WPP plc WPP

Competitive advantage analysis · communication-services

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
55/100
Moderate

Ranked against 44 peers in Advertising Agencies

About WPP plc

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies. It offers marketing strategy, creative ideation, production, commerce, influencer marketing, … Full WPP analysis →

Key strengths

  • Margins Stable Across Cycles Operating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.81), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
  • Revenue Growth Consistent Revenue growth volatility is low (stability score 0.83), suggesting sticky customer base.

Key risks

  • Liquidity Concerns Liquidity is concerning (score 0.22), raising questions about short-term obligations.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Moderate
56
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where WPP ranks in Advertising Agencies

WPP plc ranks #15 of 45 scored companies in Advertising Agencies by moat score — the top 33%. The widest moat in the group is Glory Star New Media Group Hold (GSMGW) at 83/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
11 36Kr Holdings Inc. KRKR 62/100 Moderate
12 QuinStreet, Inc. QNST 61/100 Moderate
13 Omnicom Group Inc. OMC 56/100 Moderate
14 WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc. WIMI 55/100 Moderate
15 WPP plc WPP 55/100 Moderate
16 Travelzoo TZOO 53/100 Moderate
17 Stran & Company, Inc. SWAGW 52/100 Moderate
18 Stran & Company, Inc. SWAG 49/100 Developing
19 Emerald Holding, Inc. EEX 49/100 Developing

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How WPP scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 56 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 74 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 71 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 41 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 45 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 47 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding WPP's moat

What is WPP plc's moat score?

WPP plc (WPP) scores 55 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #15 of 45 scored companies in Advertising Agencies, the top 33%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 44 companies in Advertising Agencies. Its strongest defense is Cost Advantage (74/100) and its weakest is Capital Efficiency (41/100).

How does WPP plc compare with other Advertising Agencies companies?

WPP plc ranks #15 of 45 scored companies in Advertising Agencies by moat score. The widest moat in Advertising Agencies is Glory Star New Media Group Hold (GSMGW) at 83/100. The companies ranked closest are WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc. (WIMI) at 55 just above it and Travelzoo (TZOO) at 53 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 44 companies in Advertising Agencies. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is WPP plc scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for WPP plc?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and WPP scores: Pricing Power (56), Cost Advantage (74), Customer Stickiness (71), Capital Efficiency (41), Resilience (45), Scale & Market Position (47). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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