Wieden+Kennedy's Susan Hoffman to be honored with Lion of St. Mark at Cannes

Susan Hoffman, one of Wieden+Kennedy’s all-time great talents, will be honored with the Lion of St. Mark, an elite industry honor, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this June—in a year that also marks her 40th anniversary at the agency. Known for her groundbreaking work, outspoken approach, irrepressible style and extensive mentorship, Hoffman was employee No. 8 at W+K when she joined in 1983, a few months after the shop’s founding in Portland, Oregon, with a then-unknown client, Nike, billing less than $1 million. She rose from junior art director to global creative leader on Nike and other brands. Hoffman had previously worked with W+K founders Dan Wieden and David Kennedy at the small Portland agency William Cane and was drawn to their approach. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here “It’s hard to believe I was the first female creative at W+K,” Hoffman said. “People ask me why I’m still here. My answer—Dan and David. They cared about the people and the power of creativity, and not themselves.” Hoffman would play an integral role on Nike as it grew from upstart to behemoth. She and copywriter Janet Champ (then a secretary at the agency) created the famous “Revolution” spot, set to the Beatles song of that name, in 1987—an ad that became a pop-culture sensation. Hoffman’s other Nike spots over the years have ranged from the groundbreaking “If You Let Me Play” in 1995 to the celebrated “Da Da Ding” in 2016—both anthems about girls and women in sport. Hoffman has lent her talents to practically every account at the agency, working on Target, Levi’s, Chrysler, Squarespace, Old Spice and scores of other brands. She also took W+K global, opening both the Amsterdam and London offices. (She returned to London to run the creative department there over the past two years, and only just returned to Portland this spring.) She also ran W+K 12, the agency’s experimental ad school, for a time, and has been instrumental in launching the careers of an untold number of successful creative directors in the industry. “We’re delighted to present this year’s Lion of St. Mark to industry trailblazer Susan Hoffman,” said Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions. “Susan has been instrumental in driving the industry and creativity forward over the last 40 years, with an impressive body of work that reflects her unique perspective and ability to challenge the status quo in order to harness creativity as a force for progress for people, business and society. She has supported so many others on their own creative paths, and we can’t wait to welcome Susan to the stage to share her creative journey.” Following Kennedy’s death in 2021, and Wieden’s in 2022, Hoffman in many ways has become the agency’s spiritual leader—carrying on the mission wherever she goes in the network, preaching the power of independence and the value of disparate perspectives in the work. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “Giving people a voice was their mantra,” Hoffman said of the agency’s founders. “To quote Dan, ‘The biggest advantage you have in this business is your own voice.’ This belief gave not only me but everyone who has come through the doors of W+K support and confidence to find our own voices. These diverse voices are our secret sauce and what makes great work. Dan and David passed us the baton to inspire more people to understand this. Don’t drop it.” Hoffman is the second consecutive female W+K leader to be honored with the Lion of St. Mark. Last year, the prize went to Colleen DeCourcy, W+K’s former global chief creative officer, who retired from the agency in 2021. Mary Wells Lawrence, the winner in 2020-21, is the only other woman to have received the accolade. Dan Wieden himself picked up the award in 2012. The Lion of St. Mark was introduced in 2011. The other honorees have included John Hegarty, Lee Clow, Joe Pytka, Bob Greenberg, Marcelo Serpa, David Droga, Piyush Pandey, Rich Silverstein and Jeff Goodby. This year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will take place from June 19-23 in Cannes, France.

Wieden+Kennedy's Susan Hoffman to be honored with Lion of St. Mark at Cannes

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