While 80 percent of athletic shoes purchased aren’t actuallyused for sports, athletic shoe brands are always juggling a message of styleversus performance. As Reebok attempts to clarify what has been a murky brandimage over the years, its two global marketing programs for 2007 will featureof mix of fashion and function.
In April, Reebok will try to re-establish itself in running,one of athletic footwear’s core categories, with new shoes and a campaign usingthe tag line “Run Easy,” the brand’s biggest running campaign ever.
“Reebok has not been an easy brand to love. I was verycritical of it before I came over,” said Uli Becker, the former Adidasexecutive who in May was named head of global marketing for Reebok followingthe firms’ $3.8 billion deal. “One of the problems has been inconsistency. Wewill do fewer things, but we will do them better. We have a three-year plan[and] we will stick to it.”
The running campaign is designed to make Reebok moreaccessible to all consumers. “For us, it is not about having the winner of theNew York Marathon as much as having as many runners as possible wearing them atthe start,” Becker said.
“‘Run Easy’ is about reaching your potential,” he said.Compare that to Nike’s infamous “You don’t win silver, you lose gold” tag.
Another global campaign will follow in August that encouragesthe marriage of sports and lifestyle, and with it fashion and performance. Itwill declare that Reebok shoes are superior on and off the field of play: “BestOn, Best Off.”
McGarry Bowen continues as Reebok’s creative agency.
“Nike is on one side of the market [performance], Puma is onthe other [fashion/lifestyle]. Our strategy is to take the best of both marketswith an opportunity in the middle of those two extremes,” said Reebok Presidentand CEO Paul Harrington.
