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Not a fan of holding companies, anyway. 

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Not a fan of holding companies, anyway. 

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The combined VML will employ more than 30,000 people in 64 markets -WSJ

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The combined VML will employ more than 30,000 people in 64 markets -WSJ

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Advertising holding company giant WPP is combining two of its major creative agencies, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, as it seeks to further simplify its business for marketer clients.

London-based WPP, which owns agencies including Ogilvy as well as media-buying giant GroupM, said the combined agency will be called VML and employ more than 30,000 people in 64 markets.

VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson were the product of mergers five years ago when WPP sought to integrate some of its iconic creative agencies with more digitally focused shops. In 2018, WPP matched creative shop Young & Rubicam with digital ad firm VML to form VMLY&R. Also that year, WPP combined J. Walter Thompson, one of the oldest ad agencies in the world, with digital agency Wunderman to create Wunderman Thompson.

VML will be led by Jon Cook as global chief executive and Mel Edwards as global president. Cook previously led VMLY&R and Edwards led Wunderman Thompson. Debbi Vandeven, who had been global chief creative officer at VMLY&R, will take on the same role at VML.

The merger is another important step in the simplification of WPP and its offerings to clients, Chief Executive Mark Read said.

Advertising agencies’ remit has ballooned far beyond work such as making television commercials and now includes offerings such as data consulting, e-commerce and other technology-related services.

WPP, for instance, has said an increasing amount of its creative agencies’ efforts fall outside traditional agency work to include technology, e-commerce and data consulting. The company hopes to make it easier for marketers to access such different services by putting them under the same roof.

WPP needed to evolve more as the marketing landscape has continued to shift, especially as the industry braces for what artificial intelligence will bring, Read said.

“Success with AI is going to require us integrating creative and media and production, and it’s going to be much easier for us to do that inside WPP with fewer, stronger companies,” he said.

Asked whether the merger would result in job cuts, Read said the move is designed to help VML invest more in areas such as creativity, strategy and technology. “Some of that will come likely at the expense of non-client facing capability, but it’s really about investing the resources we have on what matters to clients,” he said.

Cook said VML hopes to focus on brand experience, customer experience and commerce for clients. “I think the feeling from a lot of our clients is if you can make [the agency offering] simpler, you can also make it more powerful and create more relevance,” he said.

The choice of name was meant to showcase that simplicity, Edwards said. “We could have gone with an amalgamation of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, but oh my goodness, can you imagine the name?” she said.

WPP, which plans to report quarterly earnings next week, in August reduced its growth forecast for the year after it saw lower revenue in the U.S. from technology clients and delays in spending on technology projects.

Write to Megan Graham at megan.graham@wsj.com

WPP Merging VMLY&R With Wunderman Thompson - WSJ

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The combined VML will employ more than 30,000 people in 64 markets

Advertising holding company giant WPP is combining two of its major creative agencies, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, as it seeks to further simplify its business for marketer clients.

Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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WSJ News Exclusive | WPP Merging VMLY&R With Wunderman Thompson

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Advertising holding company giant WPP is combining two of its major creative agencies, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, as it seeks to further simplify its business for marketer clients.

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And so, just like that, the last, skeletal remains of the once great JWT are thrown into the incinerator as Wunderman Thompson "merges" with VMLY&R to become, erm, VML.

In its over 150 years in the business JWT managed to persuade companies to outsource their creative to its "writers and artists" - inventing the Creative Department in the process. They were the first to talk directly to women, with the first ads in women's magazines and the first to promote a woman to creative director.

They were the first agency to open offices on both sides of the Atlantic too making them the first international agency.

In 1912 the JWT "T Square" became the creative brief that most today are still based on. And in 1968 they started the first planning department under Steven King.

They innovated in the work too, first recipe ad, the first real use of celebrity testimonials, the first to use photography in ads. They put the Soap into soap operas with radio dramas and helped shape TV drama with Kraft Television Theatre, another first 1 hr live TV dramas

They were the home of JEREMY BULLMORE. The best thing to come out of JWT, out of advertising and out of England. This remarkable man is today spinning in his grave. Faye Weldon wanted in but failed the copy test and, for a blink of an eye, David Bowie may have walked the halls.

They wrote the "I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener" jingle and " I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Toys"R"Us Kid""

They gave us the Andrex Puppy , Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Mr Kipling, Have A Break, Have a KitKat, the right hand ring, A diamond is forever and those ruler marks you still find on sticks of butter

They established the Duke advertising archive and made a Xmas favourite in the "Yes Virginia" movie for Macy's

And in its latter years, with a culture already shattered by holding company indifference, this storied brand was poisoned by toxic men and some shameful treatment of female employees. And those men should carry the shame of their actions and the shame of the havoc their behaviour wrought on the women who worked there and on the company they worked for.

