February 10, 2005

I Am What I Am: Reebok's New Campaign

Get ready to be blitzed by Reebok's largest marketing effort in over a decade. The No. 2 shoemaker in the country announced today the launch of a $50 million global advertising campaign, replete with their new sure-to-be-ubiquitous tag phrase: "I Am What I Am". No, Popeye ain't the new face of Reebok, but the sneaker brand has stacked up an all-star line-up of superstar endorsements across the film, sports, and hip-hop spectrum -- including Jay-Z, 50-cent, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Lucy Liu, etc. -- according to today's USA Today.

    Using the poker term "All In," Reebok's chief marketing officer Dennis Baldwin said the $3.8 billion company will bet virtually its entire marketing budget on the "I Am What I am" effort over the next 18 months.

    "This is an invitation to consumers. Nike's proposition of 'Just Do It' is fundamentally a command to consumers," Baldwin said. "You either do it. Or you don't do it — and you're a loser."

    Roddick said expanding the global campaign beyond jocks like himself is a smart way to appeal to kids more into music than sports.

    "If a kid is into music, they have someone to look up to as well (in the ads)," said Roddick, 22.

    The hip-hop community has always embraced commercialism, with stars rapping about their favorite cars, clothes and liquor.

    Reebok was one of the first to tap into hip-hop endorsement power by signing rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent and launching best-selling shoes in their name. U.S. sales of footwear endorsed by them doubled in the fourth quarter, according to Reebok.

Now if I'm reading this correctly, it means that Reebok is laying its entire bank on a transcultural youth-oriented strategy (but where are the Latinos?). Remember, Reebok's comeback from the brink of extinction was built upon the house of hip hop commercialism. Their line of special edition, hip hop-endorsed footwear -- such as Jay-Z's S.Carters and 50-cent's G-unit collection -- were runaway success stories, easily outselling anything on the athletic shoe market (a slice that Nike dominates), propelling them into the No. 2 industry position. Plus, with the increasing fusion of hip hop and sports (who better than Allen Iverson? And leading record all-star vote-getter Yao is trillin' these days, no?), Nike may be getting a little bit hot and sweaty around the collars, especially if Reebok's approach pays off.

The TV spots are set to debut during the NBA All Star game. More then.

Posted by thomas at February 10, 2005 12:20 PM | TrackBack