Innovation doesn’t spring up by chance but at intersections of different factors such as cultures, disciplines, and points of view.

On this week’s episode, we welcome Greg Hoffman, former CMO of Nike, to hear how he made his way up from design intern at Nike, Nike’s most iconic campaigns across his 27-year career, and links between creativity and leadership. Beyond a professional narrative, Greg also unravels emotional experiences and his journey from youth to rediscovery and connection with his birth family.

Greg Hoffman is a global brand leader, former NIKE Chief Marketing Officer, and founder and principal of the brand advisory group Modern Arena.

For over 27 years, Greg held marketing, design, and innovation leadership roles at NIKE, including time as the brand’s CMO. In his most recent role as NIKE’s Vice President of Global Brand Innovation, he led teams tasked with envisioning the future of storytelling and consumer experiences for the brand.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:31 Greg’s background and rise to a leadership role at Nike
• 0:08:13 Designing the Nike Shox logo
• 0:10:08 Going back to the first logo design after exploring 80 different versions
• 0:13:28 The importance of diverse voices and perspectives in decision-making
• 0:14:09 The success of the Nike Shox launch and its disruptive nature
• 0:20:07 Reflecting on impactful work in football marketing
• 0:21:58 Personal and professional challenges as a minority
• 0:23:47 Leveraging early life experiences for empathy and inclusivity
• 0:26:06 Lack of diversity in marketing, design, and advertising industries
• 0:28:28 Adoption and the recent ability to discuss experiences openly
• 0:30:11 Nature vs. nurture and unlocking hidden talents in leadership roles
• 0:34:55 Emotional impact of discovering biological family ties
• 0:43:30 An eclectic family and how Innovation happens at intersections
• 0:48:06 Inspiration drives creativity and curiosity drives inspiration
• 0:51:40 Three takeaways

Episode References:

• Emotion by Design | Greg's Bestselling Book
• The Modern Arena | Corporate Site
• Greg Hoffman | Instagram
• Rei Inamoto | Instagram
• Rei Inamoto | X
• I&CO | Corporate Site

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.