AI transcript
0:00:03 (upbeat music)
0:00:05 When you think of the most iconic logo in the world,
0:00:06 which brand comes to mind?
0:00:08 For me, it’s probably Nike.
0:00:10 Their former CMO Greg Hoffman knew exactly
0:00:12 how critical strong brand recognition was.
0:00:14 And in this clip, he shares his tactics
0:00:15 on leveling up your own marketing.
0:00:18 I have about 40 companies in my portfolio.
0:00:19 And when I think about what’s worked
0:00:22 in terms of marketing, LinkedIn ad stands out.
0:00:24 They’re also the sponsor of this episode.
0:00:26 Here you have access to professional network
0:00:28 of individuals who influence your business
0:00:29 with over a billion members,
0:00:31 130 million decision makers,
0:00:33 and 10 million C-suite executives.
0:00:35 So you can kill the guesswork
0:00:37 and know exactly who you’re reaching.
0:00:38 If you’re ready to make an impact,
0:00:41 give LinkedIn ads a try and enjoy this moment on us.
0:00:43 Or if you want to get started now,
0:00:45 LinkedIn ads is offering $100 credit
0:00:46 to launch your first campaign.
0:00:50 Go to linkedin.com/doac24 to claim your credit,
0:00:52 terms and conditions apply.
0:00:54 – To create a strong emotional connection with someone else,
0:00:57 I’m presuming you have to take a strong emotional stance
0:00:58 yourself often.
0:01:00 So I’m just thinking about the things
0:01:02 that have evoked the strongest emotional connections
0:01:02 with anything I do.
0:01:05 The things that have evoked the strongest emotional connections
0:01:10 with this podcast audience are strong emotional stories.
0:01:14 But when you do that, when you avoid indifference,
0:01:17 you are putting yourself in line
0:01:20 for potential criticism and attacks,
0:01:22 and you’re gonna polarize people.
0:01:23 Some people are gonna love and hate you.
0:01:26 How important has that been for Nike?
0:01:29 And how important is it for a person starting a podcast
0:01:31 or a business or leading a team or whatever else?
0:01:34 – For a brand like Nike, it was,
0:01:40 look at the athletes that represented the brand early on.
0:01:45 I mean, they were all rebels within their own sports.
0:01:50 And so, this idea of having a maxim within the company
0:01:55 that was defy convention, right?
0:01:59 So your values kind of say, it’s like,
0:02:02 yeah, there are gonna be things we do with conviction
0:02:04 that may be polarizing.
0:02:08 But it is the deep belief we have in those things.
0:02:12 And as long as we always relate them back to sport
0:02:17 and this idea of serving the athlete,
0:02:21 then we’re willing to go there.
0:02:27 And if we’re not clearly tethered to what we say
0:02:32 and what we do, then we would deserve
0:02:34 the critique and the criticism.
0:02:37 So I think you can, for any small or large company,
0:02:40 that’s kind of, that’s wrestling with this
0:02:45 that maybe wants to kind of go beyond just the transactions
0:02:47 and truly move into that arena
0:02:52 where you really are having real relationships
0:02:54 with your audience, that their affinity for you
0:02:58 comes from that fact that they’re getting meaningful benefits
0:03:01 whether those are mental or physical,
0:03:05 that are allowing them to progress in life.
0:03:07 When you reach that status,
0:03:11 I believe indifference isn’t an option right now.
0:03:13 I believe we need to look to brands
0:03:16 that have that level of success.
0:03:17 And again, it’s not about scale
0:03:22 ’cause there’s plenty of small brands, mom and pop brands
0:03:25 that are doing great things through their business
0:03:28 to affect the lives of underserved communities.
0:03:30 But again, so much of what we’re talking about
0:03:35 is authenticity, even doing this book,
0:03:38 it’s like, well, how much social media should I do?
0:03:42 And on this platform, does that seem like an authentic?
0:03:45 And like, so at the end of the day,
0:03:49 ’cause I drive in people crazy with these questions,
0:03:52 is that ’cause I’m not the most public person, right?
0:03:57 But as long as I speak to from the center
0:04:03 and the anchor of the power of creativity
0:04:06 in business and its ability to change the world
0:04:08 and make that connection clear,
0:04:11 and then if people are pissed off about that,
0:04:14 then it is what it is.
