Indeed, the slogan did work—even if it also left the client holding some dialectical baggage. Liz Dolan, Nike’s vp of global marketing in 1988, told Pray, “I’m sure they didn’t want anyone to really know.” (Nike did not immediately respond to ADWEEK’s request for comment.)

A lucrative property with troubling origins is hardly a new paradox in corporate America, of course.

“Many long-established brands have skeletons in the closet,” said Ericho Communications CEO Eric Yaverbaum, author of Public Relations for Dummies. “Leaders may not be responsible for the actions of their predecessors, but they still benefit from the legacies those actions created.”

It’s unclear how much Wieden may have even told his client about his inspiration for the slogan, but one thing is beyond dispute: Nike chose well in running with it.

Widen would long remember how Nike founder Phil Knight wasn’t a fan of the slogan at first, telling him: “We don’t need that shit.”

To which Wieden responded: “Just trust me on this one.”