Mark Ritson: Today’s agencies are like yachts – underused, expensive and all the same

One hundred and fifty-four years is a long time by any measure. But in the 30-second carousel of images that is advertising, it is close to an eternity. That’s how long J Walter Thompson (JWT) has been running – in one form or another.
The firm can trace its history back to one of the first ever agencies, Carlton and Smith, which opened its doors in New York City in 1864. Just over a decade later its talented book keeper, James Thompson, bought out his employers and eventually rename