Wunderman Thompson

Wunderman Thompson is the third agency I’ve chosen to take a look at. Wunderman Thompson is a relatively newer global marketing communications agency headquartered in New York with 200 offices in over 90 markets. They were formed as part of an international advertising group in 2018 when parent WPP merged agencies J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman. Some of their services include commerce, communication, data, technology, apps, and countless others.

Now let's talk about some of their campaigns. One of their most notable recent campaigns was in partnership with global fast food chain, Burger King. In Italy, as the COVID-19 pandemic was slowly getting better, and the government had ended total confinement and Phase 2 had began, Burger King released their “Social Distancing Whopper” which consisted of a layer of triple onions to keep others away from you. The rules for Phase 2 were clear: wear a face mask, gloves, and most importantly, keep a distance of at least one meter, or 6 feet, between yourself and others. In this campaign, Burger King and Wunderman Thompson focused on the importance of social distancing while advertising their meal. With the idea of onions giving you bad breath, Burger King and Wunderman Thompson did a great job of giving a reason for people the eat their burger and social distance.

One of their recent campaigns that really caught my eye revolved around the UN’s Global Goal for sustainable cities which directly relates to our M-School groups campaign in raising awareness and reducing anxieties in taking public transportation, specifically in LA. Wunderman Thompson’s branch in Sao Paulo decided to build public awareness about the devastating congestion issues within its own city and bring light to the UN’s Global Goal about sustainable cities and communities. With traffic complaints at an all time high in Sao Paulo, along with the popular refrain that ‘one day the city will stop’, it had inspired Wunderman Thompson to show that regardless of social classes or method of transportation, traffic jams affected the lives of all Sao Paulo residents everyday. This was presented by a raging set of devastating facts at the end of their short film such as, “Air pollution kills 20 people each day in Sao Paulo”, “Traffic violence has a 31% higher mortality rate than public violence in Sao Paulo”, and “Sao Paulo residents spend, on average, 36 days in traffic per year.” Using these emotionally burdened facts, Wunderman Thompson does a great job in inspiring people by recognizing that they are part of the problem, but they can also be part of the solution too. As their closing message says: “How long does the city have to stop before people make a move.”

Brands everywhere, especially marketing and advertising brands, face the challenge of growth and keeping up with the times. This is made difficult by the ever-changing, complex and uncertain world of rising consumer expectations and the fast paced growth of technology. Brands need to move at the speed culture does and with that, Wunderman Thompson is a growth partner - part agency, part consultancy, and part tech company. They inspire growth by applying inspiration everywhere across the consumer journey. Their inspiration is borne of bringing creativity, data, and technology together.