WPP’s consolidation spree continues

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for November 17. I’m Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at LJohnson@businessinsider.com.

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Today’s news: WPP’s consolidation spree continues, The Atlantic’s CEO search, and Dentsu wants to reach brands emotional intelligence.

WPP is combining two more agencies in another sign of consolidation at the world’s biggest ad holding company

• It’s consolidation time at ad holding company giant WPP again. It’s folding retail agency Geometry Global into VMLY&R, sources told Patrick Coffee and Claire Atkinson.
• The move is part of a larger effort by WPP CEO Mark Read to simplify the sprawling company as it like other holding companies have been pummeled in the economic downturn.
• One key question is if one of Geometry’s biggest clients and longtime WPP client, British American Tobacco, will stay with the agency after the reorg.

Read the full story here.

David Bradley has talked to 100 people in his search for The Atlantic’s next CEO. Who in the world are they? We found some names.

• The next CEO of The Atlantic is a unicorn. Minority owner David Bradley has met with at least 100 people over the course of a year to find the right person. At least two search firms have been involved.
• Lucia Moses and I rounded up a list of people who Bradley has met with or whose names have been floated.
• It’s a complex hire that would require someone with skills to run a multi-revenue stream company and strong appreciation for its prestigious journalism.

Read the full story here.

Ad giant Dentsu explains why it’s emphasizing emotional connections over data to help clients like Microsoft win over customers

• Patrick Coffee reports that Dentsu’s media-buying firm Carat is rebranding itself.
• The idea is that advertisers need to use emotional intelligence to win over consumers.
• Dentsu is applying its approach for clients like Microsoft and hopes to convince other clients to test newer, more entrepreneurial approaches.

Read the full story here.