Allen Iverson spoke with the media yesterday aboard the
three-car "Reebok Train" from Philadelphia to New York, a PR
campaign to tout the debut of Iverson's new shoe, "The
Answer," according to Mike Jensen of the PHILADELPHIA
INQUIRER. Between now and Christmas, Reebok plans to spend
$10M promoting "The Answer," more than they've "ever spent"
on a basketball player, to move Iverson "into the big
leagues of sports marketing." Last year, Reebok sold
"about" 250,000 pairs of Iverson's first shoe, "The
Question," and had a 70% "sell-through" rate on the model.
In New York, Reebok hosted a party for Iverson at a midtown
restaurant. Jensen reports that the company "will pay out
$150,000 for the day's festivities," before flying Iverson
home on a private plane (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/28).
A GOOD EGG: Reebok Dir of PR Dave Fogelson, on the
company's relationship with Iverson: "Deep down, we know
he's a good kid. We know his history, but we also know the
attention he attracts from young kids, our target audience.
... I've been with Reebok since '92, and I think we've
managed our relationship better with him than we did at the
beginning with Shaquille O'Neal" (PHILA. DAILY NEWS, 10/28).
