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• L'Oréal International DistributionflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 July 2024Wavemaker was appointed as EMEA strategic partner for media buying and planning for L'Oréal International Distribution. The three-year contract includes Amazon activity and spans 30+ markets. Wavemaker won in final competition against OMD following a six-month competitive process supported by Ebiquity.
• EurostarcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Wavemaker was appointed as global media consultancy partner for Eurostar following the Eurostar-Thalys merger. Wavemaker manages the entire planning and buying remit across continental Europe, UK, Belgium, and Netherlands, plus European digital business.
• Merlin EntertainmentsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 October 2023Wavemaker was appointed as global media consultancy partner for Merlin Entertainments. The $34m EMEA and US remit adds to the $24m UK business already retained. Wavemaker manages planning and buying across US and key European countries including Germany, Italy, Benelux and Denmark.
• Goat (WPP)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023WPP's acquisition of Goat, the world's biggest performance influencer agency, bolsters Wavemaker's influencer marketing capabilities. Goat enables integrated creator marketing for clients including L'Oréal and Coca-Cola through the WPP Onefluence combined offering.
• WPPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWavemaker is a subsidiary of WPP, the world's largest communications services company. WPP provides the parent corporate structure and access to WPP's broader network of agencies and capabilities. Wavemaker is covered by WPP's Modern Slavery Act Statement and sustainability commitments.
• GroupM WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWavemaker is part of GroupM Worldwide, Inc., the world's largest media investment company. GroupM books one in every three ads globally, providing Wavemaker with unmatched scale and inventory access. Wavemaker leverages GroupM's technology, scaled intelligence, and activation capabilities.
• Amazon AdscoreTechnology or IntegrationWavemaker, through GroupM, has exclusive rights to deliver creator content for clients on the Amazon retail DSP in a global collaboration with Amazon Ads, developed by Goat (WPP's performance influencer acquisition).
• Wieden + KennedyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative agency partner on the DoorDash All-The-Ads Super Bowl campaign that won the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Havas Media: Havas' global media network offering integrated planning and buying; a comparable full-service peer in the holding-company media agency tier.
• Mindshare: GroupM/WPP sister media agency network and most direct peer; competes head-to-head with Wavemaker for the same multinational media planning and buying mandates across global markets.
• Carat: Dentsu's flagship global media agency network; directly comparable in multinational media planning and buying services, and active in the EMEA and Italian markets.
• Zenith: Publicis global media agency network with comparable planning, buying, and data capabilities; competes for the same category of multinational media mandates.
• PHD Worldwide: Omnicom global media agency network; competes with Wavemaker for multinational clients with comparable planning, buying, and data-led media services.
• Starcom: Publicis Groupe's lead global media agency network; directly comparable in scale, scope, and multinational client roster, frequently contesting Wavemaker in pitches.
• Essence (GroupM): GroupM media agency with a digital-first, data-led proposition; directly comparable global media planning and buying capability, particularly for digital-native and performance-driven clients.
• OMD Worldwide: Omnicom's flagship global media agency network; closest cross-holding-company competitor to Wavemaker, including the specific L'Oréal EMEA loss described in the data.
• MediaCom: GroupM/WPP sister media agency network; offers the same global media planning, buying, and consultancy services and frequently competes with Wavemaker in the same holding-company competitive reviews.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Media (Dentsu International): Broader Japanese-headquartered holding company with significant EMEA media operations including Carat and iProspect; relevant as a holding-company competitor for cross-border mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wavemaker
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/wavemaker
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wavemaker-italy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wavemaker Italy