0:04:15 But more often than not,
0:04:17 look at some of the most successful brands
0:04:22 and it’s made their own business successful.
0:04:24 It’s accelerated their growth.
0:04:26 And so that’s where I get into this.
0:04:31 Yeah, our primary goal certainly for a public company
0:04:36 is to drive growth, both from a brand and business standpoint.
0:04:41 But more and more, I believe that within that,
0:04:43 you have to integrate this,
0:04:45 being a great corporate citizen
0:04:51 and using your platform to provide your innovation
0:04:56 and your inspiration to those that quite frankly,
0:04:59 don’t have the access and opportunity to get it.
0:05:01 How do I find which story to tell?
0:05:03 Because if I’m running this podcast and I’m thinking,
0:05:05 okay, I need to do the logo, the branding,
0:05:07 I need to position it in a way that’s gonna be,
0:05:09 this is typically the way the brain thinks.
0:05:13 It’s trying, it’s, the outcome is success.
0:05:15 And it’s trying to figure out which story to tell
0:05:16 to get me to success.
0:05:18 So how do I make this podcast successful?
0:05:21 How would you go about knowing where
0:05:23 and how to find that story in your business brand team,
0:05:28 whatever it is, and which one is the right one to tell
0:05:31 to get the outcome I’m looking for, which is success?
0:05:35 The success to me is that it’s not overly packaged.
0:05:40 The success to me is that the transparency and authenticity
0:05:45 of the conversations and that there’s a rawness to it.
0:05:48 And that’s, that is branding.
0:05:53 Sometimes it’s the lack of design, if you will,
0:05:57 is the very thing that makes something successful.
0:05:58 100%.
0:06:01 Versus there’s, there’s a, you know,
0:06:05 there’s go to, it’s always the same questions.
0:06:09 And so that, that’s the one thing I really appreciate
0:06:12 about what you’re doing is this, again,
0:06:14 back to this, this being human
0:06:20 as a being human and creating a motion.
0:06:25 And part of that is just through people can, you know,
0:06:27 see themselves in you or us.
0:06:33 And the, yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s what I’d say.
0:06:38 It’s less about sometimes the traditional aspects
0:06:44 of branding, which is I wanna make sure the frame
0:06:47 of every podcast has the color gold.
0:06:50 And it must, you know, so again, I’m saying this
0:06:54 as someone who’s oftentimes been pretty rigid
0:06:58 in terms of to grow some of these businesses,
0:07:00 to own a brand color, if you will,
0:07:04 and you pick your, pick your favorite brand.
0:07:07 There’s a level of repetition needed
0:07:12 to build that kind of equity in a typeface, in a color,
0:07:15 in a, in a logo.
0:07:17 You need to build that brand frame, right?
0:07:20 Oftentimes startups almost skip that.
0:07:21 It’s like, no, go back.
0:07:25 It’s like really build your brand identifiers,
0:07:26 your brand elements, right?
0:07:28 ‘Cause that’s your picture frame.
0:07:31 And the stronger the picture frame,
0:07:33 the more the picture in it is gonna shine.
0:07:36 The weaker that frame, then you’re,
0:07:39 the picture within it is kind of, it’s, it’s just,
0:07:43 it’s not on a, on solid ground, if that makes sense.
0:07:45 And so that’s why in the book,
0:07:48 I talk about the picture and the frame,
0:07:51 and ensuring that the frame never outshines the picture.
0:07:52 That’s what I’m getting at.
0:07:56 It’s like, you’re, when you’re thinking about brand,
0:08:00 brand elements and how best to express those
0:08:02 through the different platforms,
0:08:05 it’s the right question, but making sure
0:08:10 that they don’t take away from the actual storytelling
0:08:13 within it, which is the picture.
0:08:14 – Which happens a lot.
0:08:16 For me, so some things that we do intentionally
0:08:20 to try and communicate the, I guess,
0:08:23 the heart of what we’re doing on this podcast,
0:08:24 for example, in the branding.
0:08:26 So one of the things is we always make sure
0:08:28 it feels like home.
0:08:30 So it’s in, whether in LA or in London,
0:08:33 it’s actually shot in my actual kitchen.
