Wunderman Thompson

Wunderman Thompson

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Marketing communications
Founded	2018
Defunct	2024-01-01
Fate	Merged with VMLY&R to form VML
Headquarters	New York , United States
Area served	Worldwide (200 offices in 90 countries)
Key people	Mel Edwards (Global CEO)
Products	Advertising, digital marketing services
Parent	WPP Group

Wunderman Thompson was a global marketing communications firm headquartered in New York, maintaining a presence with 200 offices spanning 90 countries. It functioned as part of the international advertising conglomerate WPP Group (). Created in 2018 through the consolidation of J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman, the agency delivered integrated advertising and digital marketing services across various sectors. On October 17, 2023, WPP revealed plans to merge Wunderman Thompson with VMLY&R, resulting in the formation of a new entity named VML. Consequently, the Wunderman Thompson brand was discontinued as of January 1, 2024.

J. Walter Thompson

Originating in 1864, J. Walter Thompson was founded by James Walter Thompson and developed from one of America’s earliest advertising firms, Carlton & Smith. It joined WPP’s collection of agencies in 1987, bringing a longstanding heritage in both traditional and digital advertising disciplines.

Wunderman

Wunderman was established in 1958 by direct marketing innovator Lester Wunderman, along with Irving Wunderman and partners Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline. Operating initially as Wunderman, Ricotta & Klein (WRK), the agency played a pivotal role in pioneering modern direct marketing—a phrase introduced by Lester in 1961. The company became part of WPP’s portfolio following the 2000 acquisition of its parent company, Young and Rubicam, for $5.7 billion.

To bolster its digital commerce expertise, Wunderman acquired ecommerce consultancy Salmon in 2013 and later expanded further by purchasing ecommerce agency CSP Commerce in 2019, thereby enhancing its capabilities in digital transformation and commerce services.

Post merger (2019Template:Endashpresent)

In 2018, WPP combined Wunderman with J. Walter Thompson Co., officially launching the unified agency as Wunderman Thompson at the start of 2019, appointing Mel Edwards as Global CEO. By March 2019, WPP had integrated its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber into Wunderman Thompson to enhance its international offerings.

In December 2020, the agency introduced a global brand report titled "Inspiring Growth," which ranked the world’s most motivating brands.

At the Cannes Lions Festival 2021-2022, Wunderman Thompson earned the Innovation Lions Grand Prix for its campaign promoting Unilever’s Degree Inclusive deodorant. Later that year, it extended its research into consumer inspiration through an international study.

January 2022 saw the agency reveal a virtual reality metaverse experience at the Consumer Electronics Show, showcasing the blend of virtual environments with real-world interactions. In July, Wunderman Thompson Health created a smallpox outbreak simulation tool for Meridian to aid governmental bodies in infectious disease readiness.

Noteworthy Clients

Among the company's distinguished clientele are the financial powerhouse HSBC, the prestigious luxury watchmaker Rolex, technology titan Samsung, energy corporation Shell Oil Company, the US Marine Corps, telecommunications giants Vodafone and British Telecom, consumer products leader Unilever, and the multinational food enterprise Nestlé.

Prominent Campaigns

Significant campaigns undertaken include:

• Promotion of Bose noise-cancelling headphones during quarantine periods
• Burger King’s initiative encouraging social distancing with the Whopper
• Collaboration between the International Committee of the Red Cross and Fortnite featuring a bespoke gaming mode
• Nestlé’s KitKat campaigns titled "Snap out of it" and "Have a Bite"
• Degree Inclusive deodorant, specifically developed for individuals with disabilities
• WaterLight, an innovative device that transforms salt water into electrical power for communities without grid access
• The Hellmann’s Mayonnaise campaign aimed at reducing food waste

Inspiring Growth

Wunderman Thompson produces the global "Inspiring Growth" brand report, which ranks the world’s most motivating brands by leveraging data from WPP's exclusive BAV dataset. This study includes an annual Inspire Score, a unique metric that lists the top 100 most inspiring brands worldwide, emphasizing critical growth prospects related to brand inspiration. It also explores how inspiration influences consumer behavior and market dynamics.