Greg Hoffman, the former Chief Marketing Officer of Nike, delivered the second annual Bucksbaum Lecture in Business at Drake University on Nov. 14. Hoffman’s lecture, titled after his book “Emotion by Design,” highlighted how creativity and emotional resonance are pivotal in building powerful and enduring brands.
Hoffman’s lecture focused on five key characteristics that foster creativity, innovation and meaningful branding: courage, empathy, curiosity, memorable storytelling and visionary thinking. Through a series of vivid anecdotes from his 28-year career at Nike, Hoffman illustrated how these traits were not just abstract ideals but practical approaches that fueled groundbreaking campaigns.
“When you look back at history, innovation breakthroughs have rarely been created with caution,” Hoffman said. “So this idea of never playing it safe, play to win, oftentimes resides in this arena where people are allowed to ask those two most important questions when seeking new frontiers: ‘What if and why not?’”
One of the first stories Hoffman shared was about the creation of Nike’s Air Force One sneaker. Despite its unchanged design over four decades, the shoe remains the world’s highest-selling sneaker. Hoffman attributed this enduring success to Nike’s continuous investment in storytelling.
“When I laced up the product [Air Force Ones], I truly believed I could float on air… That’s the power of emotion,” Hoffman said. “Today, 40-plus years after it was designed, the Air Force One is the highest selling sneaker in the world… because the brand and teams never stopped investing in the story and the world of that brand.”
Hoffman also dove into the importance of diversity and curiosity in fostering innovation. He cited Nike’s collaborations like the Brazilian national soccer team and Serena Williams as examples of demonstrating how cultural understanding can amplify brand impact.
“If you’re truly going to design solutions that serve everyone…. you want a culture and a team that is a mirror to those you hope to serve,” Hoffman said. “And so that idea that diversity is the very oxygen that breathes life into the process of innovation just makes us think back to ensure that those maybe that don’t fit into the traditional box of a business organization are invited into that forum.”
In the conclusion of Hoffman’s lecture, he talked about the “Crazy Dreams” advertisement featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Hoffman described how such initiatives combined purpose with storytelling as a movement built on empowering narratives.
“When Colin [Kaepernick] came to the Nike campus, he was very clear, ‘I don’t want to be a campaign, right? I want to create a movement, and if you want to partner with me on that movement, we can work together,’” Hoffman said. “[My role]was, how can we authentically have a point of view and use our position within the world of sport to make a difference?”
Hoffman’s lecture resonated strongly with those like sophomore marketing major Carter Osgood.
“One of my main takeaways from this lecture was don’t be comfortable,” Osgood said. “The more you become comfortable, the less you are going to succeed. You are going to lose a lot of creativity when you become comfortable.”
Hoffman ended by encouraging future business leaders to prioritize humanity.
“It’s humans, not AI, that have empathy and curiosity,” Hoffman said. “It’s humans who take risks, create art and leave legacies. Let’s leave a legacy we can be proud of.”
