WPP takes a 30% stake in Majority

WPP has acquired a 30% stake in Majority, the hot shop co-founded by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Terms of WPP’s minority stake in the Atlanta-based small agency were not disclosed. O’Neal will retain his stake in the agency. 

The agency’s other co-founders include CEO Omid Farhang, Chief Strategy Officer Asmirh Davis, and Chief Marketing Officer Jorge Hernandez. Last year the agency also brought on its Chief Culture and Innovation Officer Brandon Butler as a partner in the agency.

The deal comes just two years after O’Neal and Farhang launched Majority. It swiftly made a reputation for itself, being named to Ad Age’s Small Agency list in 2022 and a Standout Agency on Ad Age’s A-list this year.

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Majority doubled its 2021 revenue to $10 million last year, and counts among its clients The NBA G League, clothing brand OshKosh, Match Group and General Motors. The shop is also the creative agency of record for Sprite, whose parent company Coca-Cola has an extensive relationship with WPP.  

While Majority’s first few years of operation were intended to grow its diverse talent mix and focus on creativity, this next chapter is about “expanding opportunity through scale,” Farhang said in a statement. “With its global reach, leading capabilities and commitment to creativity, WPP is the ultimate partner to help us author it,” he added. 

WPP has been following Majority since its inception, according to a statement from the London-based holding company. WPP CEO Mark Read has been “really impressed by [its] vision, market positioning and trajectory.”

“They do excellent work, but they also have a really strong, diverse approach, and they're really adept at connecting with the new audiences that our clients want,” Read said. 

The partnership between Majority and WPP will open holding company clients up to the agency, which specializes in “disruptive creativity that moves culture” across disciplines including advertising, strategic planning, digital, branded entertainment, design, product innovation, experiences, art and activism, according to Majority’s website. All of Majority’s C-suite and more than 75% of its employees represent the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

While Majority will continue to operate independently, Read sees the possibility for the agency to collaborate with WPP agencies such as Ogilvy, which has worked with Majority in the past. 

“The best creative ideas today are collaborations, and I think together with our agencies, we can really produce breakthrough ideas for clients,” he added. 

Majority’s home base is in Atlanta, where WPP has a growing number of clients and creative talent. The agency will make use of WPP’s new campus in the city, which opened this month. 

Majority’s breakout work included “Vax That Thang Up,” a COVID-19 vaccination PSA campaign for dating app BLK. For the campaign, hip-hop stars Juvenile and Mannie Fresh remixed their classic song “Back That Thang Up” with a pro-vaccination message. Last year the agency launched a campaign for Realtor.com to celebrate Black homeownership that included a cameo from rapper Big Boi, who was half of the hip-hop duo Outkast.

The partnership reunites Farhang with WPP’s Global Chief Creative Officer Rob Reilly. Farhang started as a copywriter intern in 2005 at CP+B when Reilly was that agency’s global CCO, and by 2009, he was the youngest creative director in the agency's history.