Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
That would be David Kennedy, co-founder of Wieden and Kennedy, the Portland-based ad agency that began as a boutique, and evolved into one of the most powerful agencies in the world. And the engine behind some of the most enduring commercials in sports history.
And recently, the Oregonian published a nice profile on Kennedy, who left the ad business more than a decade ago, but remains a sort of mythic figure in the industry. An excerpt:
Kennedy represents something elusive and abstract, something beyond being the eternally adored founding father figure of a business defined by image, money, irreverence, seduction, even insincerity. Kennedy is the authentic figure.
He’s the coolest customer because he’s little concerned with what he says, how he looks or the approval of others, and his flinty serenity says: Don’t get carried away by this nutty business that flirts on the edges of Hollywood and other glamorous realms.
It’s a good read, if you get a chance. But let’s be honest here: this was all just an excuse to post some of W+K’s best commercials. A sampling:
Bo Jackson’s “Bo Knows” campaign
Michael Jordan, “Frozen Moment”
And more recently, Coke’s video game ad
The first one made us laugh, the second gave us chills, and the last one made people smile. And that’s why they’re the best in the business.
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