Nominees Announced April 2nd
Honoring the Best
of the Internet
September 21, 2015

People Like to Make Stuff

AN INTERVIEW WITH WIEDEN+KENNEDY'S EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR IAIN TAIT

We’re thrilled to kick off our second week of featuring 20 Webby Winners with our good friends (and 2011 Agency of the Year) Wieden + Kennedy. This global network of outstanding agencies has earned an impressive 62 nominations and wins over the past decade with work that has not only changed the advertising industry but Internet culture as a whole.

Take their Webby Winning work with Old Spice, for example, which brought Fabio back to the screen, put Isaiah Mustafa on a horse, showcased Terry Crews’ gyrating muscles, and saved the world with Dikembe Mutombo through an 8-bit game.

It’s impossible to discuss the past 20 years of the Internet without referencing the genius work from Wieden + Kennedy. So it’s no surprise that their design for our 20th Annual Call for Entry poster goes above and beyond with its approach to storytelling, using a single piece of copy in which every word links to a viral moment in Internet history, from finger-biting Charlie to Webby fave “Chocolate Rain.”  What exactly does each link direct to? Find out this Thursday, September 24th as Wieden + Kennedy deconstructs the poster and rolls out their favorite moments from the last 20 years of unstoppable Internet during a Twitter takeover on The Webby Awards account.

Click through their 20th Webbys interactive poster and relive 20 years of unstoppable Internet moments here.

W+K Webby Winning + Nominated Work

Nike Chalkbot - 2010 Webby Award Winner
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Nike Chalkbot - 2010 Webby Award Winner

AHH for Coca-Cola - 2015 Nominee
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AHH for Coca-Cola - 2015 Nominee

Old Spice Response Campaign - 2011 People\'s Voice/Webby Winner
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Old Spice Response Campaign - 2011 People's Voice/Webby Winner

Nike Back For the Future - 2012 People\'s Voice / Webby Award Winner
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Nike Back For the Future - 2012 People's Voice / Webby Award Winner

Old Spice Muscle Music - 2013 People\'s Voice
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Old Spice Muscle Music - 2013 People's Voice

Hockey is Ours for Nike - 2013 Webby Award Winner
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Hockey is Ours for Nike - 2013 Webby Award Winner

Crack the US OPEN - 2014 Nominee
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Crack the US OPEN - 2014 Nominee

We had the pleasure of catching up with Wieden + Kennedy Executive Creative Director Iain Tait on why he thinks “The Internet Can’t Be Stopped”.

Tell us about your depiction of “The Internet Can’t Be Stopped”

The Internet is big. It’s kind of overwhelming. And it comes at you from everywhere, from overthrowing governments to Nyan Cat. We tried to capture all of it in a way that would suck people in – a bit like the Internet.

 

What’s the best thing to happen to the Internet in the past 20 years?

Personally I love the fact that mankind has managed to continually evolve the Internet. I’m probably being stupid, but sometimes it feels like a massive game of chess. Something starts to threaten the fabric or values of the Internet, then through amazing collective endeavour it manages to swerve checkmate in the nick of time.

Buy a lot of Old Spice.”
— Wieden+Kennedy's 5-Word Speech (2013)
play

Watch
W+K's 2013 5-Word Speech

What are you most excited for in the next 20 years of the Internet?

AI-powered robots that 3D-print their own virtual reality helmets to escape the boredom of their own thoughts. Or something like that.

 

How is W+K using technology to connect consumers to clients at the moment?

I’m most excited by the fact that we now have lots of platforms that are all at a scale where we can reach MASSIVE audiences. And each platform having its own distinct cultures and behaviours is a fabulous challenge. We’re figuring out ways for our clients to operate as loved participants in those environments. Not simply using them as channels to force ourselves in front of lots of disinterested eyeballs.

 

Brevity, the soul of wit.”
— Wieden+Kennedy's 5-Word Speech (2009)

Your team has helped shape the last 20 years of the Webbys. What are you working on now?

Slightly boringly it’s kind of business as usual. As a company, we’ve always been about how we can positively impact culture on behalf of the people we work with. The tools we use, the people we hire, and how we make things are all continually evolving. But as long as the Internet feels like a vital culture we’ll be there trying our damnedest to do interesting things.

 

Tell Us in 5-Words why the Internet can’t be stopped.

People like to make stuff.

 

Don’t forget you can watch all the highlights from the 20th Annual Webby Awards now!

Fight cancer with yellow chalk.”
— Wieden+Kennedy's 5-Word Speech (2010)

W+K at The Webby Awards

Ann-Marie Harbour and Dean McBeth of Wieden+Kennedy accept The Webby Award for Best Viral Marketing
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Ann-Marie Harbour and Dean McBeth of Wieden+Kennedy accept The Webby Award for Best Viral Marketing

Webby & People\'s Voice Winner Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics
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Webby & People's Voice Winner Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics

Mike Davidson, of Wieden+Kennedy, accepts award for People’s Voice/Webby Winner in Promotions & Contests for their work as Old Spice Social Strategists.
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Mike Davidson, of Wieden+Kennedy, accepts award for People’s Voice/Webby Winner in Promotions & Contests for their work as Old Spice Social Strategists.

Iain Tait at The 13th Annual Webby Awards
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Iain Tait at The 13th Annual Webby Awards

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