Interim Results - Part 1

WPP GROUP PLC
16 August 1999

PART 1

                            
                  1999 INTERIM RESULTS

      Profit before tax up 20% to £112.6 million 
                against £93.8 million
      Fully diluted earnings per share up almost
                17% to 9.8p from 8.4p
      Interim ordinary dividend up 19% to 1.0p per share
      Net new business billings of almost £1 billion


    *  Revenue up 13% to £1.017 billion and up over  11%  in
       constant currencies

    *  Profit  before  interest and tax  up  almost  19%  to
       £128.9   million  and  up  almost  18%  in   constant
       currencies

    *  Operating  margin  up  0.6%  and  0.7%  in   constant
       currencies in line with objectives

    *  Profit  before  tax up 20% to £112.6 million  and  up
       over 19% in constant currencies

    *  Fully  diluted  earnings per share up almost  17%  to
       9.8p from 8.4p and up 16% in constant currencies

    *  Interim ordinary dividend up 19% to 1.0p per share

    *  Net  new business billings of almost £1 billion ($1.6
       billion)  up 25% over £800 million ($1.3 billion)  in
       comparable period
                                                         

Summary of Results

The  Board of WPP Group plc announces its results for the
six  months  ended  30 June 1999, which show  significant
continued improvement.

Reportable  revenue was up 13% at £1.017 billion.   On  a
constant currency basis revenue was up over 11%.

Profit  before  interest and tax was  up  almost  19%  to
£128.9  million from £108.5 million and up almost 18%  in
constant currencies.

Reported  operating margins rose by 0.6%  to  12.7%  from
12.1% in line with the Group's financial objectives.   In
constant  currencies the operating margin grew  by  0.7%.
Operating costs rose by over 11% in reported figures, and
rose by over 9% in constant currencies.

The  Group's  staff cost to revenue ratio fell  to  49.6%
from  50.2%.  On a like-for-like basis the average number
of  people in the Group was 26,916 in the first  half  of
the  year,  compared to 26,039 in 1998,  an  increase  of
3.4%.   The  total number of people in the Group  at  the
half-year end was 27,334 against 25,565 in 1998.

Net  interest  payable and similar charges  increased  to
£16.3  million  from  £14.7 million, reflecting  improved
profitability  and  liquidity more  than  offset  by  the
impact of increased interest rates, share repurchases and
acquisitions.

Reported  profit  before tax rose 20% to  £112.6  million
from  £93.8 million. In constant currency pre-tax profits
rose  by  over 19%.  Pre-tax margins rose to  11.1%  from
10.4%.

The tax rate on profit on ordinary activities fell to 31%
from 32% last year.

Fully  diluted earnings per share were up almost  17%  at
9.8p, and were up 16% in constant currencies.

The  Board  recommends an increase of 19% in the  interim
ordinary dividend to 1.0p net per share.

Review of Operations

Revenue by Region

The  pattern of revenue growth differed regionally.   The
table  below gives details of the proportion  of  revenue
and  revenue  growth  (on a constant currency  basis)  by
region for the first six months of 1999.

Region                  Revenue as a %    Revenue growth
                        of total group       % 99/98
                                                 
North America                 44               15.4
UK                            21               13.2
Continental Europe            20               12.2
Asia Pacific, Latin           15              -1.6*
America, Africa &
Middle East
                             ___               ___
TOTAL GROUP                  100               11.4
                             ----              ----
*  flat excluding impact of Australian de-consolidation

As  can be seen, North America, UK and Continental Europe
continued to grow strongly.  Recovery in Asia Pacific was
counter-balanced by continued weakness in Latin America.

Net  new  business billings of almost £1.0 billion  ($1.6
billion) were won in the first half of the year,  25%  up
on  £800 million ($1.3 billion) in the comparable  period
last year.

Revenue by Communications Services Sector and Brand

The  pattern  of  revenue growth varied by communications
services sector and company brand.  The table below gives
details  of the proportion of revenue and revenue  growth
by communications services sector (on a constant currency
basis) for the first six months of 1999.

