Dan Wieden didn’t want to enter the advertising industry like his father did when he was a young man. In 2003, Mr. Wieden told Adweek magazine, “I could never understand why he was in such a whorish industry.
He majored in journalism at the University of Oregon in the middle of the 1960s. In his early 20s, he married and had children. Due to the need for consistent income, advertising was created. He became fascinated by the challenge of expressing complex ideas in few words. He helped David Kennedy found the Portland, Oregon-based advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy in 1982.
At the time, Nike Inc. was their only customer. It fit like a glove. Nike co-founder Phil Knight detested traditional advertising. The founders of the new agency tended to pitch ads that were unconventional, edgy, and creative. Nike’s slogan, “Just Do It,” was created by Mr. Wieden in 1988.
In the 2009 film “Art & Copy,” Mr. Wieden claimed that Gary Gilmore’s remark, “Let’s do it,” shortly before his execution in 1977 was a major inspiration for the idea. Mr. Wieden recalled thinking, “I like the ‘do it’ part of it.” Nike representatives did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Wieden+Kennedy declined to comment.
The Nike advertisements helped turn a small local business into a major advertising agency. In 1991, Subaru of America hired Wieden+Kennedy. Since that time, a long list of clients has included Coca-Cola Co., McDonald’s Corp., Starbucks Corp., and Microsoft Corp. The company employs about 1,500 people and has locations in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
Mr. Wieden established a trust to protect the company’s independence so that it wouldn’t run the risk of being absorbed by a sizable holding company.
On September 30, Mr. Wieden passed away in his Portland home. He was 77 years old and had Alzheimer’s. Mr. Kennedy, his partner, passed away a year ago at the age of 82.
Mr. Wieden (pronounced why-den) credited the company’s success in part to a hiring practice that favors outcasts and oddballs over seasoned advertising professionals. He stated, “I think people need to feel safe but still under pressure in some strange way, a healthy pressure when it comes to managing people. People must sense your support for their success.
He cautioned advertising professionals against becoming complacent, telling them to “walk in stupid every morning.” He stated that the moment one stops learning and questioning and begins to believe in their own wisdom, they will die.
According to Bill Davenport, a longtime colleague, Messrs. Wieden and Kennedy “didn’t really dictate or mandate.” They allowed people to find their own way. It was a sink-or-swim culture in some ways. However, they never used a strong hand.
Dan Gordon Wieden was raised in Portland where he was born on March 6, 1945. Francis “Duke” Wieden, his father, served as the company’s president.
The younger Mr. Wieden worked for Georgia-Pacific Corporation as a writer of marketing materials after earning his degree from the University of Oregon in 1967. He detested his job and, according to his own admission, caused so much trouble that he was ultimately let go. He attempted writing for hire before joining the McCann-Erickson advertising agency. He met Mr. Kennedy there, whose artistic abilities and sense of humor enhanced Mr. Wieden’s writing abilities.
They initially had a card table and cardboard filing cabinets in their office. They made client calls on a pay phone.
The company made a statement by promoting Honda scooters with a collage of New York City street scenes that featured Lou Reed and his song “Walk on the Wild Side.” Later on, in a Nike advertisement, Wieden+Kennedy combined the talented athlete Bo Jackson with Bo Diddley.
Bonnie Scott Wieden, Mr. Wieden’s first wife, passed away in 2008. In 2012, he wed Priscilla Bernard. Along with four children, six grandchildren, a brother, and a sister, she survives him.
The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.
A man faked his death in 2016 after his Mexican wife plotted to kill him by paying a hitman $2,000
In 2016, a guy faked his death after his Mexican wife plotted to murder him by hiring a hitman $2,000. He cooperated with the FBI to create fake murder images, which landed his wife in jail for 20 years.
A woman accidentally tipped $7,723 for coffee and some cake and never get the money back
In 2018, a woman accidentally paid $7732 for a cup of coffee and a cake at a Swiss café after accidentally entering her PIN code as a tip. She never received a refund.
Brazilian gang leader attempts to escape from Rio de Janeiro prison by dressing up as his daughter
In 2019, a Brazilian gang leader tried to escape from prison by dressing up as his daughter when she visited him behind bars and walking out of the penitentiary's main door in her place.
Chilling Story Behind the Amber Hagerman’s Murder And The AMBER alert system
Amber Hagerman is the reason we have the Amber alert or a child abduction emergency alert system. As of April 2019, 957 children rescued specifically because of AMBER Alert. To this day, the Amber behind Amber alert is still waiting for justice.
