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Nike Hires 'Influencers'

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.

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Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »

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