Communications           Revenue as a     Revenue growth
Services               % of total group      % 99/98

                                                 
Advertising, media            47                3.9
planning, buying and
research
Information and               19               16.8
consultancy
Public relationsand            8               26.1
public affairs*
Branding and                  26               18.2
identity, healthcare
and  specialist
communications
                             ___               ___
TOTAL GROUP                  100               11.4
                             ----              ----                     
*   The  revenue figures submitted to the ODwyer  Report
reflect  some public relations income which  is  included
here in advertising and specialist communications.  Total
public  relations and public affairs revenues grew almost
25% to $163 million.

Advertising, Media Planning, Buying and Research

On  a constant currency basis, combined revenue at Ogilvy
&   Mather   Worldwide  (including  Cole  &   Weber   and
OgilvyOne),  J  Walter  Thompson  Company,  Conquest  and
MindShare  rose  by  almost 6%, whilst operating  margins
continued to improve.

Ogilvy  &  Mather  Worldwide, J Walter Thompson  Company,
Conquest   and  MindShare  generated  net  new   business
billings  of  £700  million ($1.1 billion),  double  that
achieved in the first six months of 1998.

Information and Consultancy

The   Groups  information  and  consultancy   businesses
continued  their  growth,  with  revenues  increasing  by
almost  17%, gross profit by 15% and operating profit  up
over 17%.

Public Relations and Public Affairs

The  Groups public relations and public affairs revenues
showed  significant continued growth,  rising  over  26%,
with  operating  margins  at  14%  well  beyond  previous
objectives.  15% operating margins look feasible.    Hill
and  Knowltons  revenues rose over 15% and  the  company
continued  to  improve  its  operating  margin  strongly.
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwides revenues rose by over
60%,  also  with significant improvement in its operating
margin.

Branding   and   Identity,  Healthcare   and   Specialist
Communications

The   Groups  branding  and  identity,  healthcare   and
specialist  communications revenues grew  over  18%  over
last  year with gross margin up 17% and operating margins
improved.

Cashflow and Balance Sheet

A  summary  of  the  Groups cashflow statement,  balance
sheet  and  notes  as  at 30 June 1999  are  attached  as
Appendix I.

Improved  profitability and cashflow  have  continued  to
have  a positive effect on the Groups balance sheet  and
liquidity.   In  the  first half of 1999,  profit  before
interest  and  tax  was  £129 million,  depreciation  £20
million and capital expenditure £22 million.  As a result
of  cash  acquisition payments of £54 million  and  share
repurchases  of £4 million (these totalling £149  million
for the last twelve months and the bulk of which was paid
in  the  third  and  fourth quarter  of  1998),  constant
currency  net debt increased to average £177  million  in
the  first  half against £126 million in the  comparative
period last year.
                                                               
On  30  June  1999 net bank borrowings were  £52  million
against  £29  million  on  30 June  1998  on  a  constant
currency basis.

The  Board  continues to examine ways  of  deploying  its
substantial  cashflow of over £200 million per  annum  to
enhance   share  owner  value  particularly  given   that
interest  cover  is  almost  eight  times.  As  necessary
capital  expenditure normally approximates to 1-1.2x  the
depreciation  charge,  the Company  has  concentrated  on
examining  possible  acquisitions  or  returning   excess
capital to share owners in the form of dividends or share
buy-backs.

