Five Interactive Investments for wpp.com 16/6/00 wpp.com, the parent company for the interactive activities of the WPP Group, has made a series of investments designed to increase the range of talent and resources available to clients. This includes a stake in Australian based Internet research company, Red Sheriff. The investments, generally involving stakes of under 10%, are in companies whose technologies, content and resources, it is believed, will enhance the competitive advantage of WPP companies. Senior wpp.com staff from the Group's direct, interactive, and information and consultancy discplines are filling board positions in these companies. The total cost of the investments runs to approximately US$16million. Red Sheriff is an Internet-based audience measurement and market research company with commercial operations in Australia, UK, Italy, Denmark and Finland. Its technology allows measurement of every visit and page seen at a website. The other investments include a stake in Metapack, which builds, designs and manages fulfilment solutions for Internet retailers, Imagine, an Israeli-based company that develops communication software solutions providing live customer interaction via the Web, Big Words, the premiere lifestyle brand and online destination for 18-24 year olds in the US and Spydre Labs, a leading e-business investor targeting the Latin America and US Hispanic market. More information at www.wpp.com