To Sharpen Nike’s Edge, CEO Taps ‘Influencers’
October 24, 2007
It’s best known for mega-endorsers like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, but Nike
CEO Mark Parker also sees a role for Mr. Cartoon, a Los Angeles tattoo artist
whose ink-on-flesh flourishes are popular with rappers like Eminem and 50 Cent.
Mr. Cartoon–who Parker calls an “aesthetic influence and a friend”–
has designed six lines of limited-edition shoes for Nike, ranging in price from
$70 to $130. They include a version of the company’s classic Air Force One
basketball shoe that nods to what Mr. Cartoon calls the “old icons of the
gangsters”: skulls and roses, dark tenements and “sexy, female
clowns.”
The drive to recruit under-the-radar influencers is a key part
of Nike’s strategy. Following his own instincts, Parker has moved to
aggressively link Nike with those who can help maintain the company’s standing
among what he calls the “influencers of influencers.” Plumbing a global network
of friends, he has fostered Nike collaborations with a New York graffiti artist
named Lenny Futura and industrial designer Marc Newson.
~A
To Sharpen Nike’s Edge, CEO Taps ‘Influencers’ – WSJ.com
BEAVERTON, Ore. — Nike’s iconic co-founder Philip H. Knight built the company by sealing endorsement deals with sports heroes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. But under current Chief Executive Mark Parker, Nike is also depending on lesser-known figures — like a Los Angeles tattoo artist known as Mister Cartoon.
Though far from mainstream, Mr. Cartoon rivals Nike’s high-profile jocks for influence among a certain crowd that is young, Latino and hip-hop. His ink-on-flesh flourishes are popular with rappers like Eminem and 50 Cent. Born Mark Machado, Mr. Cartoon has also written comic-book style graphic novels and created a brand called Joker to sell T-shirts and baseball caps with his designs. Nike’s Mr. Parker, who met Mr. Cartoon several years ago, calls him an “aesthetic influence and a friend.”
Entry Filed under: Gen Y, Young Adults, advertising, fashion, living target, trends. .
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