Ari Weiss, a decorated ad industry veteran with a reputation for breakthrough creative ideas, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 46.
Weiss—whose CV includes storied agencies such as BBH, DDB, Wieden+Kennedy, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners—was the founder and creative chairman of independent agency Quality Experience.
Previously, he served at DDB for seven years, starting as North American chief creative officer (CCO) and becoming global CCO in 2019. Under his leadership, he helped DDB win Network of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2023.
Last year, Weiss debuted Quality Experience. The boutique shop—including partners Cristina Reina, Dan Gonda, and Colleen Leddy—had in a short time produced standout work for Shutterfly and Tonal.
Weiss told ADWEEK during an October interview that he and his fellow founders saw “tremendous opportunity” in the current environment to hang their own shingle as the industry behemoths moved toward consolidation and clients tightened their purse strings.
“When [brand] money is flush, the big networks have the competitive advantage because of their scale and resources,” Weiss said. “But in lean times, the independents and startups have the upper hand—there’s a lot less waste, and there’s a value we can pass on.”
During his career, Weiss created award-winning work for clients including Starburst, Twix, Miller Lite, Coors Light, McDonald’s, and Volkswagen. One of his lauded projects was the Skittles alternative to Super Bowl 2019, a one-night-only Broadway show starring Michael C. Hall. ADWEEK called the merger of theater and advertising “weirdly wonderful.”
His cofounders posted an obituary on Quality Experience’s LinkedIn page on Saturday that read, in part: “His unwavering passion, ambition and relentless pursuit of excellence will continue to inspire, leaving a lasting impact on all of us and on the industry. While we are grieving his loss, we are so grateful to have been able to go on the journey of realizing his dream of building Quality Experience together over the past year.”
As others in the industry learned of his passing, they posted tributes to him and condolences to his wife, Dara, and their three children, Layla, Luca, and Lev.
Liz Taylor, global chief creative officer at Ogilvy, said of Weiss: “Fierce competitor, wildly funny, master of craft. A career filled with jealousy-inducing work. What a talent. What a loss. The industry lost a creative giant. Many lost an incredible friend.”
The One Club for Creativity posted on Instagram on Saturday: “Beyond the countless accolades he has won for his phenomenal work over the years, we will best remember him as a selfless friend of The Club, always willing to get involved, whether it was sitting on a jury, speaking at an event, or just sharing his thoughts on how creativity can be a guiding force for good in this world.”