0:08:34 On a very similar looking table,
0:08:36 people are actually surprised it looks exactly the same.
0:08:37 But we always shoot it at home
0:08:40 because I think the conversations we’re having
0:08:42 are homely ones.
0:08:43 They’re the ones people have at home.
0:08:45 They’re not ones that, you know, we could,
0:08:46 we could go do this in a massive studio,
0:08:48 but it wouldn’t be in line with our values.
0:08:49 The other thing is it’s dark in here.
0:08:51 So that speaks to the subject matter.
0:08:53 Sometimes it speaks to secrets.
0:08:56 The other thing is obviously the title of the podcast
0:08:57 is the diary of a CEO.
0:09:00 And you ask yourself what one might keep in a diary.
0:09:02 It tends to be things that are a little bit deeper.
0:09:04 And there’s all these small things.
0:09:07 You know, we even, I mean, we spend many days this week
0:09:09 me and Jack debating removing the microphones
0:09:12 because it kills what the humanness
0:09:14 of authentic communication.
0:09:15 So we’re thinking about ways
0:09:16 where we can have the microphones hanging
0:09:18 where we can remove the barrier.
0:09:21 And all these small things, I guess, is that the frame?
0:09:23 Is it, or when you think about brand elements,
0:09:25 you’re talking more about like colors and things like that.
0:09:27 No, I think that’s the frame as well.
0:09:29 You know, when I walk into a space,
0:09:33 I’m a bit obsessive compulsive about like design
0:09:36 and details, you know, and I walk in and I look at the carpet
0:09:40 and what type of chairs and like the display case
0:09:41 and what are the objects, you know,
0:09:43 and whether I go into a restaurant
0:09:45 or the hotel I stayed in last night, you know,
0:09:48 and I’m, I’m, I’m soaking all that up.
0:09:52 But that isn’t the, that isn’t the actual experience.
0:09:56 That isn’t the actual story.
0:09:59 You’re revealing the story of this podcast
0:10:03 through all these elements, but, but it’s,
0:10:07 that’s still the story frame and is where I’m going.
0:10:11 And then the delivery of, you know,
0:10:14 through your voice and these conversations
0:10:15 is what sits within it.
0:10:19 But yes, those identifiers, those brand elements
0:10:24 play a huge role because every one of them,
0:10:26 I guess what I’m saying, what I like about when I walked in
0:10:29 is it’s like everything was considered.
0:10:31 There was nothing arbitrary
0:10:35 because what a miss for, for some,
0:10:37 some brands large and small,
0:10:42 when they don’t have a culture that cares deeply
0:10:45 about those details.
0:10:47 And I think the best ones do.
0:10:51 And certainly when you think of some of the,
0:10:56 the most successful fashion brands, like, you, you know,
0:11:00 there’s just an ethic inside that any,
0:11:04 any detail large or small will be intentional.
0:11:07 So, and, you know, that’s design, you know,
0:11:09 motion by design, the word design
0:11:13 is really about intention, be intentional.
0:11:16 And look to reveal something about yourself
0:11:20 through this round table, you know, with the marble top.
0:11:22 It’s like, it all communicates.
0:11:28 Trust me, I drive my wife and my kids absolutely mad, right?
0:11:31 Because they’d had to live with this guy
0:11:34 who’s just constantly moving stuff around.
0:11:39 And, you know, is the clock, is the bookcase like,
0:11:44 you know, curated perfectly are the books in the right.
0:11:47 So if I have a problem, it’s in some,
0:11:48 some ways that it’s,
0:11:54 I’ve, I’m, you know, searching for perfection too often.
0:12:00 And what can happen is you start to strip the soul
0:12:03 and personality out of something.
0:12:04 And it’s been great that I’ve had people
0:12:07 throughout my career to balance that.
0:12:10 That’s back to this idea of creative tension.
0:12:14 Like if there’s a two startup founders, you know, it’s,
0:12:15 I love it when it’s someone’s,
0:12:18 it’s someone represents the art
0:12:20 and someone represents the science, you know,
0:12:24 someone’s more analytical in their decision-making process.
0:12:28 And others maybe a little bit more non-linear,
0:12:30 maybe a little bit more right brain thinking.
