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.