NEW YORK – MAY 5, 2026 – Ogilvy today announced a significant expansion of its Sports & Entertainment offering through a strategic investment by WPP in Article 41, a social-first sports agency that connects brands to culture through the next generation of athlete creators. As part of the new partnership, Vickie Segar, co-founder of Article 41, has been appointed as Global Chief Sports & Entertainment Officer to lead and grow the agency’s Sports & Entertainment practice, with clients that span the rightsholder and sponsor ecosystem, working with major events and leagues such as FIFA World Cup, Olympics, Formula 1 and MLS, and brands including Coca-Cola, Dove, Powerade, KFC and Samsung.
This new partnership strengthens Ogilvy’s sports and entertainment offering and accelerates client growth by turning athlete influence into cultural and business impact—building upon its leading capabilities in creator marketing and platform-native content production while expanding into talent management, partnerships and sponsorships, and university and league support. The move positions Ogilvy as the only global creative network with end-to-end capability across brand strategy, fan engagement, business, creator marketing, and athlete NIL at scale. Article 41 co-founder Ben Gildin will also take on a senior role supporting Ogilvy’s Sports & Entertainment strategy and client partnerships. Meredith Allen, Managing Director of Article 41 and newly appointed Ogilvy North America Influencer Lead, will work hand-in-hand with Segar and Gildin to drive value for clients in this space.
Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said: “Sports and entertainment is one of the most important spaces for brands to build cultural relevance and connection with consumers. Article 41 is at the leading edge of where this space is going, with a progressive view of talent and creators, and native social production that captures attention and drives deep engagement. I’m thrilled to welcome the Article 41 team to bolster and expand our expertise and have Vickie leading the future of Ogilvy Sports & Entertainment.”
Vickie Segar said: “Bringing Article 41 into Ogilvy and WPP accelerates our vision for how sports, culture and creator-driven marketing converge. Ogilvy Sports & Entertainment is about helping brands and rights holders show up in culture in ways that fuel fandom. There is a huge opportunity to strengthen that capability where talent ecosystems intersect with global sports platforms, creating real value for athletes, rights holders, brands, and fans.”
Article 41 brings deep expertise in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) space, helping student-athletes and micro-creators monetize their personal brands in a rapidly growing creator economy. “What began as collegiate athlete endorsements is now part of a broader creator economy,” Segar added. “NIL sits at the intersection of influence, community and culture, making it an essential growth area.”
Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy, said: “Athletes are at the heart of culture, shaping passions and bringing people together in ways nothing else can. Sport and fandom are one of the most powerful forces shaping culture right now, and one of the richest spaces we have for creativity. Vickie brings the vision, experience and cultural instinct to unlock that opportunity, with a deep understanding of athletes, sport and social-first storytelling. She’s the right leader for the next chapter of Ogilvy Sports & Entertainment.”
Ogilvy Sports & Entertainment is built on a fandom-first approach that helps brands move beyond sponsorship by delivering work that turns passion into participation, trust, and commercial growth. This has included a range of campaigns such as Powerade’s ‘The Athlete’s Code,’ Verizon’s ‘FanFest,’ ‘Nail the Grind‘ for essi, Dove’s ‘The Game is Ours,’ which launched during the 2026 Super Bowl, ‘MLS is Back’ for Major League Soccer, and Supercell Clash of Clans’ ‘Haaland Payback Time’, which won the 2025 Cannes Lions Grand Prix Entertainment Lions for Sports.
This expansion aligns with a global sports market forecast to exceed $600 billion by the end of the decade. Ahead of landmark events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics, Article 41 strengthens the strategic advantage Ogilvy and WPP bring to sports storytelling and commercial growth. Ogilvy’s efforts are bolstered by a close partnership with WPP Media’s sports and entertainment capabilities, ensuring a seamless integration of sponsorship strategy and digital content across the entire sports landscape.
This marks Segar’s next chapter with WPP following the 2022 acquisition of influencer agency Village Marketing, now a part of The Ogilvy Group. As Global Chief Sports & Entertainment Officer, Segar will join The Ogilvy Group’s management team and play a key leadership role in spearheading the agency’s social and influencer offering—underscoring the company’s unwavering focus on the capabilities most crucial for future growth for the world’s leading brands.
