In marketing, reputation is everything. It’s what everyone obsesses over day in and day out. And once again, Marketing has partnered with Leger for a consumer survey of hundreds of brands active in the Canadian market to produce the scorecard of who has the best brand reputation.
In the May 20 issue, subscribers will find The Top 100 ranking and company profiles of the biggest movers and shakers from the Marketing/Leger Corporate Reputation Survey. Meanwhile, MarketingMag.ca is highlighting a few of the biggest stories to emerge from this year’s research.
#24 – Reebok
Athletic wear brand jumps 32 spots
Early last year Reebok launched a global marketing campaign with the tagline “The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived” that kicked off with a heart-pounding anthem to change the way people perceive fitness.
The 60-second television commercial portrayed sport as a community activity fueled by competition but also camaraderie. At the heart of the ad was Crossfit, a strength and conditioning program Reebok partnered with in 2010. “It was a different campaign for consumers who are used to seeing spots that have one person working out alone,” says Michael Rossi, vice-president of brand for Reebok in Toronto. Historically, the brand focused on elements of fitness, says Rossi, highlighting activities such as running or training, which tended to blend with what the competition was communicating.
“Our brand of fitness is more social, [the commercial] incorporated a lot of elements from our global Crossfit partnership and kind of showed people a new point of view on what fitness contributes to your lifestyle,” says Rossi of the spot that was developed by New York agency mcgarrybowen. Reebok built upon the new tagline with additional television commercials that promoted fitness products such as RealFlex and ZigTech.
Reebok also upped its game last year with the unveiling of its “re-engineered jerseys” for the Canadian Football League’s eight-team roster. The shirts are said to boast increased elasticity and improved resiliency, along with moisture-absorbency technology.
“We’re known as an innovative company and I think it reinforced our perspective on bringing innovation and design and technical capabilities to a product that was obviously geared towards the on-field experience for players but also the fan experience of the jersey they can buy,” says Rossi.
Reebok has been looking for ways to bring the brand to life in unique ways, he says. As such, the brand has been working closely with retail partners to bring new technologies to the table. For instance, the brand installed a build-your-own sneaker kiosk at a Sport Chek location in Toronto.
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