Dan Wieden met David Kennedy in 1980 at the William Cain advertising agency while working on the Nike account. They took Nike on as a client after founding Wieden & Kennedy (later changed to Wieden+Kennedy) on April 1, 1982, and remain the agency of record.[4] The agency's first advertisements were three
television commercials for Nike that were aired during the
New York City Marathon in October 1982.[5]
In 2003, Wieden+Kennedy created W+K Tokyo Lab, a
record label and creative workshop based out of the agency's Tokyo office. Since 2003, W+K Tokyo Lab has released
CD/
DVD titles that combine music, graphics, and film. Tokyo Lab's current roster features local hip-hop and electronic artists including
Hifana, DJ Uppercut,
Afra, and
Takagi Masakatsu.[citation needed]
Wieden+Kennedy's exploration into original programming was started in late 2008 with WK Radio,[12] and subsequently in Fall 2009 with WKEntertainment.
The "Just Do It." tagline, coined by Dan Wieden, and inspired by the final words of executed murderer
Gary Gilmore.[13]
"
Bo Knows", featuring professional football and baseball player
Bo Jackson.
An iconic commercial in which
Brazilian footballer
Ronaldinho puts on a new pair of Nike shoes and subsequently begins juggling the ball and kicking it off the crossbar of the goalpost several times, not letting it touch the ground. This commercial went
viral on
YouTube and was the first YouTube video to reach one million views.
"The Coke Side of Life" campaign, including "Video Game", featuring a tough-guy video game character who experiences a change of heart after drinking a Coke (thematically centered upon the video game series Grand Theft Auto).
In 2015, the company also carried out the "Make in India" Campaign led by the Indian PM
Narendra Modi. The campaign was regarded as a huge success and received an overwhelming global response.[citation needed]
"
Dilly Dilly" which was first featured in an ad titled "Banquet" launch in August 2017 and subsequently became a catchphrase. The campaign was well received by the public and led to a total of 16 advertisements which used the catchphrase.
Super Bowl LII featured "Dilly Dilly" ads from Bud Light.[20]
References
^Bob Garfield, And Now a Few Words from Me: Advertising's Leading Critic Lays Down the Law, Once and for All,
McGraw-Hill, 2003, p. 173
^"Nike Ginga: The Soul Of Brazilian Football". December 14, 2005. Retrieved 2009-08-25. ...Ginga is a dynamic documentary that explores Brazil through the country's favorite sport.
^"WK Radio Facebook Group". Facebook. Retrieved 2009-08-25. WK Radio exists to inspire creativity through provocative conversations, interviews, and artistic expression relating to the arts, culture, music and media.