A Little Taste of Wieden & Kennedy

Before diving into the world of Wieden & Kennedy, perhaps it’s best to first dip a toe in the agency’s roots and examine what got me so interested to begin with. My first exposure to the company came in light of their recent work for Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign, which will be a topic of posts to come. Along with many others, likely including yourself, I was taken away by the humor and uniqueness displayed in the campaign. Initially captivated by the television spots, I set out to learn more about the production and ingenuity of the ads, but instead became intrigued with the agency’s personality and culture. For a company that is relatively young among others associated with first class advertising, they have certainly managed to set themselves apart and raise the bar for creative thinking. Here is a brief overview of the company history and thought process behind the workings of Wieden & Kennedy, just to get your feet wet…

Where It All Began

Wieden & Kennedy Inc. is an independent, full service, creatively driven advertising agency based in Portland, Oregon. The son of a former Gerber agency chairman, Dan Wieden attended college with aspirations of becoming a writer, though soon found work at the global marketing and communications company, McCann-Erickson. There he met David Kennedy, whose resume boasted a richer background in the advertising community and stints with prominent agencies such as Leo Burnett and Young & Rubicam. Upon working together, the duo recognized great similarities in their advertising philosophies and nurtured a strong business relationship. After two years, the pair parted ways with McCann-Erickson and set out to create their own agency, taking with them their only client, a then relatively unknown company by the name of Nike. Wieden & Kennedy Inc. was established April 1, 1982, and has since grown to become one of the world’s leading creative agencies with offices in the United States (Portland, OR and New York, NY), Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi.



Photos: David Kennedy (left) and Dan Wieden



A Creative Philosophy for Creative People

Wieden & Kennedy is built around the founders’ common tendency to break away from status quo advertising with the intent of creating strong, firm relationships between good companies and their customers. The business structure was created around the ambition to provide an environment where employees would be able to produce their finest work, and in turn offer a diversity of talent unparalleled by any other agency. Wieden summed up this subtle and unique approach in a 1990 Advertising Age article by stating, “Philosophically, it's about having no formula for creativity,” a train of thought he reiterates by suggesting his staff should ‘come to work stupid’ in order to avoid formulaic thinking. Till this day the company continues to acknowledge and give credit to its staff for the agency’s superb creative reputation.

Brief Resume

Wieden & Kennedy’s most notable work is arguably that done for their one original client, Nike. Upon moving from McCann-Erickson to the newly formed agency in 1982, a lasting relationship was built between the young companies. In the following years Nike cemented its brand image, in large part due to the agencies campaign techniques which injected irreverent humor and popular cultural references into the company’s ads. In 1988, Wieden coined Nike’s signature slogan, “Just Do It,” which propelled both the agency and shoe company into national spotlight almost overnight. More recent success for the agency can be found in their current Old Spice campaign titled, ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,’ which recently won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. Along with these, the agency currently boasts accounts with major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Target, ESPN, Sony, Honda, Chevrolet and Ebay, among many others.

While the history, philosophy, and resume of this agency go much deeper, the overview here should present you with a basic understanding of what Wieden & Kennedy is all about. Although I struggled to settle on a major, my studies of this agency have solidified my confidence in advertising as a career choice. The company’s personality, culture, and style resonate greatly with me; it’s about getting outside the box, forgetting the rules, and bringing out the best in its team. Wieden summed this up by stating, “We’re not trained in the classical sense – we’re not trained to produce ads,” and that their work represents, “…some honest, startling, refreshing communication with someone we're talking to in whatever medium. This is not about one brand or style. It's about a basic respect you have for the people you're talking to."

Dive deeper and learn more at their website… Wieden & Kennedy Homepage

 “Wieden + Kennedy Business Information, Profile, and History.” Company History. 3 Mar. 2011.             <http://companies.jrank.org/pages/4845/Wieden-Kennedy.html>

“Wieden and Kennedy: Advertising and Marketing Profile.” Adbrands.net. 3 Mar. 2011.             <http://www.adbrands.net/us/wiedenandkennedy_us.htm>