David Kennedy

David Franklin Kennedy (May 31, 1939 – October 10, 2021) was an American advertising executive who co-founded Wieden+Kennedy (W+K). Some of his most popular campaigns included the "Just Do It", "Bo Knows", and the "Mars and Mike" campaigns for Nike, Inc. He and his creative partner Dan Wieden were listed as number 22 on the Advertising Age 100 ad people of the 20th century.

Early life Kennedy was born in Wichita, Kansas, on May 31, 1939. He was the only child of Melinda Jane (née Spoon) and James Franklin Kennedy. His mother was an administrator in a bank while his father was in the petroleum industry. He grew up in Oklahoma and on the eastern Rocky Mountains. He likened his early childhood to that of Tom Sawyer in the wild outdoors with idyllic streams and rivers. He served for six years with the Marine Corps Reserve. The agency installed a basketball court with bleacher seats in their headquarters in Portland. The agency remained independent at the time of Kennedy's death in 2021, with eight offices worldwide and over 1,500 employees.

Kennedy was known to be quieter than his more talkative partner and was also noted to be meticulous. His colleagues created a typeface based on his handwriting, named Kennedy, and used the typeface internally. He resisted the move to computers by choosing to design with a pen, a cutting board, and a X-Acto knife. He mentored many of the younger employees at the agency.

Kennedy and Wieden were listed as number 22 on the Advertising Age 100 ad people of the 20th century. Kennedy was featured in filmmaker Doug Pray's 2009 documentary Art & Copy on the American advertising industry.

Kennedy retired in 1995, but continued to work part-time on the American Indian College Fund, a pro bono account for W+K. The last campaign he worked for the fund appeared in The New York Times, a day after he died.