Lauren Wetzel on why sell-side decisioning is the next competitive edge for brands
Welcome to Innovators Unscripted, a series where we share unfiltered insights from some of the most disruptive voices in today’s advertising ecosystem. Lauren Wetzel, global president, data and technology solutions at WPP, joins for a conversation about why intelligence is emerging as the next differentiator for brands, how sell-side decisioning puts that intelligence to work at the point of impression, and what it takes to deploy it responsibly.
Here are the takeaways that stuck with us.
Sell-side decisioning unlocks intelligence that wasn’t possible before
AI is only as valuable as the intelligence behind it. Lauren compares it to using a large language model (LLM) in your personal or professional life: The output only gets better when you feed it better context. Applying that same principle to programmatic is what turns AI-driven decisioning into a real advantage.
Activating models and decisioning on the sell side takes advantage of the richer signals and additional context that are available closer to the impression, leading to better deal-making, greater transparency, stronger rates, and, ultimately, stronger ROI for media buyers.
“The idea that AI is all about speed and efficiency, that’s just one chapter. Effective decision-making is ultimately the goal, and it can only come from better intelligence.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
That reframing is what WPP is optimizing for next. Speed was the last decade’s competitive edge. Intelligence is this one’s.
Open Intelligence turns protected data into a competitive advantage
For years, the industry has leaned on the same static, easy-to-access data. Open Intelligence, the data solution WPP introduced last June, changes that dynamic.
“What Open Intelligence is about is bringing together rich signals that you didn’t have access to before. You can pull that together because of the technology that’s built, and because the really commercially sensitive data that no one wanted to contribute is protected. I see really effective decision-making, really interesting insights.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
For Lauren—whose remit spans data and technology across creative, production, media, commerce, and experiences—that connected intelligence is driving value across the entire marketing funnel. Getting the market to understand what Open Intelligence actually does differently has taken real time and education, but it’s already translating into stronger performance and growth.
Agents are in the loop, but humans still make the final call
As AI takes on more of the media buying process, just because something can be automated doesn’t mean it should be. That’s where judgment still sets humans apart from AI.
Lauren sees that judgment as essential to the governance and accountability that come with being a steward of a brand’s media dollars.
“We always say humans at the helm, agents in the loop.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
That’s the standard she applies to automation itself: Humans run the checks and remain accountable, then decide over time what’s ready to be automated. That balance between machine speed and human judgment sits at the center of the industry’s shift toward agentic AI, where systems take on more of the decisioning work but still answer to human oversight on the calls that matter most.
Sell-side decisioning puts intelligence to work at the source of supply
WPP has massive scale across markets and sources, but that scale is only an advantage when every team can reliably act with transparency, consistency, and speed.
Sell-side decisioning closes that gap by applying AI-driven decision-making at the point of supply, closer to the impression, rather than downstream at the DSP. Index Marketplaces gives WPP’s teams a transparent and scalable way to make the right supply decisions across markets and platforms.
“Index takes a lot of the challenge off the table and makes that possible.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
That shift moves supply path optimization (SPO) beyond its legacy role of cutting costs. For Lauren, digging into the supply chain is now a direct lever to influence the ROI and growth targets that CMOs are pressured to deliver.
The next unlock is making more supply targetable. Open Intelligence’s curated modules, paired with AI-powered vector embeddings, let WPP analyze more signals and sharpen campaign targeting, even without an authenticated audience to work from. Lauren credits Index’s product team with helping to realize that capability—proof of what the right collaboration between companies can build.
Proving ROI is getting more complex, but more rewarding
Ask Lauren which ad tech acronym she’d keep if every other one disappeared, and she doesn’t hesitate to say ROI. It’s a pressure that agencies and media buyers know well, and it’s exactly why connected intelligence matters. It’s what drives differentiation, which is crucial for brands to grow.
That’s the thinking behind WPP’s mission to be the trusted growth partner for brands in an AI era, helping CMOs prove the sales growth their investment is producing.
“It’s never been harder to be a CMO, because of that differentiation, because of that need to grow, and because of the pressure on costs.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
One emerging factor in how CMOs demonstrate ROI in this AI era is managing token costs. As AI becomes more deeply embedded into media buying, brands are only starting to learn how to forecast and manage that expense. As the pressure to prove ROI on AI adoption builds, that skill will only get more valuable.
Better decision-making depends on industry collaboration
Lauren’s optimism about the future of programmatic and the open internet comes down to more intelligent decision-making, backed by greater transparency and collaboration across the industry. She sees it as WPP’s responsibility to innovate directly alongside media owners, platforms like Index, and standards bodies.
“Better decision-making is going to come because we’ve worked really hard to do that connected intelligence, and we’ve got great partners who are leaning into it, and we’re proving those results for brands.”
Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
None of that happens without collaboration. Learning new skills and a new way of working is hard for anyone to do alone. The industry will only succeed if we all tackle this evolution together.
Learn more about how sell-side decisioning turns connected intelligence into measurable ROI for media buyers.
