Dan Wieden
- September 30, 2022
- 77 years
About Dan Wieden
Dan Wieden, 77, American advertising executive, co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy, coined the slogan Just Do It.
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Full Biography
|Dan Gordon Wieden (/ˈwaɪdən/; March 6, 1945 – September 30, 2022) was an American advertising executive who co-founded ad firm Wieden+Kennedy. A native of Oregon, he coined the Nike tagline "Just Do It."
Early life
Wieden was born in Portland, Oregon, on March 6, 1945, to Duke Wieden who was in advertising, and his wife Violet. Wieden attended Ulysses S. Grant High School in northeast Portland, where he was on the swim team. In 1966, he married Bonnie Scott (d. 2008), and they had four children. After graduation from Grant, he enrolled at the University of Oregon in Eugene, graduating from its School of Journalism and Communication in 1967.
Career
After college Wieden worked at Georgia-Pacific, then headquartered in Portland. After time as a freelance writer, he was hired at McCann-Erickson, an ad agency where he first met David Kennedy, with that agency handling the Georgia-Pacific account from its Portland office. In 1981, Georgia-Pacific moved to Atlanta, and McCann-Erickson closed their Portland shop, with Wieden moving to the William Cain advertising agency with Kennedy. There, the two started handling the then small Nike, Inc. account. The next year, on April 1, the two started their own advertising firm, Wieden & Kennedy. One of the new firm's main accounts was Nike, with Wieden coining the "Just Do It" tagline for the sportswear company in 1988.
Wieden and David Kennedy were listed as number 22 on the Advertising Age 100 ad people of the 20th century. He was named one of America's 25 most intriguing entrepreneurs by Inc. Wieden has been Oregon's Professional of the Year, Oregon's Entrepreneur of the Year, one of the world's 50 CyberElite by Time magazine, and one of 32 members of the One Club Creative Hall of Fame. Wieden was featured in Doug Pray's documentary Art & Copy. In 2015, he stopped daily work for the company.
Later life and death
Wieden was the founder of Caldera, a nonprofit arts education organization and camp for at-risk youth located in Sisters, Oregon. In 1999, he was inducted into the University of Oregon's Hall of Achievement. After his first wife died in 2008, he married Priscilla Bernard in 2012. Wieden died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on September 30, 2022, in Portland, at the age of 77.
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Articles & News
- nytimes.com"Dan Wieden, Adman of Nike 'Just Do It' Fame, Is Dead at 77"
- businessinsider.com"Dan Wieden, the advertising icon behind Nike's 'Just Do It' campaign, has died"
Reported coverage of Dan Wieden; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Wieden
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 14 questions
Questions drawn from Dan Wieden's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Dan Gordon Wieden born?
- A.Portland, Oregoncorrect
- B.Sisters, Oregon
- C.Atlanta, Georgia
- D.Eugene, Oregon
Dan Gordon Wieden was born in Portland, Oregon, on March 6, 1945.
Source: Early life section
2.What sport did Dan Gordon Wieden participate in while attending Ulysses S. Grant High School?
- A.Football
- B.Basketball
- C.Track and field
- D.Swim teamcorrect
Dan Gordon Wieden attended Ulysses S. Grant High School where he was on the swim team.
Source: Early life section
3.What is the name of the advertising agency that Dan Gordon Wieden co-founded?
- A.William Cain
- B.Wieden+Kennedycorrect
- C.Georgia-Pacific
- D.McCann-Erickson
Dan Gordon Wieden co-founded the advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy.
Source: Biography introduction
4.Which famous Nike slogan did Dan Gordon Wieden coin in 1988?
- A.Just Do Itcorrect
- B.Impossible is Nothing
- C.There is no finish line
- D.Find Your Greatness
Dan Gordon Wieden coined the Just Do It tagline for Nike in 1988.
Source: Career section
5.In what year did Dan Gordon Wieden graduate from the University of Oregon?
- A.1967correct
- B.1966
- C.1988
- D.1981
After graduation from Grant, Dan Gordon Wieden enrolled at the University of Oregon, graduating in 1967.
Source: Early life section
6.Who did Dan Gordon Wieden first meet while working at McCann-Erickson?
- A.Duke Wieden
- B.Bonnie Scott
- C.Priscilla Bernard
- D.David Kennedycorrect
Dan Gordon Wieden first met David Kennedy while working at the ad agency McCann-Erickson.
Source: Career section
7.What was the name of the nonprofit arts education organization founded by Dan Gordon Wieden?
- A.CyberElite
- B.The One Club
- C.Art & Copy
- D.Calderacorrect
Dan Gordon Wieden was the founder of Caldera, a nonprofit arts education organization located in Sisters, Oregon.
Source: Later life and death section
8.In what year did Dan Gordon Wieden stop doing daily work for his company?
- A.1999
- B.2008
- C.2015correct
- D.2012
Dan Gordon Wieden stopped daily work for his company in 2015.
Source: Career section
9.What was the profession of Duke Wieden, the father of Dan Gordon Wieden?
- A.Academic
- B.Journalist
- C.Entrepreneur
- D.Advertisingcorrect
Dan Gordon Wieden was born to Duke Wieden who was in advertising.
Source: Early life section
10.When did Dan Gordon Wieden die?
- A.September 30, 2022correct
- B.March 6, 1945
- C.December 31, 2015
- D.October 1, 2008
Dan Gordon Wieden died on September 30, 2022.
Source: Later life and death section
11.What company did Dan Gordon Wieden work for immediately after college?
- A.Georgia-Pacificcorrect
- B.William Cain
- C.McCann-Erickson
- D.Nike, Inc.
After college Dan Gordon Wieden worked at Georgia-Pacific.
Source: Career section
12.What recognition did Dan Gordon Wieden receive from the University of Oregon in 1999?
- A.CyberElite award
- B.Creative Hall of Fame
- C.Hall of Achievement inductioncorrect
- D.Professional of the Year
In 1999, Dan Gordon Wieden was inducted into the University of Oregon's Hall of Achievement.
Source: Later life and death section
13.Which documentary featured Dan Gordon Wieden?
- A.CyberElite
- B.Entrepreneur of the Year
- C.Advertising Age 100
- D.Art & Copycorrect
Dan Gordon Wieden was featured in Doug Pray's documentary Art & Copy.
Source: Career section
14.What illness caused the death of Dan Gordon Wieden?
- A.Cancer
- B.Alzheimer's diseasecorrect
- C.Stroke
- D.Heart disease
Dan Gordon Wieden died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on September 30, 2022.
Source: Later life and death section
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