JWT set to return to J. Walter Thomson Company as agency celebrates 150 years
Sir Martin Sorrell has hinted JWT is set to be rebranded to its JWT traditional name, the J.Walter Thompson Company, at a breakfast hosted by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times reports
At the breakfast, CEO of JWT’s parent company Sorrell told the audience the agency has been “talking about rebranding” and praised “the J. Walter Thomson Company brand” as “immensely powerful”.
Going back to the J. Walter Thompson name would be “a slick and a good move,” Sorrell said.
However, John Gutteridge JWT Australasia CEO said: “At present there is no change to the JWT brand in Australia and it is business as usual. Information about our 150th celebrations will be provided in the near future.”
But JWT worldwide chief executive Bob Jeffrey confirmed the name-change plans, telling The New York Times the group had decided not to announce the name-change until the end of the year.
“Gustavo and I had a lengthy presentation to the WPP board of directors last Tuesday in London,” Mr. Jeffrey said, referring to Gustavo Martinez, global president of JWT, adding they had not planned to announce the re-adoption of the J. Walter Thompson name “until the end of the year.”
The announcement would have coincided with the anniversary of the agency’s opening, with JWT tracing its roots to a newspaper space brokerage that began operation on December 5, 1864.
“We felt it would be a perfect time to return to the J. Walter Thompson name,” Jeffrey told The New York Times.
The agency rebranded to JWT in 2005.
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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brilliant for an ad agency to launch such a seamless rebranding campaign for themselves
we’re changing back to what we used to be
no we’re not
we might be but not til the end of the year
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Shame. It’s ruined a wonderful surprise.
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All my time in London (until 2010) they were always spoken of as ‘Thomsons’, anyway.
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