Marketing Genius – Story by Loren Hall
Marketing Genius
In 1984 as an employee of Oregon’s State Health Department Ron was named the winner of a “Choose our Slogan” contest for the Oregon State Health Department’s Fitness Club.
The club was an internal organization within the Health Department with the mission of promoting wellness and physical fitness of department employees.
Ron’s winning entry? Just do it.
The slogan, of course, was later used by Nike and Weiden & Kennedy, both also based out of Portland Oregon, in 1988.
The slogan has since been inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame and Forbes magazine, among others, named Just Do It the greatest marketing slogan of all time.
For winning the contest Ron was rewarded with a free year membership to the Fitness Club and a mug from the Portland Youth Philharmonic.