When did John Valentine, Scott McCormick, and Craig Ligibel launch VML?
John Valentine, Scott McCormick, and Craig Ligibel launched VML in 1992. Their initials formed the name of this new Kansas City advertising agency.
Questions about VML (agency)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What date did WPP Group officially merge agencies to form the current VML entity?
VML officially launched on the 17th of October 2023 when International advertising group WPP Group merged agencies VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson into a single global entity.
Where are the principal offices for VML located globally?
Principal offices anchor operations in Kansas City, New York, and London. This distribution allows the agency to serve clients globally while maintaining regional expertise.
Which major corporate partners does VML currently serve including recent additions after 2023?
Unilever, Ford, and Microsoft stand among the major corporate partners served by VML along with AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. After the 2023 merger, the agency added Krispy Kreme, Breyers, and pharmaceutical company Perrigo to its roster.
Who created modern-day Direct Marketing and what year was the term first used?
Lester Wunderman is widely considered the creator of modern-day Direct Marketing and he first used the term in 1961. He opened Wunderman, Ricotta & Klein in 1958 before these entities converged under WPP plc leadership.