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 |
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.
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]
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]
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] [10] Wunderman CEO Mel Edwards was named Global CEO of the new entity. [11]
In March 2019, WPP merged its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber with Wunderman Thompson. [12]
In December 2020, the agency launched a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranked the most inspiring brands in the world. [13]
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. [14] In September, the agency expanded its global brand study with research on the role of inspiration in people's lives. [15]
In January 2022, Wunderman Thompson launched a virtual reality metaverse at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, showing how virtual and physical worlds can converge. [16] 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. [17]
The company's notable clients include financial company HSBC, [18] Rolex, [19] Samsung, [20] Shell Oil Company, [21] the US Marine Corps, [22] Vodafone, [23] British Telecom, [24] Unilever [25] and Nestlé. [26]
Some of the agency's notable campaigns include:
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. [34] 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. [13] The study also includes research on the role of inspiration in people’s lives. [15]
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 |
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.
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]
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]
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] [10] Wunderman CEO Mel Edwards was named Global CEO of the new entity. [11]
In March 2019, WPP merged its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber with Wunderman Thompson. [12]
In December 2020, the agency launched a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranked the most inspiring brands in the world. [13]
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. [14] In September, the agency expanded its global brand study with research on the role of inspiration in people's lives. [15]
In January 2022, Wunderman Thompson launched a virtual reality metaverse at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, showing how virtual and physical worlds can converge. [16] 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. [17]
The company's notable clients include financial company HSBC, [18] Rolex, [19] Samsung, [20] Shell Oil Company, [21] the US Marine Corps, [22] Vodafone, [23] British Telecom, [24] Unilever [25] and Nestlé. [26]
Some of the agency's notable campaigns include:
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. [34] 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. [13] The study also includes research on the role of inspiration in people’s lives. [15]