A recent Find Your Greatness ad featured an obese 12-year-old boy running laboriously, on a deserted road, toward the camera. Forbes contributor Alice G. Walton called the piece “genius.”
While it may have made some viewers uncomfortable, the Nike ad grabbed the hearts of many, many others, a response to which most advertisers only aspire. Other Nike campaigns have inspired with the artistry of athletics, the supreme effort to excel, humor, and the “thrill of victory.” Who ever thought people would pay more than $200 for athletic shoes? Nike. Who makes the product so well and so stylish they keep coming back for more? Nike.
Davide Grasso leads the marketing efforts of Nike globally, a job almost too inclusive to imagine. He oversaw Nike’s advertising campaign for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and led an initiative directed at the fans of football (soccer) worldwide. Over his nearly 20 years at Nike, in fact, Davide Grasso has lent his expertise in all of the company’s sports categories and regions, which makes him ideal for his current position, as do his European roots. A native of Italy, the Nike executive has found his greatness.