Kids design Jewell of a shoe

You’ve nailed one of the most challenging parts of publicity when you can share a story that evokes emotion.

Nike has made an art of designing ads that celebrate special sports stories. However, one of its new shoes is sure to go far beyond a paid space.

Given the chance to make her mark with a player edition shoe, Olympic gold medalist and two-time WNBA champion, Jewell Loyd, told Nike she wanted a couple of her favorite kids to help design them. With their input, she knew she could better tell a story that’s special to her.

The result of a multi-contributor collaboration is the Nike G.T. Cut 3 Jewell Loyd, which will be sold on the retailer’s website beginning May 15. Its design and message connect and send love to her former Florida State teammate and best friend Laci Swann, and her family, which includes husband Isaiah, daughter Sloan, and sons Justice and Jaylen.

Justice, who is 6, is on the autism spectrum. As he’s worked to communicate (he’s non-verbal), one thing has remained constant: his love for drawing smiley faces. Everywhere.

“We can't put a marker or pen down for a minute or we will end up with smiley faces everywhere,” Laci Swann told Tallahassee Democrat reporter, Jim Henry. (Read Jim’s story -- with your wallet handy because you’ll want to order shoes when you’re done.)

The Swann’s story is highlighted on the shoe’s sales page, too: “His beaming smile. His love for drawing. His endless joy.”

Thanks to Lloyd, you won’t be able to help but think of Justice and the Swanns when you lace up your pair on your way out the door.

Publicity with purpose rises above all else.

Sometimes a shoe is more than something you pull onto your foot. Sometimes a sales pitch is more than a way to get you to buy something. Publicity that stands for something special is a story that’s best shared boldly and with purpose. The GT Cut 3 Jewell Lloyd is all of that.

Statistics from the Swann family’s Little Boy Blue Foundation that helps send kids with autism to camp in Tallahassee, Fla.:

• 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

• Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.

• About 40 percent of children with autism do not speak.

• It costs more than $8,600 extra to educate a student with ASD.

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©Gail Sideman, gpublicity, 2024