Did you know
the inspiration for Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ came from the last words of murderer Gary Gilmore before he was executed by firing squad in 1977. When asked if he had any last words he replied, “Let’s do it.” That phrase became a meme at the time, with references in movies, SNL, later on Seinfeld, even hit songs. Dan Wieden of ad agency Wieden+Kennedy tweaked it to be the iconic ‘Just Do It’ slogan for a Nike campaign that launched in 1988.
I learned that while watching Art & Copy, a pretty decent documentary about advertising.
