PORTLAND, Ore. — David Kennedy, the cofounder of Wieden+Kennedy, a Portland-based, world-renowned advertising agency, has passed away at 82.
Kennedy helped establish the firm on April 1, 1982. He and his partner Dan Wieden went on to pilot internationally recognized campaigns, such as "Just Do It" for Nike.
Kennedy's death on Sunday was first reported in a detailed obituary in Adweek.
Since the company's founding, it has established offices around the world and continues to produce successful campaigns for large companies such as McDonald's, KFC, Nike, Honda, Dodge and Proctor & Gamble.
"Advertising at its best," UO advertising professor Deborah Morrison said.
Kennedy met with Morrison and her coauthor for a book about the creative process. He shared illustrations with them for the project.
"Great creativity happens when heart and mind collide," Morrison said. "Advertising has so many things to fix within the industry... [David Kennedy] is a great ancestor for us, so how do we pull that through and become good ancestors for the next generation of talent?"
Morrison emphasized Kennedy's focus on art and humanity, rather than simply trying to sell a product through advertising.
"It could make a kid look at something and say, 'I wanna do that. I have that aspiration.' That's remarkable stuff," she said. "His heart and his spirit of 'let's do work that matters,' always came through... I will remember that. I want to hold that dear."