0:12:36 And I love that tension because when you don’t have that,
0:12:40 it’s like one side starts to kind of creep up.
0:12:42 And that’s why I got into, you know,
0:12:44 I’m also the branding instructor
0:12:46 at the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Business.
0:12:50 And these are, you know, I’m in front of mainly folks
0:12:53 that want to become future GMs, entrepreneurs,
0:12:57 product developers, you name it, right?
0:12:59 And, but I’m there to say it’s like, you know,
0:13:02 yes, we’re going to go through how you create a brand plan
0:13:04 and a brand strategy, we’re going to do this,
0:13:07 but you’re also going to work on brand identity.
0:13:09 And don’t worry about if you can’t,
0:13:11 if you don’t think you’re creative,
0:13:16 because that’s, I just, that kills me when I hear that.
0:13:19 The application of creativity, yes,
0:13:21 it’s oftentimes reserved for people
0:13:26 that have created a fluency through experience and education,
0:13:31 whether it’s an architect, a coder, et cetera.
0:13:36 But the creation, the inception of an idea,
0:13:38 we can all participate in that,
0:13:41 like the brainstorming of an idea,
0:13:42 we can all participate.
0:13:44 ‘Cause what happens oftentimes is people say,
0:13:46 well, I can’t draw, I’m not creative.
0:13:51 And it’s like, well, that’s only part of the equation.
0:13:54 You know, I’ve done, I don’t know,
0:13:57 a couple hundred, I’ve led a couple hundred
0:14:01 brainstorm sessions over the years, big and small.
0:14:02 And I’ve never said at the beginning
0:14:04 of the brainstorm session,
0:14:06 I want all the non-creative people
0:14:08 to leave the room right now,
0:14:12 ’cause we’re gonna start to concept and be creative.
0:14:16 No, it’s, again, it’s right and left brain thinkers
0:14:20 working together to conceive great things.
0:14:23 (upbeat music)
0:14:24 (upbeat music)
0:00:05 When you think of the most iconic logo in the world,
0:00:06 which brand comes to mind?
0:00:08 For me, it’s probably Nike.
0:00:10 Their former CMO Greg Hoffman knew exactly
0:00:12 how critical strong brand recognition was.
0:00:14 And in this clip, he shares his tactics
0:00:15 on leveling up your own marketing.
0:00:18 I have about 40 companies in my portfolio.
0:00:19 And when I think about what’s worked
0:00:22 in terms of marketing, LinkedIn ad stands out.
0:00:24 They’re also the sponsor of this episode.
0:00:26 Here you have access to professional network
0:00:28 of individuals who influence your business
0:00:29 with over a billion members,
0:00:31 130 million decision makers,
0:00:33 and 10 million C-suite executives.
0:00:35 So you can kill the guesswork
0:00:37 and know exactly who you’re reaching.
0:00:38 If you’re ready to make an impact,
0:00:41 give LinkedIn ads a try and enjoy this moment on us.
0:00:43 Or if you want to get started now,
0:00:45 LinkedIn ads is offering $100 credit
0:00:46 to launch your first campaign.
0:00:50 Go to linkedin.com/doac24 to claim your credit,
0:00:52 terms and conditions apply.
0:00:54 – To create a strong emotional connection with someone else,
0:00:57 I’m presuming you have to take a strong emotional stance
0:00:58 yourself often.
0:01:00 So I’m just thinking about the things
0:01:02 that have evoked the strongest emotional connections
0:01:02 with anything I do.
0:01:05 The things that have evoked the strongest emotional connections
0:01:10 with this podcast audience are strong emotional stories.
0:01:14 But when you do that, when you avoid indifference,
0:01:17 you are putting yourself in line
0:01:20 for potential criticism and attacks,
0:01:22 and you’re gonna polarize people.
0:01:23 Some people are gonna love and hate you.
0:01:26 How important has that been for Nike?
0:01:29 And how important is it for a person starting a podcast
0:01:31 or a business or leading a team or whatever else?
0:01:34 – For a brand like Nike, it was,
0:01:40 look at the athletes that represented the brand early on.
0:01:45 I mean, they were all rebels within their own sports.
