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VML Press Office
At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon over 300 years combined experience and expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is equal parts creative agency, consultancy, and technology powerhouse.
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Stork campaign takes centre stage on Ads of the World
The Hardy Boys (a Wunderman Thompson company) conceptualised an innovative and interactive activation for the Stork Brand that is garnering praise and attention worldwide. Featured prominently on the front page of Ads of the World, this immersive experience delivers on the brand’s proposition of “wholesome country goodness”. It brings a taste of the country to the heart of Johannesburg's bustling cityscape with its unique campaign, 'Order From the Country.' 14 Dec 2023 Read more

Fran Luckin joins VML South Africa as chief creative officer
VML has announced the appointment of Fran Luckin as chief creative officer. She will start in her new role on 1 February 2024. In October, VML was formed, uniting two of the most awarded creative agencies in the world: VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson. Fran’s appointment is the first South African leadership appointment to be announced, signalling VML’s intent to be a creative powerhouse in South Africa. 7 Dec 2023 Read more

Wunderman Thompson SA's Parusha Partab wins Strategic Planner of the Year Award
Wunderman Thompson South Africa is proud to announce that their group strategy director, Parusha Partab, has been honoured with the prestigious 2023 Strategic Planner of the Year Award at the Global Women in Marketing (WiM) Awards. Parusha's exceptional strategic expertise and dedication have not only set her apart and earned her this remarkable recognition but have also secured her a position as the sole African recipient in a highly competitive field. 22 Nov 2023 Read more

The Duracell Bunny is the new hero of Christmas in new integrated campaign from Wunderman Thompson
The Duracell Bunny saves Santa from a Christmas blackout in the battery brand's first festive campaign in five years. 2 Nov 2023 Read more

Wunderman Thompson SA triumphs at the 2023 New Generation Awards
Wunderman Thompson SA, a market leader in brand strategy, advertising, and digital transformation, proudly celebrates its achievement at the 11th Annual New Generation Awards. With a stunning 100% finalist conversion from its 34 entries, the agency underscores its commitment to creativity and innovation in the dynamic world of digital marketing. 29 Sep 2023 Read more

Wunderman Thompson South Africa wins big at the International Creativepool Annual 2023 Awards
Wunderman Thompson South Africa is delighted to announce its outstanding recognition at the international Creativepool Annual 2023 Awards Ceremony. The integrated marketing agency scooped six awards across five categories. 12 Sep 2023 Read more

Seamless omnichannel shopping experience essential for consumers of the future
The clues to whether businesses are making the right investments now to ensure that they can provide the right experiences across the channels that consumers will come to expect is held in the data from the Wunderman Thompson Future Shopper Report 2023. 29 Jun 2023 Read more

Wunderman's group strategy director wins Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2023
Wunderman Thompson South Africa is proud to announce that its group strategy director, Parusha Partab, has been recognised as a winner in the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2023 Awards: Film and Media. This prestigious accolade showcases the most promising and inspiring young individuals across various categories in South Africa, marking a significant milestone in Partab's career. 28 Jun 2023 Read more

Beauty brand Lux challenges sports media to 'Change the Angle' towards female athletes
QR code initiative made by Wunderman Thompson highlights sexism in sports coverage - and calls for focus on achievements, not physical attributes. 26 Apr 2023 Read more

Wunderman Thompson strengthens B2B offering with launch of inspired B2B
Wunderman Thompson is expanding its B2B offering with the launch of Inspired B2B, a new initiative dedicated to inspiring growth for ambitious B2B brands. 21 Apr 2023 Read more

90% of B2B buyers have switched to a new supplier in the last 12 months
Wunderman Thompson has released a new B2B Future Shopper report revealing interesting insights into B2B buyer expectations. 22 Feb 2023 Read more

Joyconomy: Elevated expressionism to arm people with hope, joy and happiness for an uncertain year
Wunderman Thompson's annual trend almanack features 100 bitesize predictions that offer a splash of colour, inspiration, and an insightful glimpse into 2023 19 Jan 2023 Read more

The evolution of B2B marketing requires fresh approaches and tactics
Wunderman Thompson in South Africa has created a specialist Business to Business (B2B) task force to help take B2B businesses and brands into the evolving B2B marketing landscape. The team will be led by new-joiner Nicky Turnbull, who will be supported by Edwin Mbugua, as well as a team of strategists specialising in B2B content strategy, account-based marketing, and commerce and CRM teams as and when required. 14 Nov 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson reveals world's most inspiring brands for 2022
Tech giants Google, Apple, Samsung and Amazon remain at the top of the pack - yet 30% of the 2022 top 100 brands are new entrants to the listing 4 Nov 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson wins 2022 Acquia Engage Award
Awards recognise exceptional digital experiences developed in a time of ceaseless change. 26 Oct 2022 Read more