In  the  first  half  of  1999,  acquisitions  have  been
completed  in  advertising, media  planning,  buying  and
research in Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain,  the
UK  and  the  USA;  in  information  and  consultancy  in
Argentina,  Mexico and the USA; in public  relations  and
public  affairs in the USA; and in branding and identity,
healthcare and specialist communications, in Germany, the
UK  and  the  USA.   Particularly interesting  functional
acquisitions  and  investments  have  been  made  in  the
worlds   leading  loyalty  marketing  company  (Brierley
Partners),  hi-tech public relations and  public  affairs
(Blanc  & Otus), sports sponsorship, marketing and public
relations (PRISM), corporate reputation research  (BPRI),
multi-ethnic  marketing  (MSRC),  call  center  marketing
(Center  Partners), digital and new media (NoHo), on-line
technology  advertising (Dazai), airline market  research
(Jochems   Ladendorf),  television  audience  measurement
(ILASA)  and  financial  services  marketing  consultancy
(PFour).

wpp.com

Given  the  growth of the Groups new media revenues  and
investments  it  has been decided to  form  a  new  media
parent  company,  wpp.com.  Like WPP itself  and  Kantar,
wpp.com will be a parent company seeking to add value  in
the  new  technology area to clients and our  people  and
accelerate    the   development   of   our    interactive
capabilities and revenues.  wpp.com will co-ordinate  all
our  new  media  activities across our operating  brands.
wpp.coms  non-executive  Chairman  will  be   WPP   non-
executive director, Esther Dyson, and its Chief Executive
will be Eric Salama, WPPs Strategy Director.

If  it was a separate company wpp.coms revenues would be
estimated at $100 million in 1999 with interests spanning
three  areas.  First, minority investments which WPP  has
previously  made,  either directly or indirectly  through
West  Coast based venture funds MTV and MTEP.   Companies
in  which  WPP  has invested include Peapod, BroadVision,
Talk City and Quokka as well as others some of which  may
be  listed  shortly, such as Medscape.  Investments  have
totalled approximately $20 million so far.  WPP does  not
consolidate any revenues from these investments  but  may
liquidate the stakes at some stage in the future.

Secondly,   minority   investments   in   Internet    and
interactive marketing services companies such as  Syzygy,
UK  Web  Agency of the Year and United Media in  Germany.
And  thirdly,  interactive  revenues  from  wholly  owned
operating companies, the most important of which  include
OgilvyInteractive,  the  leading global  web  development
company  and recent winner of the majority of  the  first
Cyber   Lions   at   Cannes  and  AdAges   International
Interactive  Agency of the Year; JWT Connect;  MindShare,
which  in  combination  with  OgilvyInteractive  is   the
largest   buyer   of  Internet  media   in   the   world;
MBInteractive,  widely  regarded  as  the  most  advanced
Internet-based  research  company;  AlexanderOgilvy   and
Blanc  & Otus, two of the leading hi-tech and web  public
relations  firms  in the United States; and  Bravant,  an
Internet-based recruitment company recently spun  out  of
JWT Specialized Communications.

Major  clients of wpp.com will include IBM, Ford,  Qwest,
Mindspring, WebMD, DrKoop, etoys, Ameritrade, Ziff  Davis
and   Double   Click.   wpp.coms  Board  will    include
management    from   OgilvyInteractive,    JWT    Digital
Communications, Kantar, MBInteractive, Hill and Knowlton,
Blanc   &   Otus,  Ogilvy  Public  Relations   Worldwide,
AlexanderOgilvy, Bravant and Clever Media.  The  CEOs  of
wholly  owned new media operating companies will continue
to report into their existing management but will have  a
dotted line responsibility to wpp.com.

In  addition to increasing the interim dividend by 19% to
£7.8 million or 1.0p per share, the Company has continued
its rolling share buy-back programme in the first half of
the  year  by repurchasing 803,000 shares at  an  average
price  of £5.13 per share and total cost of £4.1 million.
The companys objective remains to buy-back approximately
£50  million of shares each year, equivalent to  1-2%  of
the ordinary share capital.

Client Developments in the First Half of 1999

At  the end of the half year, the Group worked with  over
330 major national or multi-national clients in three  or
more    functions.    This   reflects   the    increasing
opportunities  for co-ordination between activities  both
nationally  and  internationally.  The Group  also  works
with  well over 100 clients in 6 or more countries.   The
Group  now  serves more than 300 of the Fortune  500  and
including  associates employs over 33,000 people  in  950
offices in 92 countries.

