Ari Weiss, acclaimed creative advertising leader, dies at 46

Ari Weiss, one of advertising’s top creative leaders, known for his playful, innovative and bold ideas across a quarter-century of work—from creative hot shops to global agency networks to his own recently launched boutique—died Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 46. Weiss, who grew up in Berkeley, California, began his career in the late 1990s as a copywriting intern at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. After stints at Cliff Freeman and Partners, BBDO, Wieden+Kennedy and 180LA, as well as a return to GS&P, he joined BBH New York in 2011, rising to become chief creative officer. After six years there, he spent seven at DDB, first as North American CCO and later as global CCO. Remembering Ari Weiss—friend, mentor and one-of-a-kind creative force At DDB, he helped the agency win the coveted Network of the Year award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2023—the first time DDB had won the award in its storied 74-year history. In early 2024, eager to explore his entrepreneurial side and be closer to the work again, he founded Quality Experience, a creative boutique built on the notion that every interaction between brands and consumers should bring value to both sides. At QX, he hired top industry executives Cristina Reina, Colleen Leddy and Dan Gonda to help run the agency. The first work from the shop included striking spots for Shutterfly and Tonal. Over the course of his career, his celebrated work included campaigns for Skittles, Starburst, Twix, Miller Lite, Coors Light, McDonald’s and Volkswagen. Perhaps his most audacious campaign was “Broadway the Rainbow” for Skittles, a campaign timed to Super Bowl Sunday in 2019, where he convinced the brand to skip a Super Bowl ad and instead stage a one-performance-only branded musical at Town Hall in New York. Starring Michael C. Hall, “Broadway the Rainbow” reveled in self-referential parody, featuring comic musical numbers such as “Advertising Ruins Everything.” Weiss is survived by his loving wife Dara and their children, Layla, Luca and Lev, his mother Marilyn and father Abe, his sister Lara, brothers Adam and Ilan, mother-in-law Ellen and sister-in-law Alicyn. The reel below shows the “Broadway the Rainbow” campaign and will be updated with more of Weiss’ breakthrough advertising work through the years. Remembering Ari Weiss—Paying tribute to the late advertising leader

Ari Weiss, acclaimed creative advertising leader, dies at 46

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