VMLY&R Commerce UK Appoints Emmanuel Xirogiannis as Digital and Social Commerce Strategy Director

Emmanuel was formerly head of global social of Gen Z marketplace Depop

VMLY&R Commerce UK, WPP’s creative commerce agency, has welcomed Emmanuel Xirogiannis, Depop’s former global head of social to the newly created role of digital and social commerce strategy director.

The senior omnichannel marketer brings 14 years’ experience across global brands including Depop, Reuters, Huawei, and Mulberry.

Emmanuel’s brief is to strategically lead the agency’s Social Commerce+ practice and develop digital and social commerce strategies that connect consumer touchpoints. Launched in 2019, the practice has grown 23 percent, recently delivering a new six-figure revenue stream for Microsoft, leading the business to build a pure-play social commerce team to drive brand growth.

As former head of global social of Gen Z marketplace Depop, Emmanuel defined social strategy, operational planning, and resource mapping across existing and future channels. He developed tailored content strategies by platform including orchestrating the social aspect of Olivia Rodrigo x Depop – singer Olivia Rodrigo’s Depop shop. The initiative out-performed all business KPIs and social metrics.

Commented Debbie Ellison, global chief director of digital, VMLY&R Commerce: “Emmanuel has truly unrivalled experience with omni-channel retailer ecosystems and social platforms. His ability to leverage data and insight for strategies connecting brand and consumer experiences is unique. He’s a massive talent, already making waves with our clients. We’re delighted to welcome him to the family.”

Debbie observed that the projected global value of social commerce is $3.4 trillion by 2028 with content consumption changing drastically among young digital natives. “We see purchase influenced and powered by social platforms – Meta, Tik Tok, Pinterest and Twitter are heavily investing in shopping features, native shops to keep people in their ecosystem. Opportunities to connect with new audiences and create growth from existing customers are boundless.”

Concludes Emmanuel Xirogiannis: “I’m excited to strategically spearhead our Social Commerce+ capability, connecting social to build brand love with business opportunity to deliver brand growth. VMLY&R Commerce is breaking new ground for clients in this space and it’s great to be welcomed by Debbie and the team.”