A brilliant and interesting read for anyone in the creative realm. I came into this knowing very little about Greg Hoffman, or anything within the sports creative network but enjoyed the nods to all hugely memorable campaigns and marketing. It’s very well written and I genuinely wanted to understand more about the journey through his career and all the people who have been strong influences in the field.

A very unique book and perspective, that I’ll recommend time and time again.

Interesting part-autobiography, part-handbook, in which Hoffman brings together how he came to be involved with marketing at Nike, and the background underlying many of the company's most iconic advertising campaigns and events

3.5⭐ rounded to 4

I’m afraid I didn’t get too far into this read before I put it aside for something with a little more flavour. I found the writing to be quite dull and didn’t keep hold of my attention, quite surprising for a book about the very subject of doing so. I found the anecdotes quite interesting but did not feel like I was learning enough quick enough to keep my attention. I’m not saying I won’t pick it up again at some point, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting in terms of flow and I’m afraid it was a DNF from me at this stage.

I read Emotion By Design by Greg Hoffman a few months ago, and I’ve let it marinade a bit before writing this review. Hoffman was for many years the head marketer at Nike. What he doesn’t know about the possibility of brands is not worth knowing. But there is a paradox about the meaning of brands: they are at their sharpest when at their irreducible core, but they also mean different things to different people. The role of the brander is to enable a potential customer to relate to the brand in the most appropriate way. So you may react differently to this book depending on your understanding of brands, or your understanding of Nike, or your views on big consumer businesses.
Emotion does three things, I think. The first is that it is - of course - the story behind some of the most iconic marketing campaigns of the last thirty years. If you know your Nike campaigns then you are in for a treat; if you don’t know them, well, you will find yourself looking them up. You get a sense of the thinking and the passion that goes in to innovation and creativity. Hoffman says that he is trying to provide a playbook that can be replicated elsewhere. But most of us do not have the reach or the budgets of Nike. Necessity is the mother of invention, no doubt, but examples of scrappy creativity would have been most welcome. Oddly, an anecdote that came particularly alive involved Steve Jobs - Apple is hardly strapped for cash either - but the story related to Jobs’ attention to detail rather than the kind of creativity that is available when money is no object. And the tale of Hoffman’s early career is compelling.
The second thing that Emotion does well is talk about power in brands. Power in, not power of. Twenty years ago, Naomi Klein’s No Logo was everywhere. No Logo, if I remember correctly, rails against the corporatisation of the public sphere and ties that to the domination of capital over labour. Klein included some pretty damning material on Nike’s industrial practices. Since then, many corporations continue to do their best to roll back regulations, to treat their workers less well, to be bad corporate citizens, to exploit the areas where they live. Much of that work takes place in the shadows, but successful brands are often less able to hide. Branding can therefore be a source for good, by ensuring that brand owners are visible and to some extent accountable. Nike publishes its corporate responsibility reporting on its website and although I am not an expert it seemed as though Nike were more prepared to be open than some people in some governments. ‘Perfect competition’, the brandless space favoured by some free marketers, means that less information gets into the hands of consumers, citizens and campaigners. Hoffman is I think quite convincing on Nike’s understanding of the world in which it operates, and the relationships that the company tries to have with its communities.
Finally, you’ll be aware of the culture war’s incursion into the corporate boardroom. While there’s undeniably a huge amount of insincere woke washing, good brands understand the importance of action on, for example, equality. Hoffman cites the example of Nike’s Pro Hijab innovation in fields such as boxing and fencing. More to the point, Hoffman describes the part he has personally played as one of Nike’s first black senior leaders. He has been a trailblazer:
…I was able to accelerate my journey as a leader of not just a business and a brand but as someone who could advance the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion. I always remembered that when I found myself in a position to elevate and support others who needed to be seen and heard, especially those individuals who oftentimes were the only ones in the room who looked like themselves
The section of the book that deals with Nike’s attempts to further equality since 2011 is outstanding. It shows how organisations can change from within and that employees have a leadership role to make change. It is also a clear riposte to the asinine ‘Go Woke Go Broke’ mantra from those who seek to retain their historic privilege.
I’ll recommend this book to those who are interested in the ways in which organisations make their way in the world. It isn’t a corporate biography and can at times be technical. But its readership shouldn’t be limited to those with an interest in marketing. It’s for those who want to get things done in their workplace and empower their teams. Who want to, to coin a phrase, just do it.

I've read many business related biographies and this definitely suits with the best of them.

Nike is a hugely recognisable brand and is legendary for its marketing. Hoffman explains his position in all of this so well that you can't help but be inspired. Clever man, clever book.

This started out strong and was very interesting however towards the end it felt more self-satisfying as opposed to educational. It was full of self-praise, however, the anecdotes about campaigns were very interesting. I did learn from it but wouldn't buy physical copy to refer back to.

I've been chipping away at Emotion by Design for a little while and have found it such an insightful and interesting read! What really happens behind the scenes at any big brand is something I always want to know more about, but when we're talking one on the scale of Nike, it's always going to be good.

I work in the creative side of a brand, so from a personal interest take it was great for tips on brand building and story telling. Greg Hoffman's insight was brilliant - I also liked the takeaways at the end of each chapter. A book I'll definitely keep on my (virtual) shelf and dip into again.

As a member of a work team who are starting to build a marketing plan this was very interesting. Definitely gives food for thought and ideas to work with.
It would have been helpful if he could have given examples for smaller budgets as we can't all have Nike's money at the start!

Emotion by Design is a new book by Greg Hoffman, who used to be the Chief Marketing Officer at Nike. I was intrigued by the title to be honest but it’s been a useful understanding into decision making and how brands at the top of their game actually operate.

Marketing is important, we all do it in some shape or another, but what Greg does in this book is demystify connections and how the different parts make a whole. He shares his own journey and role in some of the biggest campaigns Nike has been involved in but also offers top tips at the end of each of chapter. There is a significant focus on social justice and how to create movements. It’s a really good book.

This book about Greg’s role and learnings is making me think a lot about how I can position myself in a crowded freelance market in the future.

A great book for inspiration when working alone or with a team. Based on solid experience inside Nike, it also reinforces the ideas behind building a brand and the power of stories.

What do I say, absolutely fascinating, interesting and illuminating. How a company built its brand and used a logo to be central to the recognition of the brand. This is backed up with the personal history and and insight into the family and educational background of Greg.

I felt the guidance given in this book was great, but the examples are generally taken (understandably) from Nike, who had enormous budgets during the author’s tenure. I doubt the average creative can hold meetings in Paris, for example. The author does recognise this, but it would have been great to have some suggestions or examples for smaller budgets I think.

A very interesting insight into Nike by a former CMO who really did start at the bottom as an intern straight from university.. Greg Hoffman was behind some of Nikes biggest campaigns and shares some very interesting insights into Nikes very creative marketing strategies. A very interesting read if you are running your own business, pardon the pun.

I am an athlete who wears Nike a lot. It's one of my first go-to brands and although I didn't plan it to be all but about 2 pairs of my shoes are Nike, it just happened that way. I read Shoe Dog a couple years back and it gave me a different appreciation for the brand. This book has done the same. It is a book about the life of Nike and the leadership within but it highlights the power of creativity too. Business can seem boring and black and white but this book proves that creativity is an incredibly powerful weapon and one that needs to be utilised, and correctly so, if brands want to make it big. Nike appeals to me in so many ways, their ads, their design, their messaging, their creativity. The story of Nike is one that keeps on giving and the knowledge from those part of it is something that we will be learning from for a long time to come. A very inspiring read!