Acclaimed ad agency Wieden + Kennedy has been doing spectacular, award-winning work with Nike for over three decades now, a partnership that has seen both organizations grow to become global icons, captains of their respective industries. But where did it all start?
Right here. Today, W+K unearthed from their archives the first-ever Nike commercials broadcast nationally, made by none other than Dan Wieden and David Kennedy themselves. Included in the video below, all three spots — “Nike Evolution,” “Trophy” and “Co-Op All Sports” — aired beginning October 23, 1982, during the New York City Marathon.
They’re minimal, relatively simple compared to the advertising epics that W+K occasionally puts together today, yet remarkably telling — a look at the roots of the now-famous Nike-and-W+K collaboration.