Wunderman Thompson
American marketing communications agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wunderman Thompson was a New York–based global marketing communications agency with 200 offices in 90 markets. It was part of international advertising group WPP Group (NYSE: WPP). Wunderman Thompson was formed in 2018, when parent WPP merged agencies J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman.[2] On 17th October 2023, WPP announced the merger of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R into a new agency VML.[3] On January 01, 2024, Wunderman Thompson ceased to exist.
| |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Advertising, Digital Marketing |
| Predecessors | Agencies J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
Number of locations | 200 offices in 90 markets |
Key people | Mel Edwards (Global CEO) |
Number of employees | 20,000 (2019)[1] |
| Parent | WPP |
| Website | www.wundermanthompson.com |
History
J. Walter Thompson
J. Walter Thompson was founded in 1864 by James Walter Thompson and traces its origins to the Carlton & Smith agency, one of the first known advertising agencies in the United States.[4]
J. Walter Thompson was acquired by WPP in 1987.[5]
Wunderman
In 1958, direct marketer Lester Wunderman, alongside his brother Irving Wunderman, and colleagues Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline, opened Wunderman, Ricotta & Klein (WRK).[6] Founder Lester Wunderman is widely considered to be the creator of modern-day Direct Marketing—a term he first used in 1961.[6]
In 2000, the firm became part of WPP's $5.7B acquisition of parent Young and Rubicam.[6]
In 2013, WPP acquired the ecommerce consultancy Salmon. [7]
In 2019, WPP acquired the ecommerce agency CSP Commerce. [8]
Post merger (2019–present)
In 2018, WPP merged Wunderman with J. Walter Thompson Co., and in the first quarter of 2019, unveiled its new identity as Wunderman Thompson.[9] Wunderman CEO Mel Edwards was named Global CEO of the new entity.[10]
In March 2019, WPP merged its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber with Wunderman Thompson.[11]
In December 2020, the agency launched a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranked the most inspiring brands in the world.[12]
In June 2021, Wunderman Thompson won the Innovation Lions Grand Prix at the 2021-2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for Degree Inclusive deodorant.[13] In September, the agency expanded its global brand study with research on the role of inspiration in people's lives.[14]
In January 2022, Wunderman Thompson launched a virtual reality metaverse at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, showing how virtual and physical worlds can converge.[15] In July, the company's Wunderman Thompson Health division created a smallpox simulator for smallpox medication maker Meridian, to help governments plan for future infectious disease outbreaks.[16]
Notable clients
Notable campaigns
Some of the agency's notable campaigns include:
- Bose's noise cancelling headphones during quarantine[26]
- Burger King's social distancing Whopper[27]
- The International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) custom gaming mode with video game Fortnite[28]
- "Snap out of it" and "Have a Bite" for Nestlé's KitKat candy[29][30]
- Degree Inclusive deodorant for people with disabilities[24]
- WaterLight, a device that converts salt water into electricity[31]
- Hellmann’s Mayonnaise tips on how to avoid food waste[32]
Inspiring Growth
Wunderman Thompson issues a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranks the most inspiring brands in the world, using data from WPP's proprietary BAV dataset.[33] Part of its study is an annual Inspire Score based on a proprietary diagnostic tool to rank the top 100 inspiring brands around the world.[12] The study also includes research on the role of inspiration in people’s lives.[14]