The Group estimates that more than 20% of new assignments
in  the first half of the year were generated through the
joint  development of opportunities by two or more  Group
companies.
                                 
Current Progress and Future Prospects

The  Groups performance has continued to improve in  the
first half of 1999.

Geographically  the  United States,  United  Kingdom  and
Continental  Europe  have  done  particularly  well  with
significant  improvements in revenue,  operating  profits
and  margins. Whilst Asia Pacific has begun  to  recover,
Latin America continues to be weak.

Functionally,  advertising has continued to  improve  its
operating  profits  and margins, whilst  information  and
consultancy,  public  relations and  public  affairs  and
branding   and   identity,  healthcare   and   specialist
communications   have  continued  to  improve   operating
profits or margins at higher levels of revenue growth.

By  brand, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, Conquest,  Millward
Brown, Goldfarb Consultants, Kantar Media Research,  Hill
and   Knowlton,   Ogilvy   Public  Relations   Worldwide,
RTCdirect, Mando Marketing, Coley Porter Bell, Enterprise
IG   Europe,   BDG  McColl,  Scott  Stern,  CommonHealth,
Management   Ventures,   The  Henley   Centre,   Savatar,
WalkerGroup/CNI,  The Geppetto Group,  Windi  Winderlich,
The  Food  Group,  PRISM  Group and  The  Farm  all  have
performed particularly well.
                                                         
Underlying  revenue  trends  are  sound  with  the  Group
growing  faster than the market and therefore  increasing
market share.  Prospects for the latter half of 1999 look
similar  to  the first half (early indications  are  that
July  revenues  are  up almost 9% on a constant  currency
basis)  and projections for advertising market growth  in
2000  look  better  than  1999  in  the  range  of  5-6%.
Continual  concerns  about stock  market  valuations  and
economic  over-heating on both sides of the Atlantic  are
more  than  balanced  by  the  focus  by  governments  on
interest rate policy, the stimulative effects of the 2000
US  Presidential  Election, the  2000  Olympics  and  the
Millennium itself.

Although market conditions are reasonable, plans, budgets
and  forecasts of revenues will continue to be made on  a
conservative  basis and considerable attention  is  still
being  focused  on  achieving margin and  staff  cost  to
revenue  targets.  Continued progress is  being  made  in
these  areas.   For example, on a comparable  basis,  the
combined  operating margins of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide,
J  Walter  Thompson Company and MindShare rose  to  14.6%
from 14.0% in the first half of 1999 compared to the same
period in 1998.

In  addition to influencing absolute levels of cost,  the
initiatives taken by the parent company in the  areas  of
human   resources,  property,  procurement,   information
technology  and  practice development have  improved  the
flexibility of the Groups cost base.
                                    
This  will  become  increasingly important  if  and  when
economic activity stalls.  Over the last five years fixed
staff  and property costs have fallen to 51.5% from 56.9%
of  revenue.  The Group continues to improve co-operation
and co-ordination between companies in order to add value
to  our  clients businesses and our peoples careers,  an
objective  which has been specifically built into  short-
term  incentive plans.  Particular emphasis  and  success
has  been achieved in the areas of media planning, buying
and     research,    healthcare,    privatisation,    new
technologies,    new    markets,   retailing,    internal
communications, hi-tech, financial services and media and
entertainment.

The  Group continues to concentrate on the six objectives
of  improving  operating profits  by  15-20%  per  annum;
improving  operating  margins by 1%  per  annum  or  more
depending  on  revenue growth; improving  staff  cost  to
revenue  ratios  by 0.6% per annum or more  depending  on
revenue  growth;  converting 20-33  1/3%  of  incremental
revenue  to  profit  and  growing  revenue  faster   than
industry averages; encouraging co-operation between Group
companies  and  improving  the  quality  of  the  Groups
creative  product  through recruitment, training,  career
development and acquisition.