As should the holding companies who bought, diluted, merged, submerged and eventually drowned a culture that had done brilliant, breakthrough things for over a century.

We lost something today.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/steve-walls-bb533638_and-so-just-like-that-the-last-skeletal-activity-7120089836719325184-fXsP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

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And so, just like that, the last, skeletal remains of the once great JWT are thrown into the incinerator as Wunderman Thompson "merges" with VMLY&R to become, erm, VML. In its over 150 years in the business JWT managed to persuade companies to outsource their creative to its "writers and artists" - inventing the Creative Department in the process. They were the first to talk directly to women, with the first ads in women's magazines and the first to promote a woman to creative director. They were the first agency to open offices on both sides of the Atlantic too making them the first international agency. In 1912 the JWT "T Square" became the creative brief that most today are still based on. And in 1968 they started the first planning department under Steven King. They innovated in the work too, first recipe ad, the first real use of celebrity testimonials, the first to use photography in ads. They put the Soap into soap operas with radio dramas and helped shape TV drama with Kraft Television Theatre, another first 1 hr live TV dramas They were the home of JEREMY BULLMORE. The best thing to come out of JWT, out of advertising and out of England. This remarkable man is today spinning in his grave. Faye Weldon wanted in but failed the copy test and, for a blink of an eye, David Bowie may have walked the halls. They wrote the "I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener" jingle and " I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Toys"R"Us Kid"" They gave us the Andrex Puppy , Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Mr Kipling, Have A Break, Have a KitKat, the right hand ring, A diamond is forever and those ruler marks you still find on sticks of butter They established the Duke advertising archive and made a Xmas favourite in the "Yes Virginia" movie for Macy's And in its latter years, with a culture already shattered by holding company indifference, this storied brand was poisoned by toxic men and some shameful treatment of female employees. And those men should carry the shame of their actions and the shame of the havoc their behaviour wrought on the women who worked there and on the company they worked for. As should the holding companies who bought, diluted, merged, submerged and eventually drowned a culture that had done brilliant, breakthrough things for over a century. We lost something today.

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Steve Walls on LinkedIn: And so, just like that, the last, skeletal remains of the once great JWT... | 39 comments

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And so, just like that, the last, skeletal remains of the once great JWT are thrown into the incinerator as Wunderman Thompson "merges" with VMLY&R to become... | 39 comments on LinkedIn

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Discussion: WPP Merges VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to Form VML

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Discussion: WPP Merges VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to Form VML

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WPP has merged Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R to create VML, a new agency that combines brand experience, customer experience and commerce under the leadership of Jon Cook as global CEO and Mel Edwards as global president.

The merging of the two agencies creates a business of more than 30,000 people in 64 markets.

According to WPP, the new entity will begin doing business on Jan. 1, supporting clients on creative brand growth strategy and transformation while offering data operations, technology platforms and partnerships with major tech companies such as Nvidia, which Wunderman Thompson has partnered with to develop its AI offering. It will also offer B2B and healthcare services.

In a statement, Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: "Scale matters in today's world as AI and technology transform marketing and global clients look to simplify their relationships. VML will combine world-class creativity with deep expertise in data, marketing technology and platforms to deliver competitive advantage for ambitious brands. It's another important step forward for WPP as we continue to reshape our offer for the future, simplify our business and unlock further benefits of scale."

He continued: "Separately, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R are two of WPP's strongest and best performing agencies. Together, they will deliver an even wider, fully integrated suite of capabilities to our clients in every market. Marketers today expect seamless links between their brand advertising and technology solutions and platforms. VML provides an immediate solution to this business imperative."

Immediate leadership appointments include Debbi Vandeven as global chief creative officer; Eric Campbell as global chief client officer; Juan Pablo Jurado as CEO for LATAM; Ewen Sturgeon as CEO EMEA; and Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay, co-CEOs for APAC.

"The future of building strong brands and businesses requires the interconnectivity of brand experience, commerce and customer experiences," said Cook in a statement. "We recognized the immediate opportunity to create what every consultancy and advertising agency aspires to build with the formation of VML. We're especially excited to present our new offering to the industry, as we don't believe there is another company as creatively awarded with our depth in customer experience and commerce."

Edwards added: "This is the right suite of capabilities, offered at just the right moment, at unprecedented scale. ... The opportunities it affords our people and the growth we can deliver for our clients at a global scale make this a real game-changer for each business and the wider industry."

Previously, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R have partnered globally across clients such as Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé and The Coca-Cola Company.

Adweek has requested comment from WPP about whether any jobs will be lost as a result of the merger.

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WPP Merges VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to Form VML

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The two agencies will be led by Jon Cook and Mel Edwards.