ICONIC

Mastermind Behind Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ Slogan Dies at 82

David Kennedy worked on ad campaigns that became cultural icons, before ditching it all to become a sculptor.

David Kennedy, the advertising industry titan who worked on Nike’s first “Just Do It” commercial has died at age 82, according to an obituary published by Ad Week. Kennedy was one half of the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and was behind ads that often became cultural icons, like the documentary-style ad for Honda scooters featuring music and an appearance by Lou Reed. In 1988, Weiden+Kennedy unveiled a new slogan for Nike, “Just do it,” that Ad Week once said “might be the last great tagline in advertising history. Kennedy also worked on Nike’s “Bo Knows” commercials, and the series of ads featuring Spike Lee and Michael Jordan. He quit the agency in 1995 and pivoted to become a renowned sculptor, with works in the permanent collection of MoMA. No cause of death was released.