Wunderman Thompson


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. Wunderman Thompson was formed in 2018, when parent WPP merged agencies J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman.

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.
J. Walter Thompson was acquired by WPP in 1987.

Wunderman

In 1958, direct marketer Lester Wunderman, alongside his brother Irving Wunderman, and colleagues Ed Ricotta and Harry Kline, opened Wunderman, Ricotta & Klein. Founder Lester Wunderman is widely considered to be the creator of modern-day Direct Marketing—a term he first used in 1961.
In 2000, the firm became part of WPP's $5.7B acquisition of parent Young and Rubicam.

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. Wunderman CEO Mel Edwards was named Global CEO of the new entity.
In March 2019, WPP merged its agencies POSSIBLE and Cole & Weber with Wunderman Thompson.

Notable clients

The company's notable clients include financial company HSBC,, Rolex, Samsung, Shell Oil Company, and the US Marine Corps.

Notable campaigns

Some of the agency's notable campaigns include: