Before she started power lifting, Shannon Kim Wagner had no idea what it would do for her. “I struggled most of my life with an eating disorder, abuse, and some form of body dysmorphia,” she says.
Source: Shannon Kim Wagner is Empowering Women to See Their Potential Through Powerlifting
The picture above of Shannon Kim Wagner (link above) is a far cry from what Reebok was attempting with Crossfit. To place an emphasis on the growing women’s segment they have begun to share stories about women who are working to empower their sisters through fitness.
The takeover of Crossfit by Reebok was about as inauthentic as it could be. The worst part about that play was that it completely alienated the lane that Reebok had been successful in for years, basketball and Hip-Hop. This was understandable as Crossfit was on pace to be one of the biggest sports since Reebok dethroned Nike during the aerobics phase of the 80s. The problem was Crossfit didn’t want to be boxed into a Reebok deal and instead of helping Reebok it hurt them. The brand is still tied into the sport, but they have shifted into a layered marketing strategy that focuses on women, influencers (via classics) and community based sports. It’s a smart play that only has one problem of the three.
Community based sports
Reebok is making sure to place all media on social and on their own platform, which is genius. More important they are placing considerable energy into events such as Midnight2Midnight in London (picture above):
Midnight Runners, the largest running club in Europe, dreamed up this 24-hour relay, which takes place once a year. The group, founded by two friends in 2015, includes athletes of all ages who escape the confines of the gym by running together outside a few times a week. While the group doesn’t usually take off at midnight, running under the stars and street lamps is the norm.
I’ve often discussed the importance of building community for brands and while the events that garner major headlines for brands are social issues, brands like Reebok have to build through a more grassroots approach and this is a solid instance of grassroots. The only problem where Reebok appears to have an issue is with its influencers. With so many people with followings the brand has attached itself to so many people, but when browsing those influencers timelines, those influencers aren’t attached to Reebok.
Influencer marketing
I’ve often discussed the difficulty of utilizing influencers vs athletes or true brand loyalists. Reebok has taken to using microinfluencers who have a more local reach like Jay IDK:
While this video is dope, a brand like Reebok should immediately check the box of 1000 views on any marketing released. The problem is had any one in the Reebok marketing department did any research, IDK’s most popular video features him wearing Air Jordan 5 Retro Black Metallics. Like Kendrick who was a Reebok collaborator and Rick Ross, influencers’ loyalties lie with the dollar as opposed to the brand so the influencer route could possibly work, but as carefully curated as the approach to women and to sport is by Reebok, influencer marketing has to happen via the building of the brand not the person wearing the brand.
I hope that’s clear.
Overall, the three headed approach by Reebok is solid and as I look at the brand every few days I find myself considering a purchase of a pair Reeboks which hasn’t happened in a long time.
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