‘Wunderman Inside’: WPP digital agency announces new on-site agency, led by James Sanderson
Digital agency Wunderman has announced the launch of a new on-site agency operating model called Wunderman Inside.
Wunderman announces Wunderman Inside, a new on-site marketing offering for its clients / Benjamin Davies via Unsplash
Wunderman Inside has been launched following extensive consultation with significant clients including Best Buy, who are looking for more flexible agency models, particularly for their digital marketing.
In a statement, the WPP agency said: “Wunderman Inside will provide the optimal mix of onsite and in-agency resources to provide more proximity to clients for faster work combined with the strategic and creative depth that agencies can bring.” Integrated teams have been deployed to certain clients to deliver “the full range of Wunderman’s services, Wunderman’s services from digital marketing, data and analytics and commerce, powered by Wunderman’s marketing technology capabilities.”
James Sanderson has been appointed managing director to lead this new practice. He joined from creative in-house agency group Oliver UK, where he was chief operating officer. Prior to Oliver, James held senior roles at Teamspirit, Digitas and spent 10 years at Glue Isobar.
Wunderman Inside is, what the agency called “an extension of the successful model that Wunderman operates with a number of major clients including News UK, jointly with The & Partnership, Best Buy and Sainsburys.”
Mark Read, Wunderman’s global chief executive said: “There’s growing demand from clients for greater proximity to their marketing teams. Wunderman Inside combines strong on-site resources and the strategic and creative power of the agency to give clients the right balance of speed, cost efficiency and innovation. We believe this is a more effective long-term model than typical in-house agencies that struggle to attract talent and consultancy-led models where clients become dependent on expensive resources.”
On the hire of Sanderson to lead this new offering, Read added, “We could not have found a better person than James to lead it. He has extensive experience in the industry, particularly in developing and expanding an in-house creative offering. Now he can do that with the strength of Wunderman behind him.”
Incoming managing director James Sanderson added, “Wunderman is a highly-regarded agency because its services aren’t static – it understands what clients want and continually develops what it offers to meet those needs. I’m really looking forward to leading this new practice and helping Wunderman to reinforce its client-side credentials.”
Wunderman Inside has become an added approach for the digital marketing agency, as it looks to better prepare its current roster of clients — as well as prospective ones — to become "future-ready," based on a study it released in January.