Webinar: A New Frontier in South African Retail
Understanding how South African consumers react to various factors will be crucial for brands and retailers. Changes in our shopping behaviour were certainly fast-tracked by the pandemic lockdowns, and the question now is - will the upward trajectory of online shopping continue, and if so, what does that mean for retail and e-commerce players in South Africa? 20 Oct 2022 Read more

Telkom's 'Made of Monate' TVC spreads the love
Wunderman Thompson SA's recently launched Telkom brand TVC is gaining international attention. The 'Made of Monate' spot, shot in the Cape by Monde Gumede of Massif, was just listed as one of the top five best ads and advertising campaigns of the week worldwide on AdForum. 13 Oct 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson SA named finalist in the Business Culture Awards
"At Wunderman Thompson SA, we're committed to actively building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where people are treated with dignity and respect. We work to inspire growth for ambitious people, so when we were named a finalist of the 'Leading with Purpose for Business Culture' category, we were elated," expressed agency chief people officer, Unati Moalusi. 12 Oct 2022 Read more

Omnichannel or multichannel - is there a difference?
As consumer shopping behaviour continues to shift with velocity towards embracing digital channels, the fundamental need for brands to be top of mind, easily accessible and physically available has never been more pressing. The competition is intensifying and speed to market is an increasingly important factor, because once a consumer has downloaded a competitor's app and started using it efficiently, effectively, and most importantly, with ease, it becomes very hard to convince them to use your online platform or introduce it into their consideration set. 28 Sep 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson brings back and expands industry-defining recruitment programme The Catalyst Academy
Wunderman Thompson launches its second year of the Catalyst Academy, an industry-defining programme that aims to bring together talent from different backgrounds to build brilliant experiences for consumers and B2B audiences. 23 Sep 2022 Read more

New BMW brand campaign embodies rebellious joy
The significance of 'joy' for the next generation is a choice, not just a feeling. This is the strategic insight borne out of Wunderman Thompson SA that informed the manifesto of the latest BMW brand campaign. Targeting new luxury consumers, mostly millennials and GenZs, the campaign aims to drive growth in a declining premium segment and establish relevance for #NextGenJoy. 20 Sep 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson SA gives back by supporting Youth@worK
This month on 12 August 2022, the world celebrated International Youth Day. The UN describes this commemorative day as a reminder that "the world needs to leverage the full potential of all generations; to collaborate and foster successful partnerships to ensure no one is left behind." 25 Aug 2022 Read more

The Future Shopper Report 2022
Study shows more than 85% of surveyed South African shoppers say retailers need to get better at giving them the products, service and experience they want. 28 Jun 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson launches 'Inspiration Beach' in the metaverse
In partnership with metaverse platform, Odyssey, Wunderman Thompson has launched a virtual beach metaverse activation. 22 Jun 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson builds SA digital skills base with the Data Learnership Academy
Wunderman Thompson, in partnership with codeX and Salesforce, has established a Data Learnership Academy in South Africa to build entry-level skills in marketing technology and operations and to equip young people with the necessary skills to embark on careers in this fast-growing industry. 6 Jun 2022 Read more

Wunderman Thompson launches new analysis 'New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond'
  • Latest survey, 'New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond', reveals that awareness of the metaverse has more than doubled in less than a year
  • 76% percent of people feel the metaverse will allow for authentic self expression
  • 90% think it will have an impact on sport and entertainment
  • 74% feel it is the future 13 May 2022 Read more

  • Wunderman Thompson SA names Parusha Partab as group strategy director
    After joining Wunderman Thompson South Africa as strategy director in November 2020, Parusha Partab is now celebrating her promotion to group strategy director, effective 1 April 2022. 22 Apr 2022 Read more

    The Year of the Employee - A revised employee value proposition
    The impact of the Covid pandemic on employee wellbeing will long be felt, but as the world heads towards recovery, it's important to understand the change in the employee psyche. Unati Moalusi, chief people officer at Wunderman Thompson SA, describes her top three psychological elements that have impacted organisations and their people. 17 Mar 2022 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson named winner of Acquia Global Partner of the Year Award for 2021
    A recognition of demonstrated excellence in a challenging marketplace 16 Mar 2022 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson retains BMW Group in lead agency pitch
    After a comprehensive pitch process, Wunderman has retained its position as the lead agency for the brand BMW and Mini in South Africa. The contract will see the agency partner with the brand for an additional three plus two years, having built an exceptional foundation as the incumbent in the past three years. 1 Feb 2022 Read more

