Wieden & Kennedy has signaled that despite a long-term and ongoing relationship with Nike, it will not compete for a new subset of work from the shoemaker, according to AdAge.
Nike is looking for an agency to work on its newly created "Running" shoes, a category that has come about because Nike has redefined its market segments more narrowly, and is focusing efforts on appealing to those specific demographic groups.
W+K chief Dan Wieden is reported to have said that he's satisfied with the amount of work his agency already handles for Nike and will not pursue additional projects. Right now, W+K has the bulk of Nike's ad work.
Nike has undertaken special projects in the past and looked for agencies to work on them. Each time it has returned to W+K, which it has partnered with for about 20 years.
Wieden & Kennedy's structure is such that it places interactive experts onto all its account teams. Interactive work the agency has done for Nike has often been submitted for award consideration.