Chinese Couple Sell Their Three Children to Play Video Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all their three children in exchange for money to play online games at internet cafes.
D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000
On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.
The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina. It took only ten minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.
Susan Kuhnhausen Killed the Hitman Sent to Kill Her
Susan Kuhnhausen's ex-husband hired a hitman to assassinate her. Susan "made a decision to live" in that terrifying moment.
Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.
Japanese man accidentally switched at birth grew up in poverty while other baby lived life on privilege
In 2013, a 60-year-old Japanese man found out that he had been accidentally switched at birth. His biological parents were wealthy, but he was given to a struggling, single mother. While the infant who took his place grew up with all the luxuries and became the president of a real estate company, he grew up poor and became a truck driver. He later sued the San Ikukai Hospital in Tokyo that made this awful mistake in 1953.
The 2007 Mauritanian Flight Hijacking That Passengers Turned Into Victory
In 2007, a tense hijacking aboard an Air Mauritania flight turned into an extraordinary story of quick thinking and passenger bravery. When a gunman took control mid-flight, the pilot covertly warned passengers in French—a language the hijacker didn’t understand—that a sudden bumpy landing was imminent and urged them to use the moment to overpower the attacker. The passengers bravely followed the plan, dousing the hijacker with boiling water and subduing him, transforming fear into triumph. This article relives the harrowing incident and highlights the courage that saved lives on board.
Man dressed up as his dead mother to keep home, benefits
A 51-year-old man in Brooklyn named Thomas Parkin dressed up as his dead mother Irene for six long years since 2013 and collected her social security checks. He did other real estate frauds too that totaled up to $115,000.
The 1978 Lufthansa Heist: Unraveling the Mystery of America's Most Infamous Airport Robbery
During the 1978 Lufthansa heist, robbers infiltrated JFK Airport, restraining employees and holding a night guard hostage. They escaped with $5.9 million—worth over $27 million today. The crime, linked to the Lucchese crime family, remained unsolved for decades, with most suspects vanishing
The great robbery: 300 million yen robbery
In 1968, a car driven by bank employees was pulled over by a motorcycle cop claiming the car had been rigged with a bomb. The cop got under the car to “defuse” the device. When the car started to smoke, everybody ran. Then the “cop” just drove the car away. The 300M Yen robbery remains unsolved
Man who robbed bank to get away from wife sentenced to home confinement
In 2017, a 70-year-old man robbed a Kansas City bank, then sat down in the lobby waiting for the Police to arrive stating he’d rather live in jail than with his wife. He was arrested but rather than thrown in a cell he was sentenced to 6 months of home confinement.
The truth behind the murder of Cara Knott
After the murder of Cara Knott in 1986, a local news station filmed a ride-along segment with a highway patrol officer named Craig Allen Peyer who talked about women’s safety and gave tips on what to do when stranded on the road. That same officer later turned out to be the “Knotts killer.” He was convicted of the crime in 1988.
Recipient of suicide victim's heart kills himself 12 years later
In 1995, Sonny Graham received a transplanted heart from a suicide victim. He then committed suicide in the very same manner as the donor.
Andre Stander: The Police Officer Who Became a Bank Robber
Like scenes from a blockbuster movie, Andre Stander robbed Banks during his lunch breaks and returned to the scene as the lead investigating officer
The Heartbreaking Story Of Robert Turner, The Boy Whose Mother Died Because 911 Failed Him
Five-year-old Robert Turner of Detroit witnessed his mother Sherrill die from a heart condition in February 2006, all because two 911 operators mistook his desperate calls for help for a prank.
Story of Dennis Lynn Rader, the BTK Killer
Dennis Lynn Rader is an American serial killer known as BTK who worked for a home security company and installed systems in the homes of numerous citizens who were concerned about the murders he himself had committed.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
Reason Behind The Suicide Of Christine Chubbuck Live On Air
Actor Rebecca Hall had serious reservations about tackling the macabre story around why Chubbuck killed herself in 1974. So what changed her mind?
Albert Einstein’s brain after it was stolen from his body
Albert Einstein's brain was taken by the opportunistic pathologist who performed his autopsy hours after he died and kept in two jars for 30 years. The stolen brain of Albert Einstein was preserved in a cookie jar for 30 years until being discovered by a journalist.
Scientists separated triplets at birth for a controversial experiment and had no idea what they were doing
As part of an experiment, a set of triplets was intentionally separated at birth and given to three sets of parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It was discovered in 1980, when two of the triplets attended the same college.
