WIEDEN AND KENNEDY

Wieden and Kennedy

[Name of the Wtriter]

Wieden and Kennedy

Organization description

A table is a place to convene, to break bread, to meet people and to share stories. Wieden + Kennedy 12 has its own table that resides in the heart of Wieden + Kennedy Portland's office. It's a long wooden table with 13 chairs that over the last 7 years have been filled with people from a multitude of different creative backgrounds. It is an independently owned American advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy on April 1, 1982, in Portland, Oregon, it is one of the largest independently-owned advertising agencies in the world. (Dzwonkowski, 2011)

W+K came to prominence in the 1980s with its iconic work for Nike, including the tagline "Just Do It." It remained headquartered in Portland. Over the years the agency has added offices in New York City, London, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Delhi and in late 2010, Sao Paolo. 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. In 2002, the Gunn Report named W+K as the most-awarded agency in the world, and the agency was AdWeek's "Global Agency of the Year" in 2007. (Parekh, 2011)

Products & Services

Designers, writers, producers, programmers, illustrators, musicians, photographers, gamers, bloggers, lawyers, mind-benders, social scientists - you name it. Wieden + Kennedy create campaigns for local businesses and non-profits, and when Wieden + Kennedy are not doing that, Wieden + Kennedy get to work on whatever Wieden + Kennedy want. But Wieden + Kennedy're always working, seeking, learning. (Dougherty, 2006)

Management & organization

Wieden+Kennedy had created original contents for various brands under the moniker 'W+K Entertainment' since 2001. Its productions include Battlegrounds, an MTV2 series showcasing street basketball; Ginga, a documentary about Brazilian football (soccer) players; and Road to Paris, documenting Lance Armstrong's path to his third Tour de France victory in 2001. (Elliott, 2010)

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. They launched Wieden+Kennedy 12 in 2004, which is a 13-month experimental advertising program that accepts 13 applicants each year for an intensive laboratory experience where students work for real clients under the direction of members of the W+K Portland office.

Wieden+Kennedy debuted their LunchBox series in 2006, an afternoon showcase of established and emerging musical artists in the atrium of W+K's Portland office. Past concerts have featured Janelle Monae, Art Brut, The Rapture, Son Volt, Lyrics Born, Ladytron, Cut Chemist, Cold War Kids, Nada Surf, Juliette and the Licks, and Pete Yorn. Wieden+Kennedy exploration into original programming was started on late 2008 with WK Radio, and subsequently on Fall 2009 with WKE (WKEntertainment). (Wentz, 2002)

The company's advertisement for Coke ...