Phantasia (agency)

Phantasia was a Peruvian marketing and advertising agency founded in 1998 by José-Carlos Mariátegui and Paul Thorndike. The agency became one of Peru's most innovative and awarded agencies, pioneering digital marketing in the country and achieving significant international recognition before its integration into VML in 2024.^[1]

Phantasia was founded in 1998 as Phantasia Media Interactiva, initially focusing on website development and digital solutions during the early years of internet adoption in Peru. The agency quickly established itself by working with major Peruvian companies. In 2001, Phantasia developed the website for ONPE (Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales) National Office of Electoral Processes, Peru's electoral office, during a period of political crisis, creating a real-time results publication system supervised by the Organization of American States.

One of the agency's most significant early achievements was the development of the website for Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Peru) (Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación) in 2003, which documented the country's internal armed conflict from 1980 to 2000. This project won the PADIS 2003 award for Best Website.

In 2007, El Comercio newspaper recognized Phantasia as one of the five leading interactive agencies in Peru. During this period, the agency developed its philosophy of "digital thinking," emphasizing the integration of creativity, strategy, and technology. The agency also pioneered organizational innovations, creating the first "People Person" position in Peru's marketing industry in 2010, dedicated to employee wellbeing and talent development. Phantasia was known for its multidisciplinary teams and commitment to diversity, implementing open-plan offices designed by Llosa Cortegana Arquitectos in 2011. In 2010, Phantasia launched Peru's first Diploma in Digital Strategies for Marketing in collaboration with Universidad del Pacífico, contributing to the professionalization of digital marketing in the country.

In 2008, Phantasia entered into a partnership with Tribal DDB, operating as Phantasia Tribal DDB, which concluded amicably after 4 years.^[2] In 2012, the agency affiliated with Wunderman, marking the beginning of its integration into WPP's global network.^[3] The official transition occurred in January 2015, when WPP, through Wunderman, acquired a majority stake in Phantasia, and the agency was rebranded as Wunderman Phantasia.^[4] In 2018, following WPP's global restructuring, Wunderman Phantasia merged with JWT Peru to form Wunderman Thompson Peru, combining brand experience, customer experience, and commerce capabilities.

In 2018, Phantasia was selected as the digital agency partner for the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games, the third-largest sporting event in the world.

In 2024, Wunderman Thompson merged with VMLY&R to form VML, described as "the world's largest creative company," combining brand experience, customer experience, and commerce.^[5] This marked the final transformation of Phantasia into the global VML network.

Phantasia became one of Peru's most awarded agencies, achieving numerous national and international accolades throughout its history.

PADIS 2003: Winner, Multimedia Category (BellSouth CD-ROM)

PADIS 2003: Winner, Best Website (Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

PADIS 2003: Second Place, Website Category (Toyota del Perú)

In 2008, Phantasia made history by winning the first Gold ANDA award (Premios ANDA) for a digitally-originated campaign with Inca Kola's "Chapa tu viaje a Cusco con tus patas". In 2009, the agency became the first to win a Gold Effie Award with a campaign that originated from digital with Inca Kola's "Chapa tu viaje a Cusco con tus patas" in the Product Promotion category.

In 2016, Phantasia achieved unprecedented international recognition when it was named #20 globally and #4 in Latin America among digital and specialized agencies in the prestigious WARC 100 ranking.^[6] The agency also established itself as one of the most effective agencies globally in the Effie Index.

In 2023, Phantasia achieved a historic milestone by winning Peru's first Grand Prix for Innovation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as well as a Cannes Lions 2023 Silver (Health & Wellness category) for MouthPad^ project with Augmental.^[7]