Wunderman Thompson

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This article is about the current Wunderman Thompson agency. For its similarly named predecessor, see Wunderman.
Wunderman Thompson
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAdvertising, Digital Marketing
PredecessorsAgencies J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman
Founded2018
HeadquartersNew 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]
ParentWPP
Websitewww.wundermanthompson.com

Wunderman Thompson is a New York-based global marketing communications agency with 200 offices in 90 markets. It is 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]

History[]

J. Walter Thompson[]

Main article: 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.[3]

J. Walter Thompson was acquired by WPP in 1987.[4]

Wunderman[]

Main article: Wunderman

In 1958, direct marketer Lester Wunderman, alongside his brother Irving Wunderman, and colleagues Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline, opened Wunderman, Ricotta & Klein (WRK).[5] Founder Lester Wunderman is widely considered to be the creator of modern-day Direct Marketing—a term he first used in 1961.[5]

In 2000, the firm became part of WPP's $5.7B acquisition of parent Young and Rubicam.[5]

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.[6][7] Wunderman CEO Mel Edwards was named Global CEO of the new entity.[8]

In March 2019, WPP merged its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber with Wunderman Thompson.[9]

In December 2020, the agency launched a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranked the most inspiring brands in the world.[10]

Notable clients[]

The company's notable clients include financial company HSBC,[11] Rolex,[12] Samsung,[13] Shell Oil Company,[14] and the US Marine Corps.[15]

Notable campaigns[]

Some of the agency's notable campaigns include:

Inspiring Growth[]

Wunderman Thompson issues a global brand study called "Inspiring Growth", which ranks the most inspiring brands in the world, using data from fellow WPP property Kantar Group's BrandZ brand rankings.[10][20][21] 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.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Wunderman Thompson CEO Mel Edwards on Leading a 20,000-Person Merger". 24 January 2019.
  2. ^ "WPP is merging JWT with Wunderman". Ad Age. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  3. ^ J. Walter Thompson American Advertising Agency, Encyclopedia Britannica, November 13, 2019
  4. ^ Sir Martin Sorrell: advertising man who made the industry's biggest pitch, The Guardian, July 3, 2010
  5. ^ a b c "Lester Wunderman, Direct Marketing Pioneer and Original 'Mad Man,' Dies at 98". AdWeek. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  6. ^ "J. Walter Thompson & Co. and the 1964 Advertising Age Commemorative Issue". American Marketing Association New York. 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  7. ^ "WPP Reveals Branding for Its Newly Merged Brands Wunderman and Thompson". MarTechSeries. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  8. ^ "Wunderman Thompson CEO Mel Edwards On Leading A 20,000-Person Merger". AdExchanger. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  9. ^ "WPP Folds Possible, Cole & Weber Into Wunderman Thompson Seattle as Part of 'Powerhouse' Merger". AdWeek. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  10. ^ a b c "'Inspiration gap' offers major growth opportunities for brands, says new study". Mediatel News. December 9, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "HSBC consolidates global creative account with WPP as lead agency". Campaign Live. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  12. ^ "Amp Spotlight: Nostalgia Reigns over Awards Season". AdAge. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  13. ^ "Samsung Mobile Sends $10 Million Social Media Account to Wunderman Thompson". AdWeek. 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  14. ^ "As Shell shifts spend to target younger drivers, it is leaning on its agencies more than ever". The Drum. 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  15. ^ "Wunderman Thompson Atlanta Retains US Marine Corps Account". AdAge. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  16. ^ "Striking Just the Right Tone, Bose Sends a Message to Your Noisy Neighbors in Quarantine". AdWeek. 2020-05-19. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  17. ^ "Burger King uses extra onions to equip The Whopper for social distancing". Fast Company. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  18. ^ "Red Cross Is Using Fortnite to Get Gen Z Into Lifesaving Mode". Muse buy Clio. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  19. ^ "KITKAT reminds people to snap out of GPS dramas in latest campaign via Wunderman Thompson". Campaign Brief. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  20. ^ "Amazon named world's most inspirational brand by Wunderman Thompson research". New Digital Age. December 8, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  21. ^ "Amazon's brand value tops $400 billion, boosted by the coronavirus pandemic: Survey". CNBC. June 30, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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