As mentioned in the annual report your Board continues to
review   the  competitive  environment  in  relation   to
compensation  for  key  executives.   Plans   are   being
developed  internally and in discussion with major  share
owners.   Details  will be sent in due  course  to  share
owners for their review and approval.

In  addition to introducing greater flexibility into  its
cost   structure,   the  Group  is   competitively   well
positioned to weather any economic uncertainty because of
its  stronger financial position, its geographic  spread,
its  consistent  new business record and its  competitive
strength in information and consultancy, public relations
and  public affairs and identity and branding, healthcare
and  specialist communications - particularly as  clients
decide  to  spend  an  increasing  proportion  of   their
marketing budgets on 'below-the-line' activities.

The  Group  is in line to achieve its third  margin  plan
targets  of  13.4% in 1999 and 14% in  2000.   Given  the
achievement of this plan, consideration is being given to
developing  a fourth margin plan for further  improvement
in margin profitability.

Given  a  stable or improving economic climate the  Group
should  make further progress as operating margins  still
remain below the achievements of the very best performing
competition.  The strong start to the first half of  1999
has been further strengthened by significant new business
wins  since 30 June totalling more than $700 million from
Ford   (Brazil),   Mattel,  Miller   Brewing,   Northwest
Airlines, Unilever, WebMD and Wings Alliance.
                                    
The  only sad piece of news to report so far in 1999  was
the  death  of  David Ogilvy, the founder of  The  Ogilvy
Group,  which  became a part of WPP in 1989.   David  was
Chairman   of  WPP  itself  from  1989-1992.    He   died
peacefully at his home, Chateau Touffou at Bonnes, France
on  July 21 aged 88 and is survived by his wife Herta and
son  David.  There are very few people in the  world  who
made  such  an impact on our industry.  David ranks  with
the  very greatest - Bill Bernbach, Raymond Rubicam,  Leo
Burnett,  Stanley Resor, James Webb Young and  perhaps  a
very  few others.  No other Briton has made or will  make
such  an  impact on our business as David did;  not  only
because  of  his thinking in relation to advertising  and
the  importance of strategic analysis, creative execution
and  effective  work  - but also because  there,  in  his
remarkable  books, is further evidence of his breadth  of
vision  and foresight.  He was amongst the first, if  not
the  first, to identify the importance of recruiting  and
training  the best and brightest young people, the  value
of  effective  market  research and the  significance  of
direct  marketing.   In  many  ways,  David  foresaw  the
development of the new technologies which are having such
an important influence on our business today.

Perhaps  the  best way to remember David is  the  way  he
wanted to be remembered.  In December 1996, at the age of
85,  he  wrote,  'Horace  wrote my  epitaph,  and  Dryden
translated it into English:

          Happy the man, and happy he alone,
          He who can call today his own;
          He who, secure within, can say,
          Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have liv'd today.'
          
This   announcement  has  been  filed  at   the   Company
Announcements Office of the London Stock Exchange and  is
being  distributed to all owners of Ordinary  shares  and
American  Depository Receipts.  Copies are  available  to
the public at the Companys registered office.

The  following cautionary statement is included for  safe
harbour   purposes   in  connection  with   the   Private
Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995  introduced  in
the  United  States  of America.  This  announcement  may
contain forward-looking statements within the meaning  of
the  US  federal  securities laws.  These statements  are
subject  to  risks  and uncertainties  that  could  cause
actual results to differ materially including adjustments
arising  from  the  annual audit by  management  and  the
companys  independent auditors.  For further information
on  factors  which  could  impact  the  company  and  the
statements  contained  herein,  please  refer  to  public
filings  by the company with the Securities and  Exchange
Commission.   The statements in this announcement  should
be considered in light of these risks and uncertainties.
                                                         
For further information:

Martin Sorrell      )    44-20-7408-2204
Feona McEwan        )
Andrew Hall         )    1-212-632-2314


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