Quote of The Week, Riswold– 10/5/08

Most advertising strives for nothing more than to be ‘not wrong.’

-Jim Riswold, former CD, Wieden + Kennedy

Jim Riswold, in the words of Mark Fenske, "is the greatest American copywriter alive today." Three years ago, after being diagnosed with leukemia, he had a low chance of still being alive.

But on Monday at noon, students at the VCU Brandcenter got to see him in the flesh to hear him speak about triumphing over that tribulation. A few of us went out for drinks with him and Fenske the night before, and it was an amazing experience to say the least. Halfway through the night, while I was urinating my second beer, I remember looking at the wall in front of me and letting it finally hit me. I was having drinks with the man who made Nike Nike, the one brand that is undisputably put on a pedestal by every single ad professor I've ever had, almost to the point of annoyance. He was the unveiler of the most famous tagline ever created, and the inventor of postmodern advertising, which even the inventor himself doesn't know "what the fuck that is."

Riswold created the Mars Blackmon campaign, Charles Barkley's "I Am Not a Role Model," a bunch of Tiger Woods commercials, including "I am Tiger Woods" and "Hello World," the "Bo Knows" campaign, and a slew of MJ spots, to name just a few.

Most of the people sitting at that table, at one time or another, had a Nike poster taped up in their room that he wrote. We grew up amidst what this guy spewed from his brilliant brain. What spewed from his brilliant brain influenced us, and most likely contributed to why many of us were in ad school to begin with.

But that's another blog post entirely.







After being diagnosed with leukemia, having worked at Wieden for more than 20 years, working amongst, under and over some of the best creatives in the entire world, he decided to retire to follow his other passion: creating, in his words, "bad art." It's controversial and tasteless and hilarious and sensational and genius all wrapped together. He's truly one of a kind, and I feel honored to have met him.

To see is work, visit Jim Riswold Dot Com. And turn up the volume on your computer speakers.

dubs. out.,