CARL YANKOWSKI was officially named President & CEO of
the Reebok brand, according to Chris Reidy of the BOSTON
GLOBE. Yankowski said his "marketing priorities" will be to
make Reebok "stand out at retail and do a better job of
delivering the message of how Reebok products benefit
consumers." Yankowski said the company will "reserve
judgement" on whether it will make a change to its current
roster of four ad agencies. Yankowski said that he's helped
boost other No. 2 brands before, and pointed to his work in
helping improve Mountain Dew's market share while at Pepsi.
He also worked on the "famous" Memorex ad campaign, "Is it
live or is it Memorex?" Asked how long he is prepared to
stay with Reebok, Yankowski replied, "I'm prepared to stay
as long as it takes." Reidy adds that Reebok Int'l Founder
& Chair PAUL FIREMAN reiterated yesterday that "he has no
plans" to leave the company. Fireman: "I'm not just walking
out the door by any means. I'm partnering with Carl to
restore the luster of the brand" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/27).
