The advertising industry has been left orphaned by one of its most famous legends. Dan Wieden, co-founder of the Wieden+Kennedy agency and author of Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” slogan , has died at the age of 77. Wieden founded Wieden+Kennedy with David Kennedy on April 1, 1982 after both left McCann Erickson’s Portland subsidiary. There they worked on the Nike account and later took it with them to their new agency, where thanks to advertisements that wrote their name in gold letters in the history of advertising, they turned the famous sports brand into a true icon. They also achieved such a feat without leaving Portland and refusing to install the Wieden+Kennedy headquarters on Madison Avenue.
Dan Wieden was obsessed with ensuring that the agency he co-founded
Wieden’s disappearance takes place top industry data almost a year after the death of his partner David Kennedy . Although united professionally, Dan Wieden and David Kennedy were opposites in many ways. While Dan was mercurial. David was rather contemplative. Dan’s creativity was rather wild. David’s was more disciplined in nature. Dan was always in search of the unknown while David delved into the old known to illuminate new things. Dan Wieden made his way into the One Club Hall of Fame. The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. The American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. Winner of the President’s Award at the D&AD Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Clio Awards
Widely decorated throughout his career
Wieden’s desire was always for the agency B2B Phone List he founded with Kennedy to remain independent. That is why he placed the company in trust hands to guarantee the independence of Wieden+Kennedy. Funny, self-deprecating and ambitious. Dan Wieden’s great achievement was perhaps to invest Wieden+Kennedy with an absolutely unique distinctive culture. “The reason Wieden+Kennedy lasted so long was that Wieden created not just an agency but a culture ,” explains Karl Lieberman. Executive creative director at Wieden+Kennedy. “Curious, motivated, welcoming. Freed from any sense of deference. Dan created a place that in many ways resembled himself,” Lieberman adds.
