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]
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][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]
"Snap out of it" and "Have a Bite" for Nestlé's KitKat candy[30][31]
Degree Inclusive deodorant for people with disabilities[25]
WaterLight, a device that converts salt water into electricity[32]
Hellmann’s Mayonnaise tips on how to avoid food waste[33]
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.[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]
