Dan Wieden's secret desire – bagging Nike in India

His agency's name is inscribed in the pages of global advertising for having the privilege of sharing one of the longest and most successful agency-client relationships with a brand as big as Nike. Wieden + Kennedy (W+K) was fortunate to lay hands on Nike as its first client. afaqs! caught up with Dan Wieden, co-founder, W+K, at the Goafest 2009 for a chat on W+K, Just do it and his plans for W+K India.

W+K was founded on April 1, 1982, in Portland, Oregon by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy. The agency aims to be present in the top 10 markets of the world. In 2007, it stepped into India, which is its seventh office.

He feels fortunate to have collected an amazing group of people, across cultures.

The London office of the agency has a one of its kind showpiece – a Blender Man. It's a mannequin which has a blender in place of a head, with a brief case in its hand. As Wieden puts it, “It's about the idea of walking in stupid every morning. It's a feeling that we have at the agency – everyone who works at the agency should walk in stupid every morning. You may have been a fool yesterday, but while you were sleeping, something changed – and it's not the same as yesterday.”

What about the acquisition of A Advertising? “We were not trying to buy anybody – we were just trying to find good people. We ran into V Sunil and Mohit and just set off immediately,” he states.

With the US and the UK being the most affected countries in terms of the economic meltdown, one hears talks about the Indian continent not being affected as much as the formers. “It's like this strange beast that is not the same all over the world and it’s not the same one day and the next in any given part of the world,” he adds.

Wieden, like many others, views it as a passing phase. For him, it is important not to lose heart about it and panic as it will be solved eventually. “Some companies will fall by the wayside and others will flower. It's a good thing. Like a forest – there needs to be a fire to rekindle itself and put the nutrients back into the ground.”

He's not exactly sure why it hasn't hit India harder than it has. Maybe it’s because it is an economy that's just coming on its own. “A lot of the other economies in the world, and some of the industries, had ballooned up far beyond a healthy standpoint and are paying the prices now. But it will even out and the strong ones will survive – economies like India. It is going to be a levelling process for the world.”

While the other big agencies in the country have separate arms or units taking care of out of home or digital needs of clients, W+K has always operated on the policy of integration. “What we need is for people to understand who the advertiser is, be able to fulfil its communication needs and make it available at one place. Integration is a way so that we don't have different messages being delivered in different media.”

Wieden is not looking at an expansion plan within India; at least not this year. They are definitely considering Mumbai and other key cities, although not immediately.

Apart from New Delhi, the agency is present across the globe through its offices in Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The agency won the Levi's account for America recently (December 2008). Various offices of the agency work for clients such as Coca-Cola, Converse, Nikon, Nokia, Guardian Newspapers, Disney Pictures, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and The Observer.

No discussion about W+K is complete without a mention of the legendary business of Nike, W+K's first client and a brand that has been with the agency for more than two and a half decades.

'Just Do It' coined by the agency has worked wonders for the brand across the globe. The one-liner has become a phenomenal rage in the history of advertising, all thanks to W+K.

Though Wieden has spoken about it multitudinous times at almost all places, he finds it important to mention that 'Just Do It' not only speaks directly to the Nike core customer, but it does something else – something larger – to a lot of other people.

He got letters from women for whom 'Just Do It' helped solved issues and even for a lot of couples who started dealing with their issues. It had the core of sports but others put it to use in other ways.

“That is what is interesting about a brand. If a brand is only about merchandising and services, it’s going to have a very limited place in the consumer's heart. But if it can speak about the brand's business and who these guys are, it resonates with another human being.”

Currently, JWT handles Nike in India. With W+K having its presence in India now, one definitely wonders whether the client's interests will bend towards the agency. Though Weiden reveals that the agency has been in talks with Nike in India, “it definitely remains a profound secret desire to clasp the account in India,” he smiles.