0:01:50 And so, this idea of having a maxim within the company
0:01:55 that was defy convention, right?
0:01:59 So your values kind of say, it’s like,
0:02:02 yeah, there are gonna be things we do with conviction
0:02:04 that may be polarizing.
0:02:08 But it is the deep belief we have in those things.
0:02:12 And as long as we always relate them back to sport
0:02:17 and this idea of serving the athlete,
0:02:21 then we’re willing to go there.
0:02:27 And if we’re not clearly tethered to what we say
0:02:32 and what we do, then we would deserve
0:02:34 the critique and the criticism.
0:02:37 So I think you can, for any small or large company,
0:02:40 that’s kind of, that’s wrestling with this
0:02:45 that maybe wants to kind of go beyond just the transactions
0:02:47 and truly move into that arena
0:02:52 where you really are having real relationships
0:02:54 with your audience, that their affinity for you
0:02:58 comes from that fact that they’re getting meaningful benefits
0:03:01 whether those are mental or physical,
0:03:05 that are allowing them to progress in life.
0:03:07 When you reach that status,
0:03:11 I believe indifference isn’t an option right now.
0:03:13 I believe we need to look to brands
0:03:16 that have that level of success.
0:03:17 And again, it’s not about scale
0:03:22 ’cause there’s plenty of small brands, mom and pop brands
0:03:25 that are doing great things through their business
0:03:28 to affect the lives of underserved communities.
0:03:30 But again, so much of what we’re talking about
0:03:35 is authenticity, even doing this book,
0:03:38 it’s like, well, how much social media should I do?
0:03:42 And on this platform, does that seem like an authentic?
0:03:45 And like, so at the end of the day,
0:03:49 ’cause I drive in people crazy with these questions,
0:03:52 is that ’cause I’m not the most public person, right?
0:03:57 But as long as I speak to from the center
0:04:03 and the anchor of the power of creativity
0:04:06 in business and its ability to change the world
0:04:08 and make that connection clear,
0:04:11 and then if people are pissed off about that,
0:04:14 then it is what it is.
0:04:15 But more often than not,
0:04:17 look at some of the most successful brands
0:04:22 and it’s made their own business successful.
0:04:24 It’s accelerated their growth.
0:04:26 And so that’s where I get into this.
0:04:31 Yeah, our primary goal certainly for a public company
0:04:36 is to drive growth, both from a brand and business standpoint.
0:04:41 But more and more, I believe that within that,
0:04:43 you have to integrate this,
0:04:45 being a great corporate citizen
0:04:51 and using your platform to provide your innovation
0:04:56 and your inspiration to those that quite frankly,
0:04:59 don’t have the access and opportunity to get it.
0:05:01 How do I find which story to tell?
0:05:03 Because if I’m running this podcast and I’m thinking,
0:05:05 okay, I need to do the logo, the branding,
0:05:07 I need to position it in a way that’s gonna be,
0:05:09 this is typically the way the brain thinks.
0:05:13 It’s trying, it’s, the outcome is success.
0:05:15 And it’s trying to figure out which story to tell
0:05:16 to get me to success.
0:05:18 So how do I make this podcast successful?
0:05:21 How would you go about knowing where
0:05:23 and how to find that story in your business brand team,
0:05:28 whatever it is, and which one is the right one to tell
0:05:31 to get the outcome I’m looking for, which is success?
0:05:35 The success to me is that it’s not overly packaged.
0:05:40 The success to me is that the transparency and authenticity
0:05:45 of the conversations and that there’s a rawness to it.
0:05:48 And that’s, that is branding.
0:05:53 Sometimes it’s the lack of design, if you will,
0:05:57 is the very thing that makes something successful.
0:05:58 100%.
0:06:01 Versus there’s, there’s a, you know,
0:06:05 there’s go to, it’s always the same questions.
0:06:09 And so that, that’s the one thing I really appreciate
0:06:12 about what you’re doing is this, again,
0:06:14 back to this, this being human
0:06:20 as a being human and creating a motion.
0:06:25 And part of that is just through people can, you know,
0:06:27 see themselves in you or us.
0:06:33 And the, yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s what I’d say.
0:06:38 It’s less about sometimes the traditional aspects
0:06:44 of branding, which is I wanna make sure the frame
0:06:47 of every podcast has the color gold.
0:06:50 And it must, you know, so again, I’m saying this
0:06:54 as someone who’s oftentimes been pretty rigid
0:06:58 in terms of to grow some of these businesses,
0:07:00 to own a brand color, if you will,
0:07:04 and you pick your, pick your favorite brand.
0:07:07 There’s a level of repetition needed
0:07:12 to build that kind of equity in a typeface, in a color,
0:07:15 in a, in a logo.
0:07:17 You need to build that brand frame, right?
0:07:20 Oftentimes startups almost skip that.
0:07:21 It’s like, no, go back.
0:07:25 It’s like really build your brand identifiers,
0:07:26 your brand elements, right?
0:07:28 ‘Cause that’s your picture frame.
0:07:31 And the stronger the picture frame,
0:07:33 the more the picture in it is gonna shine.
0:07:36 The weaker that frame, then you’re,
0:07:39 the picture within it is kind of, it’s, it’s just,
0:07:43 it’s not on a, on solid ground, if that makes sense.
0:07:45 And so that’s why in the book,
0:07:48 I talk about the picture and the frame,
0:07:51 and ensuring that the frame never outshines the picture.
0:07:52 That’s what I’m getting at.
0:07:56 It’s like, you’re, when you’re thinking about brand,
0:08:00 brand elements and how best to express those
0:08:02 through the different platforms,
0:08:05 it’s the right question, but making sure
0:08:10 that they don’t take away from the actual storytelling
0:08:13 within it, which is the picture.
0:08:14 – Which happens a lot.
0:08:16 For me, so some things that we do intentionally
0:08:20 to try and communicate the, I guess,
0:08:23 the heart of what we’re doing on this podcast,
0:08:24 for example, in the branding.
0:08:26 So one of the things is we always make sure
0:08:28 it feels like home.
0:08:30 So it’s in, whether in LA or in London,
0:08:33 it’s actually shot in my actual kitchen.
0:08:34 On a very similar looking table,
0:08:36 people are actually surprised it looks exactly the same.
0:08:37 But we always shoot it at home
0:08:40 because I think the conversations we’re having
0:08:42 are homely ones.
0:08:43 They’re the ones people have at home.
0:08:45 They’re not ones that, you know, we could,
0:08:46 we could go do this in a massive studio,
0:08:48 but it wouldn’t be in line with our values.
0:08:49 The other thing is it’s dark in here.
0:08:51 So that speaks to the subject matter.
0:08:53 Sometimes it speaks to secrets.
0:08:56 The other thing is obviously the title of the podcast
0:08:57 is the diary of a CEO.
0:09:00 And you ask yourself what one might keep in a diary.
0:09:02 It tends to be things that are a little bit deeper.
0:09:04 And there’s all these small things.
0:09:07 You know, we even, I mean, we spend many days this week
0:09:09 me and Jack debating removing the microphones
0:09:12 because it kills what the humanness
0:09:14 of authentic communication.
0:09:15 So we’re thinking about ways
0:09:16 where we can have the microphones hanging
0:09:18 where we can remove the barrier.
0:09:21 And all these small things, I guess, is that the frame?
0:09:23 Is it, or when you think about brand elements,
0:09:25 you’re talking more about like colors and things like that.
0:09:27 No, I think that’s the frame as well.
0:09:29 You know, when I walk into a space,
0:09:33 I’m a bit obsessive compulsive about like design
0:09:36 and details, you know, and I walk in and I look at the carpet
0:09:40 and what type of chairs and like the display case
0:09:41 and what are the objects, you know,
0:09:43 and whether I go into a restaurant
0:09:45 or the hotel I stayed in last night, you know,
0:09:48 and I’m, I’m, I’m soaking all that up.
0:09:52 But that isn’t the, that isn’t the actual experience.
0:09:56 That isn’t the actual story.
0:09:59 You’re revealing the story of this podcast
0:10:03 through all these elements, but, but it’s,
0:10:07 that’s still the story frame and is where I’m going.
0:10:11 And then the delivery of, you know,
0:10:14 through your voice and these conversations
0:10:15 is what sits within it.
