WPP and Criteo team up to make TV ads more like web clicks

Ad-buying giant WPP Media is partnering with ad-tech firm Criteo to make Connected TV (CTV) advertising directly accountable for sales. The deal infuses WPP’s AI-powered marketing platform with Criteo’s massive pool of shopper data, giving brands a clearer line of sight between TV ad views and real-world purchases.

From views to carts: The partnership works by connecting Criteo's real-time commerce signals—sourced from over $1 trillion in annual e-commerce sales—with premium CTV ad inventory. The system generates curated 'Deal IDs' that advertisers can activate on any demand-side platform, allowing them to measure tangible outcomes like foot traffic and online sales instead of just impressions.

The performance push: This move comes as advertisers pour money into CTV, with U.S. ad spending projected to hit over $33 billion in 2025, according to eMarketer. The deal aims to push the channel beyond its traditional role as a brand-building tool and turn it into a direct driver of sales, a shift the industry has been demanding.

The bottom line: By combining WPP's scale with Criteo's data, the partnership gives advertisers what they've been missing in TV: the ability to precisely target high-intent shoppers and measure the results with the same clarity they expect from digital advertising. The offering is already being piloted by major players like Roku, Samsung, and Scripps.

Also on our radar: The deal represents a major application of WPP’s recently launched “Open Intelligence” marketing platform. It also continues a trend for Criteo, which has inked similar commerce data deals with agency giants Dentsu and Omnicom. The move comes as other major players, including Amazon and Roku, form their own partnerships to meet advertiser demand for scale and efficiency in CTV.