Companies and individuals have this idea that going viral or overnight success stories are common when those events are anomalies. The most effective way to become enmeshed into the mind of the people is through consistency. It’s like the quote about fearing the man who has practiced the same kick 10000 times. The company who gives fans of the product what they want consistently and in a different way will create a lasting connection, but it can’t arrive simple in the delivery of that product solely. The story will have to support the product.
Reebok’s History Delivers the Blueprint for the Future | Marketing
In the article above in 2018 I said that Reebok had a path back to relevancy with the sneaker world and it seems the company has understood this and every month since the holiday season the brand has given us a new colorway with the most successful basketball shoe they’ve ever made, The Reebok Question. The latest version captures a bit of the creativity we’ve seen with models from other brands that change with wear or with a bit of elbow grease. The Respect My Shine delivers a black toe Question that reveals a gold toe after wear or after scratching beneath the surface.
The patina that is revealed hints at a lot of potential talking points, but the brand falls short in creating narrative around the model. What has to happen in the room when these ideas are discussed is a more creative approach to delivering content around the product. Recently when the Georgetown color of Question dropped Reebok produced a YT spot:
This is admirable, but it’s not what is needed around AI. If Reebok is to regain their swag, even with a retired Iverson this could happen, then I continue to stress that they need to build around AI content that allows AI to be at the forefront of what essentially is a media company allowing Iverson to be the foundation of a grassroots movement that builds and shines a light on young multisport athletes and then gives Iverson a platform to take on a Kobe-esque quality in analyzing moments in sport. Iverson may not want to be in front of the camera, but who he is and what he is must be actively involved in the delivery of the Question Mids. He can be the host and a small team could be the delivery system.
To create such a beautiful shoe and leave it up to the Gram or Tik-Tok to provide coverage for the model isn’t the way. Reebok understands consistency and it would be great if we could witness brands look to the athletes for the development of content to regain momentum with the consumer. 12 Questions a Year in limited quantities for certain models. A grassroots basketball model for The Question Sports Network athletes, a model that operates like my old CCB Network, culminating in All-American camps, and continued coverage by a network of scouts. I did it on a shoestring budget, Reebok could do it with their eyes closed.
An AI “Detail” styled video each month and a semi-pro Question league (potentially). These are just ideas delivered around a model that I still think should be equally as coveted as the Jordan 11. As always this is simply a catalyst for conversation. None of this works if Reebok makes a lot of crappy colors as they’ve done in the past. Simple and clean will win the day and at least the brand has been doing that lately.