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Nike CMO: Your Campaign Needs One Page for Success
Nike’s branding tips revealed by Greg Hoffman.
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Greg Hoffman didn’t create the Nike slogan “Just Do It,” but he’s lived those words. Rising from an internship at the iconic sportswear company in 1992 to its chief marketing officer and VP of global brand innovation, Hoffman oversaw an era of technological and social change, as well as partnerships with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Colin Kaepernick.
Hoffman’s new book, Emotion By Design: Creative Leadership Lessons From a Life at Nike, is an autobiography and instruction manual. Any small business would be wise to heed his billion-dollar advice on authenticity.
Make a Brand Identity Document Right Now
Customers will never buy your values (literally or figuratively) if you don’t. “You first absolutely [need] a one-page document that articulates what your belief is, why you exist, what your mission is,” Hoffman said. “If everyone in your company isn’t clear on that, it could become an issue.”
Failure to craft and adhere to this document causes trouble and even potential hypocrisy. “A lot of companies take that for granted or say, ‘We’ll get to that later,’” Hoffman explained. “It’s everybody’s job to respect that.”
Don’t Chase Random Popular Causes
Before you embark on a socially conscious marketing plan, make sure it’s right for your company in particular. “[W]hether it’s the war in Ukraine or racial justice or climate change – whatever it is – you have to ask: Can you connect what you sell with what the world needs on that issue?” said Hoffman, who warned that “it can get confusing or tone-deaf” otherwise.
For Nike, it made credible brand sense to examine social issues as they relate to sports. “[I]t was quite powerful because the whole premise was, through our athletes, asking the question of: Why are we equal on the field, but when you walk outside the white lines, the rules change?” Hoffman said. “Those [ads] still have staying power today and are timeless messages.”