HELPING CLIENTS GROW
“JWT’s demise is a metaphor of the demise of Madison Avenue,” wrote Avi Dan in a contribution to Forbes when WPP announced the merger of traditional agency J. Walter Thompson and digital agency Wunderman to become Wunderman Thompson in November 2018. It was all part of a global shake-up within the WPP group that included VML merging with traditional agency Y&R to form VMLY&R.
In New Zealand, the merger took form in May this year with the creation of a local Wunderman Thompson under the leadership of Luke Pierson, founder of Wellington agency, Heyday Digital – which merged with JWT to form Wunderman Thompson New Zealand.
The move is indicative of the Kiwi ‘can do’ nature but there is no doubt Pierson faces challenges. The advertising landscape is in a state of turmoil as traditional advertising agencies struggle to come to terms with a totally different and fast-changing digital world.
Wunderman Thompson now bills itself as a creative, data and technology agency built to inspire growth for ambitious brands, but can a digital hotshot bring together a market desire for persuasive storytelling with an undoubted ability for
