A True Legendary Influencer Dies
Don’t let the headline here confuse you. I want to be clear. When I use the term “influencer” I’m not talking about some celebrinot on social media who has “millions of followers”-a HUGE amount of which are bots. No, when I say influencer, I’m referring to someone whose ideas impacted societies. A person whose creative process became part of an entire culture’s zeitgeist on a permanent basis. And here’s the weird part. Until now, I bet you never knew this man’s name. Don’t believe me? Okay smarty pants, who is Dan Wieden? That’s what I thought. His name may not be “Kardashian,” but in 1988, he made an indelible mark.
We are bombarded by as slogans all the time. Thousands weekly, actually. Very few are Miller Lite’s “Less Filling, Taste Great.” Very few are McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ it.” Very few are Coca-Cola’s “The Real Thing.” And very few are Nike’s “Just Do It.” 34 years ago, in 1988, that slogan for Nike was the brainchild of Dan Wieden and his small, upstart advertising firm. Wieden and his partner opened their firm in 1982 and their first client was a small shoe company in Portland, Oregon. The inspiration for the slogan has very morbid origins. “Let’s do it,” were the last words of convicted murderer, Gary Gilmore as he faced execution by firing squad. Wieden changed the phrase, and it has served as an inspirational battle cry for millions in the last (almost) 3 1/2 decades. The success of Nike allowed Wieden’s ad agency to grow into a global branding icon for a slew of heavyweight clients (including Honda). Additionally, and on a personal level, he founded a summer camp for underprivileged children. Dan Wieden passed away late last month at the age of 77. Legendary influencer, indeed. And all of the followers of his “Just Do It” slogan are real.