    Implementation partner for SA's Youth Employment Service (YES) hosts stakeholder engagement session to plot its future roadmap
    Youth@worK is one of the longest-serving government-endorsed YES-programme implementation partners. Since its inception, YES has brought together the private sector, labour and unemployed youth to tackle our country's unemployment and skills challenges collectively. 17 Dec 2021 Read more

    Having a data strategy is a crucial underpin to your customer's online user experience and your digital transformation
    In my marketing and technology world, the insights delivered through data and analytics help brands to measure efficacy of a campaign, but also to understand their customers more intimately - tracking and capturing the right data at the appropriate point can yield business insights that can inform a range of different business and budgeting spend decisions - and it can enhance your customer's online experience. 2 Dec 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson SA Wins at 2021 Acquia Engage Awards
    Acquia Engage Awards recognise global organisations for creating transformative digital customer experiences. 18 Nov 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson SA wins Rentoza pitch
    Rentoza has officially appointed the digital division of Wunderman Thompson SA to deliver full-service communication, albeit digitally led. The scope of work includes strategy, content creation, radio, media planning, reporting and community management. 17 Nov 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson SA appoints consulting director, Kayembe Ilunga
    Kayembe Ilunga joins Wunderman Thompson SA's (WTSA) Consulting Centre of Excellence this month as a consulting director following a career in FMCG and financial services. 9 Nov 2021 Read more

    Digital experiences customers want
    I recently watched a video that got me thinking about the kinds of digital experiences customers want from brands they choose to give their hard-earned money to. Granted, the video is a couple of years old, but it is still relevant. In the video, a guy is inside a shop buying items on his list. Still, he keeps getting interrupted by "cookie monsters". The "cookie monsters" are trying to sell him random things he has no interest in. "People who bought that also bought this," one of the "cookie monsters" says to him. At one point, one of them puts an item in his basket without his approval which he takes out and gives back to her. She retorts with an "are you sure you want to remove this item from your basket?" much to the shopper's annoyance. The video successfully sheds light on horrible digital experiences too many of us can relate to. 23 Sep 2021 Read more

    And that's how the marketing cookie crumbles
    The end of third-party cookies is set to transform targeted advertising; changing how companies collect and store customer data. Here's how you can manage the change without disruption. 15 Jul 2021 Read more

    The disruption of B2B marketing is underway
    Wunderman Thompson is taking a fresh look at B2B marketing and believes that B2B brands can gain the advantage in the consideration set if they adopt new customer-centric tactics and operating models. 9 Jul 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson SA wins BCX lead agency account
    Wunderman Thompson South Africa is proud to announce that it has been awarded the full-service lead agency account for BCX, Telkom's B2B business. This includes advertising, digital, CRM, PR culture change management and sales enablement. The award was made after an extensive competitive pitch process, including some of the best agencies in South Africa. 5 Jul 2021 Read more

    Targeting communications to counter Covid misinformation
    An international study to track where young people are getting their information about Covid-19 and how and what they are sharing across their extensive global networks, was conducted across 24 countries by agency Wunderman Thompson, University of Melbourne and Pollfish survey platform, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). 26 May 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson launches Regeneration Rising: Sustainable Futures
    Agency research shows people want brands to lead the sustainable path to the future, with an opportunity to show leadership, build long-term resilience and tap new opportunities by embedding regeneration into business. 30 Apr 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson named Gartner magic quadrant leader
    Wunderman Thompson has once again achieved 'leader' status in Gartner's magic quadrant for global marketing agencies - an accolade the agency has received every year since 2019. 16 Apr 2021 Read more

    Cookieless world
    Consumers' personal data is shared between tech companies in the third-party cookie ecosystem over 500 billion times a day. 13 Apr 2021 Read more

    Jabulani Sigege appointed as ECD for Wunderman Thompson SA
    Jabulani is a Zulu word meaning 'rejoice', and that's precisely what the Wunderman Thompson SA team is doing after the confirmation of Jabulani Sigege's appointment. The admired creative lead will join one of the county's largest marketing services agencies as executive creative director on 1 March 2021. 1 Mar 2021 Read more

    Data scientist Palesa Molukanele joins Wunderman Thompson SA
    Digital specialist, skilled in business intelligence and data analytics, Palesa Molukanele joined the Wunderman Thompson SA team this month as head of data. Molukanele's appointment demonstrates Wunderman Thompson's commitment and depth of expertise as a technology and data-driven creative powerhouse. She heads up an impressive 30+ person data and analytics team within the agency's total staff complement of over 550 professionals in South Africa. 5 Feb 2021 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson SA's leadership expands with industry heavyweights
    Having recently announced the appointment of Qingqile 'WingWing' Mdlulwa as group CCO to Wunderman Thompson SA, the agency is introducing two more senior individuals who will join the executive team namely; Colett Naidu as division managing director, with Telkom and Absa, and Tshego Tshukutswane as group chief strategy officer. 29 Jan 2021 Read more

