A "tongue-in-cheek" Reebok billboard ad campaign which
features the tag, "Higher ticket prices make for quieter
stadiums," is "rather unusual -- an athletic shoe company
mocking one of its primary conduits to visibility -- pro
sports," according to Bill Campbell of the DALLAS MORNING
NEWS. The billboards are featured in Dallas, across from
the site of the city's new downtown arena, and in Boston,
N.Y. and Miami. Reebok said that the campaign was "part of
a grassroots marketing strategy in support of fans ... who
are weary of rising ticket prices [and] petulant athletes."
Reebok Dir of PR Dave Fogelson: "That slogan was started as
a tongue-in-cheek way of starting a conversation among
consumers -- kind of a fan-advocacy position." But Campbell
writes that the ad has "caused more head scratching than
head shaking." More Fogelson: "A lot of people just didn't
get it. And in the end, we decided maybe people know
they're paying a lot for tickets and just don't need to be
reminded" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/17). Fogelson told THE
DAILY this morning that Reebok has "no plans to renew" the
campaign once the billboard deals expire. He said that the
ads were used as a "teaser-campaign" and a "test" to gauge
consumer reaction. Some focus group members understood the
ad message, but a "much larger group didn't get it at all."
Fogelson also said Reebok has "other priorities that need to
be addressed" by its advertising and "perhaps at some later
date [the concept] will be revisited" (THE DAILY).
