Nike comes back to its marriage with Wieden

George Parker actually got credit over at the Adweek site for breaking the news yesterday that Nike has dropped Crispin, Porter + Bogusky from its roster. Good for my drinking buddy! As for Nike's decision, in hindisght, it kind of looked inevitable. For one, throughout its flirtation with Crispin, Nike has seemed like the husband who leaves his wife for another woman. Eventually, it found how good it used to have it in the first place. And then there's the work. Probably the best known thing that Crispin did for Nike was the spot above, and while certainly above average, it wasn't particularly special and inspired, either. It didn't have that hard-to-describe sensibility that makes Nike advertising what it is. Could have just as easily been created for New Balance or Adidas. Wieden + Kennedy doesn't have a lock on that sensibility, as the new Guy Ritchie film from 72andSunny demonstrates, but the agency gets something about Nike that you can only understand if you've worked with the client for decades. I hope that what Wieden has learned from this is that digital should now be a core expertise for all agencies. As you might recall, the shop's relative lack of interactive cred was what supposedly sent the business to Crispin in the first place. Good for you, Wieden. With that, have a great Memorial Day weekend all.