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Source: Reebok Footwear & Apparel – Be More Human
As brands continue to make a push to attract more women sneaker buyers, I’m constantly reminded of the retail market as it relates to women shoppers. I wrote the post “The Reason for the ‘Rise” to discuss the reality of women shoppers. While there is a niche market of women who are sneakerheads and catering to those women is a necessity and has to happen, there is a cold hard truth that remains present in really nailing down this group of buyers.
What’s the truth? In the article above I discuss the disappearance of Lady Foot Locker. The disappearance deals with the real fact that the stores weren’t replaced. Sneakers for women was integrated into the Foot Locker stores. I use Foot Locker as an example because they have more stores than any other sneaker dealer in the world. In the Footaction stores (part of Foot Locker) the women’s section was either removed or mixed into the Kids footwear wall. What does this have to do with Reebok’s Guresu Trainer? A lot.
One item that I failed to discuss in the above article and in a number of discussions I’ve had about women’s footwear is that women are more socially conscious and aware of the world. When a brand makes a move to market to women it can’t be some random ass guy jumping a backboard or breaking down a wall. The message has to be endearing and in Reebok’s words, the message has to “Be More Human”.
Before I move into why I think Reebok has a missed opportunity, I have to explain why I discussed Lady Foot Locker. Women are better shoppers than men. They aren’t as impulsive. This is why many lady’s footwear and apparel options sit in stores on release day. This is also why Kohl’s, Ross, and Marshall’s are such big players in the retail space as other chains die (see Sears, The Sports Authority, etc.). The fact that women aren’t as impulsive makes marketing and selling to them difficult.
Missed Opportunity
The Guresu Thread™ is a great looking shoe. It’s on trend, but of course I’m still complaining about the empty toebox design, but I won’t get into that. The shoe has the type of narrative that is perfect for the Be More Human campaign. That campaign should cross gender lines, but Reebok is making sure to keep this in line with the promo of women’s lifestyle. That is a mistake. While a dedicated women’s line seems to be needed to offset a company like Lululemon, there is a reason Lululemon has started Lulu Men’s.
Second mistake is the copy on the Thread:
Reebok collaborated with Thread International to utilize yards made of recycled plastic waste to create a stylish training shoe with environmentally-friendly upper materials. Thread™ fabric is made with 50% recycled PET (plastic bottles). The bottles are collected in Honduras, while the fabric is crafted in the USA. “Working with an organization like Thread International sits squarely into our brand ethos, to Be More Human. It means we intend to continue being thoughtful about how we treat each other, how we treat the planet that we live in, and thinking about what we can do to create opportunities for those of us that live and thrive here as well,” – James Woolard, Senior Director Brand Management
No video or deeper dive into the product story on the product page is another mistake. The biggest mistake is failing to really utilize the story delivered by someone like Vivien Luk who works for the sister company of Thread, Work. Here is the description of the Guresu Thread by Viven:
