Cannes Lions to honor Dan Wieden with Lion of St. Mark accolade

Wieden, co-founder and global executive creative director of Wieden+Kennedy, will receive the award in Cannes during the Film, Film Craft, Titanium, Integrated and Branded Content & Entertainment awards ceremony on 23 June.

Also at the festival, Wieden will join last year's inaugural winner of the Lion of St. Mark, Sir John Hegarty, founder and worldwide creative director of BBH, for a session titled "30 Years of Creative Chaos." Moderated by Atifa Silk, Campaign Asia-Pacific editorial director, the session takes place on 22 June.

Wieden, along with creative partner David Kennedy, founded their eponymous agency in 1982 in Portland, Oregon, taking on a local upstart maker of athletic shoes as their first client. Wieden coined Nike's 'Just do it' slogan, and the rest is advertising history, as the agency, which remains independent, grew to a global scale and built a blue-chip client roster. 

"Dan’s integrity and brilliance have inspired a generation and gained worldwide respect," said Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions. "While his work is much admired, his vision has reverberated across the industry, changing the course of brand marketing and redefining the structure of the business."

The Lion of St. Mark trophy is based upon the original Lions awarded at the Festival, which were modelled on the lion statue in St. Mark's Square in Venice, which hosted the first Festival in 1954 and alternated with Cannes until 1984.