JWT global ad agency looks to future as it turns 150
Jorge Rodríguez, president of JWT San Juan.
With innovation at the core of its 150th anniversary of JWT, the local team of JWT San Juan is getting ready to renew its commitment to the pioneering spirit that has distinguished the global agency since its founding by ad man J. Walter Thompson.
“On this anniversary, we look to the future with the clear intention to continue to innovate, which has been the hallmark of our agency since we acquired the operation of Martí Flores Prieto 15 years ago,” said Jorge Rodríguez, president of JWT San Juan. “Today we reaffirm our duty to innovation, creativity and excellent customer relationships that have been essential to the sustained success of JWT globally”.
Upon founding the agency in 1864, Thompson paved the way for what is now known as modern advertising. His vision as an innovator and pioneer has expanded into a global network of 10,000 employees in 200 offices spanning 90 countries. Among the innovations attributed to Thompson are establishing the concept of the modern advertising agency, hiring the first female copywriter of the industry, founding the first strategic planning department, developing the concept of the grilled cheese sandwich for a client, and producing the first television commercial in history.
Under the leadership of Rodríguez and creative director Jaime Rosado, JWT San Juan has transferred Thompson’s pioneering spirit to its management on the island, reaching milestones such as the first Grand Prix won by a Puerto Rican agency in the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the campaign “The most popular song” for Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, establishing the first specialized digital communication department on the island and the distinction of being the first agency outside the UK to be awarded the Grand Prix at the APG Creative Strategy Awards granted by the Account Planning Group.
Looking ahead, the agency is preparing to launch the first local television program produced by an advertising agency in Puerto Rico and continues to create memorable campaigns for clients in categories as diverse as automobiles, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, banking, telecommunications, and alcoholic beverages.
“The best way to honor the legacy of our founder is to continue developing big ideas,” said Rosado. “The combination of an extremely talented team and clients with the vision to take those ideas forward has been key to our success and we are excited about the great opportunities for further innovation in the near future.”
