WPP merges Wunderman Thompson and VMLYR to create global powerhouse in VML with more than 30,000 people in 64 markets
WPP today announced a major evolution in its offering to clients with the merger of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R. The combined entity will be known as VML and will be the industry’s largest creative company.
VML unites two of the most awarded creative agencies in the world, each with world-class commerce, customer experience and marketing technology capabilities. VML will be equipped to support clients on creative brand growth strategy and transformation initiatives, all powered by best-in-class data operations, technology platforms and partnerships with leading technology companies. It will also provide an exceptional offer for healthcare companies and B2B marketers.
Respective client bases, functional expertise and geographic strengths mean the agencies are highly complementary and the combined company will have more than 30,000 people in 64 markets.
Jon Cook becomes VML Global CEO and Mel Edwards VML Global President (pictured), with the broader management team bringing together strong leaders from across both companies.
Says Cook: “The future of building strong brands and businesses requires the interconnectivity of brand experience, commerce and customer experiences. We recognised 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.”
“This is the right suite of capabilities, offered at just the right moment, at unprecedented scale,” says Edwards. “It’s incredibly exciting because with this new agency we have the chance to shape the future of modern marketing in every key market around the world. 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.”
Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R were launched in 2018 and have experienced sustained growth since their inception – through client development, new business and acquisitions. Each agency is globally renowned for its creativity and capabilities, with Wunderman Thompson named as Campaign’s Integrated Network of the Year and an Ad Age Standout Agency, and VMLY&R ranked #7 globally at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and #2 on the Ad Age A-List.
Their breadth of expertise has also been recognised by technology partners – including Adobe, BigCommerce, Contentful, Microsoft, Salesforce and Sitecore – and by industry analysts. Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R are among the companies recognised by the Forrester Wave™ Reports naming WPP as a ‘Leader’ in Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Service Providers and most recently Marketing Measurement and Optimisation.
Says Mark Read, CEO of WPP: “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.
“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, Global Chief Creative Officer; Eric Campbell, Global Chief Client Officer; Juan Pablo Jurado, CEO LATAM; Ewen Sturgeon, CEO EMEA; and Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay, Co-CEOs APAC.
Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R have partnered globally across clients such as Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company and more.
VML will be operational from 1 January 2024.
12 Comments
Should have gone with WPPVMLY&RWT.
“The future of building strong brands and businesses requires the interconnectivity of brand experience, commerce and customer experiences.” Er no. Surely not changing your name and offering every 4 years. Surely not having people on the client’s business that change every 18 months. Surely not destroying years of brand equity. Surely a consistent name and positioning of the offering is key.
Wonder how many great people will be discarded in this move
It seems WPP’s view of the future of strong brands is to keep changing them?
How many legendary, iconic brands have they destroyed over the years. And for what exactly?
In one fell swoop, two of the world’s oldest agencies in J. Walter Thompson and Young & Rubicam have been obliterated.
263 years of history down the drain.
Yes, I’m aware it’s just by name only. I know you can make an argument that Lord & Thomas is still operating by proxy of FCB (f.k.a. Foote, Cone & Belding).
But let’s be real; who among us knows that VML stands for Valentine McCormick Ligibel, est. 1992? I know I didn’t before today.
And now, that amorphous three-letter acronym supplants all else.
At this rate, I give DDB and Ogilvy 10 & 20 years respectively before they’re swallowed whole. That might be too generous, come to think of it…
This actually makes sense. Takes two strong businesses and merges the available talent and skill so they can array over a larger set of clients. Plus halve the back office, head office, non billable overhead so that saving can flow to remunerating the people who actually do the work.
What about the people? It’s obvious that it’s a cost exercise, so we should think about the people who are about to loose their jobs.
With the softening global economy, companies moving creatives/agencies in-house or cutting them altogether, client budgets shrinking (yet deliverables expanding), and the onset of AI…it would seem the move is to stay agile and small. So, the exact opposite of what WPP is doing.
Good news is merged 4 agencies together and package well to public and sound like a good move, good future plan, save costs.
Bad news is some people will be chopping lists.
That’s all.
This is so sad.
I spent significant chunks of my career (such as it was) at Y&R, Thompsons and some of the others listed earlier who are no longer with us.
Sure they had their faults back then, and even more when viewed in retrospect.
But JWT and Y&R stood for something.
It is indeed truly ironic that WPP (and their ilk) sell themselves as brand custodians and experts at extracting value from brands whilst destroying their own.
I always thought VML stood for something like Virtual Media Lab. I had no idea it was Initials. Nice as Mr Valentine & Co may have been, their anonymity is further evidence of this.
Schadenfreude is always enjoyable when observing the travails of these holding companies, but less so when one recalls the number of people who were cast aside along the way.
Yet another move by WPP to consolidate off the back of poor performance. It’s the same line wheeled out when VML merged with Y&R and WT merged with JWT. To quote the CB article from 2019: “The new organization of more than 20,000 people in 90 markets will be fully operational in early 2019. It promises to be distinctively positioned as a provider of end-to-end solutions – through creative, data, commerce, consulting and technology services – at a global scale.”
No one, including the senior leadership, in any of the agencies here knew anything before the start of the week. It’s going to be SUCH a mess