If you’ve ever stopped to wonder what the inspiration behind Nike’s famous Just Do It slogan is, you probably imagined it was inspired by a sporting star or some amazing sporting feat.

In fact, one of the world’s most famous taglines was inspired by a convicted murderer awaiting execution by firing squad. Oh.

Dan Wieden, the co-founder of ad agency Wieden+Kennedy which was employed by Nike in the 80s to win back control of the trainer market from Reebok, shared the slogan’s origin story at the recent Design Indaba conference in Cape Town.


Back in 1988, the night before Wieden was scheduled to present the new ad strategy to Nike boss Phil Knight, he was still missing that vital tagline to tie it all together.



But, as he explained to Dezeen magazine, he suddenly remembered the story of a convicted criminal in the late 70s.

‘I was recalling a man in Portland,’ he says.

‘He grew up in Portland, and ran around doing criminal acts in the country, and was in Utah where he murdered a man and a woman, and was sent to jail and put before a firing squad.’

Gary Gilmore makes a court appearance in 1976 (Picture: AP)

The murderer was called Gary Gilmore and he was executed by firing squad in 1977.

And the killer’s final words before he faced the firing squad? He’s reported to have said: ‘Let’s do it.’

The words stuck with Wieden. He changed the line slightly to ‘Just Do It’ and so a strapline was born.

Nike founder Phil Knight apparently wasn’t completely convinced at first – he reportedly said of the slogan, ‘we don’t need that sh*t,’ – but Wieden brought him round.

Which worked out pretty well for Nike. Campaign magazine described the phrase as ‘arguably the best tagline of the 20th century.’

Inspiration really does strike in the weirdest places.

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