Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled Wieden & Kennedy) is an American advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it is one of the largest independently owned advertising agencies in the world.

History

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. The agency's first advertisements were three television commercials for Nike that were aired during the New York City Marathon in October 1982. Over the years, the agency has added offices in New York City, London, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Tokyo, Delhi and in late 2010, São Paulo. W+K's turbulent relationship with former client Subaru is the basis of Randall Rothenberg's 1995 book Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign.

Media

Wieden+Kennedy has created original content for various brands under the moniker W+K Entertainment since 2001. Its productions include Battlegrounds, an MTV2 series showcasing streetball; Ginga, a documentary about Brazilian association football (soccer) players; and Road to Paris, documenting Lance Armstrong's path to his third Tour de France victory in 2001. 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. Wieden+Kennedy's exploration into original programming was started in late 2008 with WK Radio, and subsequently in Fall 2009 with WKEntertainment.

Selected notable campaigns

Nike

Facebook

Coca-Cola

ESPN

Honda

Microsoft

Miller Brewing

Old Spice

Procter & Gamble

Chrysler

3 Mobile

Bud Light