0:10:19 But yes, those identifiers, those brand elements
0:10:24 play a huge role because every one of them,
0:10:26 I guess what I’m saying, what I like about when I walked in
0:10:29 is it’s like everything was considered.
0:10:31 There was nothing arbitrary
0:10:35 because what a miss for, for some,
0:10:37 some brands large and small,
0:10:42 when they don’t have a culture that cares deeply
0:10:45 about those details.
0:10:47 And I think the best ones do.
0:10:51 And certainly when you think of some of the,
0:10:56 the most successful fashion brands, like, you, you know,
0:11:00 there’s just an ethic inside that any,
0:11:04 any detail large or small will be intentional.
0:11:07 So, and, you know, that’s design, you know,
0:11:09 motion by design, the word design
0:11:13 is really about intention, be intentional.
0:11:16 And look to reveal something about yourself
0:11:20 through this round table, you know, with the marble top.
0:11:22 It’s like, it all communicates.
0:11:28 Trust me, I drive my wife and my kids absolutely mad, right?
0:11:31 Because they’d had to live with this guy
0:11:34 who’s just constantly moving stuff around.
0:11:39 And, you know, is the clock, is the bookcase like,
0:11:44 you know, curated perfectly are the books in the right.
0:11:47 So if I have a problem, it’s in some,
0:11:48 some ways that it’s,
0:11:54 I’ve, I’m, you know, searching for perfection too often.
0:12:00 And what can happen is you start to strip the soul
0:12:03 and personality out of something.
0:12:04 And it’s been great that I’ve had people
0:12:07 throughout my career to balance that.
0:12:10 That’s back to this idea of creative tension.
0:12:14 Like if there’s a two startup founders, you know, it’s,
0:12:15 I love it when it’s someone’s,
0:12:18 it’s someone represents the art
0:12:20 and someone represents the science, you know,
0:12:24 someone’s more analytical in their decision-making process.
0:12:28 And others maybe a little bit more non-linear,
0:12:30 maybe a little bit more right brain thinking.
0:12:36 And I love that tension because when you don’t have that,
0:12:40 it’s like one side starts to kind of creep up.
0:12:42 And that’s why I got into, you know,
0:12:44 I’m also the branding instructor
0:12:46 at the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Business.
0:12:50 And these are, you know, I’m in front of mainly folks
0:12:53 that want to become future GMs, entrepreneurs,
0:12:57 product developers, you name it, right?
0:12:59 And, but I’m there to say it’s like, you know,
0:13:02 yes, we’re going to go through how you create a brand plan
0:13:04 and a brand strategy, we’re going to do this,
0:13:07 but you’re also going to work on brand identity.
0:13:09 And don’t worry about if you can’t,
0:13:11 if you don’t think you’re creative,
0:13:16 because that’s, I just, that kills me when I hear that.
0:13:19 The application of creativity, yes,
0:13:21 it’s oftentimes reserved for people
0:13:26 that have created a fluency through experience and education,
0:13:31 whether it’s an architect, a coder, et cetera.
0:13:36 But the creation, the inception of an idea,
0:13:38 we can all participate in that,
0:13:41 like the brainstorming of an idea,
0:13:42 we can all participate.
0:13:44 ‘Cause what happens oftentimes is people say,
0:13:46 well, I can’t draw, I’m not creative.
0:13:51 And it’s like, well, that’s only part of the equation.
0:13:54 You know, I’ve done, I don’t know,
0:13:57 a couple hundred, I’ve led a couple hundred
0:14:01 brainstorm sessions over the years, big and small.
0:14:02 And I’ve never said at the beginning
0:14:04 of the brainstorm session,
0:14:06 I want all the non-creative people
0:14:08 to leave the room right now,
0:14:12 ’cause we’re gonna start to concept and be creative.
0:14:16 No, it’s, again, it’s right and left brain thinkers
0:14:20 working together to conceive great things.
0:14:23 (upbeat music)
0:14:24 (upbeat music)
In this moment, Greg Hofman former CMO of Nike explores how the brand’s bold strategies helped the brand become an iconic global powerhouse. He shares practical lessons on building a strong brand identity, connecting with audiences, and leveraging creativity to drive business success.
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Greg: https://www.themodernarena.com/about
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