# Wieden+Kennedy

> Wieden+Kennedy is an independent global creative company founded in Portland in 1982 by copywriter Dan Wieden and art director David Kennedy. Best known for its decades-long work with Nike, including the line "Just Do It," the firm now combines advertising, strategy, design, social, media and production for large consumer brands across ten listed offices. Its practical distinction is ownership: while many famous agency names sit inside holding companies, W+K remains privately held, allowing it to argue that creative quality and long client relationships come before quarterly network economics.

- **Founded:** 1982
- **Headquarters:** Portland, United States
- **Founders:** Dan Wieden (Co-founder and copywriter), David Kennedy (Co-founder and art director)
- **Team size:** About 1,800 people by the supplied company estimate; LinkedIn listed roughly 1,678 associated employees and a 1,001-5,000 company-size band in 2026.
- **Products:** Creative advertising, Brand strategy, Media, Social and digital, Design
- **Notable:** Created Nike’s "Just Do It" line, introduced in 1988 and credited to Dan Wieden., Named Ad Age A-List Agency of the Year for three consecutive years through 2020., Named Independent Agency of the Decade in the Cannes Lions Creativity Report of the Decade 2020 for W+K Portland.

## Products & services

- **Creative advertising** — Brand platforms and campaign ideas executed across film, print, outdoor, digital, experiential and emerging formats.
- **Brand strategy** — Research, cultural insight, positioning, communications planning and long-term brand platform development.
- **Media** — Media strategy, planning, buying, distribution, measurement and optimization connected to the creative idea.
- **Social and digital** — Social strategy, community-aware campaigns, creator collaborations, interactive work and platform-native content.
- **Design** — Brand identity, visual systems, graphic design, digital experiences and design operations.
- **Content and production** — Film, branded entertainment, content development and production through agency teams and specialist collaborators.

## Achievements

- Created Nike’s "Just Do It" line, introduced in 1988 and credited to Dan Wieden.
- Named Ad Age A-List Agency of the Year for three consecutive years through 2020.
- Named Independent Agency of the Decade in the Cannes Lions Creativity Report of the Decade 2020 for W+K Portland.
- Received 24 Primetime Emmy nominations and eight wins for commercial work according to the Television Academy’s agency profile.
- Won a 2025 One Show Gold Pencil for Nike’s "Winning Isn’t for Everyone" film and writing.
- Won a 2025 Webby for McDonald’s WcDonald’s integrated campaign.
- Expanded from Portland to an international network that currently lists ten office addresses on its official site.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — The Television Academy listed Wieden+Kennedy as a 2026 Outstanding Commercial nominee for Nike’s "Why Do It?"
- **2026-06** — W+K’s public office list included newer operations in Toronto, Mexico City and Sydney alongside Portland, Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, London, Shanghai and São Paulo, for ten listed addresses.
- **2025-05** — Nike’s "Winning Isn’t for Everyone" earned One Show Gold Pencils for film and writing, plus an integrated campaign Silver Pencil.
- **2025-04** — McDonald’s WcDonald’s, created with W+K New York, was recognized as a Webby winner in integrated campaigns.
- **2025-02** — W+K produced Super Bowl LIX work for Nike, FanDuel and DoorDash, including Nike’s women-athlete anthem "So Win."

## Links

- Website: https://www.wk.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wieden---kennedy
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/wiedenkennedy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wiedenkennedy/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wiedenkennedy/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/wieden-kennedy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13