    Qingqile 'WingWing' Mdlulwa joins Wunderman Thompson SA as group CCO
    Qingqile Mdlulwa's appointment as group chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson South Africa is a proud milestone for one of the country's largest marketing services agencies. This heavyweight recruitment serves as the marker of intent for the agency to firmly position creativity as a key driver of the business moving into a new decade. 11 Dec 2020 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson South Africa awarded the Nike account
    In October, Nike appointed Wunderman Thompson South Africa after the agency was approached to pitch a creative concept for the Nike 'Home of Air' campaign. The appointment scope includes customer experience, strategy, creative, UX and UI design for all Nike products on Sportscene, with the launch of the first release planned for December. 18 Nov 2020 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson launches Prism Sport + Entertainment in South Africa
    Sports Marketing Pioneer, Qondisa Ngwenya, Heads New Unit 19 Aug 2020 Read more

    8 golden rules for brands to win in a recession
    Wunderman Thompson published a guide on 'How Brands Can Win in a Recession'. The global report is an essential manual for brands highlighting how to survive and thrive in the face of the recession. SA agency CEO, Miles Murphy shares his thoughts about what we can learn from the past as we navigate through the current Covid-induced recession. 31 Jul 2020 Read more

    Mohale Ralebitso joins Wunderman Thompson board as non-executive chairperson
    Wunderman Thompson announced today that Mohale Ralebitso had joined its South African board of directors as non-executive chairperson. The move comes two months after Miles Murphy joined as CEO of the South African agency - one of the largest integrated agencies in the country. 29 Jun 2020 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson inspires growth within the youth
    Every June, South Africa observes Youth Month to pay respect to the courage and sacrifices of the Soweto uprising youths and to celebrate young people and their potential. Devoting a month to the youth puts the spotlight on the efforts and progress made to empower and advance the young generation. 18 Jun 2020 Read more

    Wunderman Thompson gets unplugged
    Wunderman Thompson SA has decided to mark 15 June 2020 as an Unplugged Day. As this day falls on a Monday before a national public holiday, the agency has granted its more than 500 staff a long weekend to allow them to rest and recharge without distractions from work. 15 Jun 2020 Read more

    Miles Murphy on heading up Wunderman Thompson South Africa
    On 2 April 2020, Miles Murphy officially started in his role as CEO at Wunderman Thompson South Africa, one of the county's largest marketing services agencies. 11 Jun 2020 Read more

    Sue Napier appointed MD of advertising for Wunderman Thompson
    Wunderman Thompson, formerly Wunderman SA, has appointed Sue Napier as managing director of the advertising division of the Wunderman Thompson Group in South Africa. This national role includes the management and overseeing of the 200 team members across the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban offices. 28 Nov 2019 Read more

    Moagi Bodibe joins Wunderman Thompson as chief strategy officer
    Wunderman Thompson, formerly known as Wunderman SA, has appointed Moagi Bodibe as its chief strategy officer. 19 Nov 2019 Read more

    Wunderman SSA appointed by global healthcare company, GSK
    Wunderman SSA is celebrating its appointment to manage key GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) brands, following a competitive five-way, multinational agency pitch earlier this year. 18 Apr 2019 Read more

    Wunderman SA welcomes Astrid Ascar to the family
    Wunderman SA has appointed digital marketing specialist, media personality and business strategist, Astrid Ascar, as the global digital agency's chief strategic officer. 18 May 2018 Read more

    The ingenious Facebook trap: Is it time for ensnared brands to cut their losses?
    When Facebook was started back in 2004, it was hailed as one of the first truly 'free' advertising mediums for corporate and personal brands alike. Brands could create new homes for themselves and their products by the click of a button and use Facebook's ecosystem to access new audience segments and expand the appeal of their service offering. It was an exciting time, and the marketing world embraced it like wildfire: it didn't take long for Facebook to become the go-to social media platform for brands across the world. 22 Nov 2017 Read more

    Wunderman SSA appoints Kagiso Musi
    Wunderman Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) welcomes Kagiso Musi as the digital agency's chief client officer (CCO) and managing director (MD) of Fluid, the WPP agency established to service the Telkom account. 15 Nov 2017 Read more

    Facebook evens the playing field by discontinuing 'dark posts'
    At the end of October, Facebook broke the news that it planned to introduce a new advertising feature that would lead to any paid posts run by brands becoming readily visible to anyone who visited the page. What this effectively means is the end of the concept known as 'dark posts', which allowed brands to choose not to publish specific pieces of content organically to their page, but instead, only promote them to a highly specific audience via paid budget amplification. 7 Nov 2017 Read more