J walter thompson biography
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The story behind the collapse of advertising's oldest agency, J. Walter Thompson
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- J. Walter Thompson became the biggest name in advertising over 155 years, making classic campaigns for brands like Ford, Kraft, Unilever, and the US Marines.
- Parent company WPP merged JWT with digital agency network Wunderman in 2018 and the J. Walter Thompson name was dropped the following year.
- 21 insiders say the agency struggled to deal with the rise of digital and the aftermath of a legal scandal that grabbed headlines around the world.
J. Walter Thompson rose from a brokerage selling ads in New York City newspapers to become the world's most successful and longstanding ad agency on the strength of classic campaigns for brands like Ford, Kraft, Kellogg's, Unilever, and the US Marines.
But the name that defined advertising collapsed due to the same forces that turned most of the industry upside-down in the 21st century. In late 2018, JWT merged with digital firm Wunderman to create Wunderman Thompson. For many, J. Walter Thompson is now synonymous with the bygone golden age of advertising.
Business Insid
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J. Walter Thompson
For the businessman, see James Walter Thompson.
Advertising company
J. Walter Thompson (JWT) was an advertisement holding company incorporated in 1896 by American advertising pioneer James Walter Thompson.[1] The company was acquired in 1987 by multinational holding company WPP plc, and in November 2018, WPP merged J. Walter Thompson with fellow agency Wunderman to form Wunderman Thompson.[2][3][4] In October 2023, WPP announced yet another merger in which Wunderman Thompson, along with another group agency VMLY&R, would cease to exist and create a new combined entity named VML. This took effect on January 1, 2025 with a legacy website remaining on www.gdc-ww.com .[5]
History
[edit]Pre-James Walter Thompson
[edit]J. Walter Thompson traces its origins to the Carlton & Smith agency, which opened its doors in 1864, one of the first known advertising agencies in the United States.[6] Founder William James Carlton started selling advertising space in religious magazines, but almost nothing is known about the partner named Smith.
The New York Times wrote that "the agency traces its roots to a newspaper space brokerage that began operation on December 5, 1864."[7]
1868
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J. Conductor Thompson Tamp down Timeline
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This site world power a timeline of JWT's 150-year description that highlights key personnel; long-standing consumer relationships; put in place openings near technical achievements and innovations. It includes a many in-depth overview of materials from representation J. Conductor Thompson Attitude Archives housed within rendering John W. Hartman Center for Transaction, Advertising & Marketing Wildlife at Duke's Rubenstein Collection, along junk links move brief declarations of depiction agency's collections available transport research.
Timeline actualized by Stealing Collier.