Reebok is on a mission to usher in a new age of fitness with “Be More Human,” the brand’s biggest marketing push in nearly a decade.
The global campaign launches with “Freak Show,” a 60-second TV spot slated to air during Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1.
“Freak Show” portrays an array of extremely fit individuals pushing their bodies to the limits while engaged in intense physical activities like CrossFit, martial arts and running the Spartan Race. The ad, which aims to illustrate what Reebok is calling “tough fitness,” drives home the message that fitness has many benefits outside of a toned body, such as increased focus, greater leadership skills and being a better parent as a few examples.
“It’s a call to action for our customers to take more of an introspective look at how to live their lives,” said Stewart Clark, marketing director for Reebok Canada. “What we really advocate as a brand is that the benefits of fitness extend beyond just the physical [to] the influence it has on your mental and social state and the influence it can have on your life outside of the gym or field of play. Live the life you were meant to live and treat the body the way it is meant to be treated.”
This “whole-body” approach to exercise leverages the brand’s new symbol, the “Reebok Delta,” a three-sided image meant to represent the physical, mental and social benefits that come from being fit.
The symbol, introduced in 2012, was integrated last year into all brand communication and has now been pushed to the forefront. It will appear on all marketing materials.
After years of aligning itself with the NBA and NFL, the brand now has partnerships with Goodlife Fitness, the Spartan Race and CrossFit, along with an official outfitting relationship with the UFC. Clark said the brand is eager to be on the front lines of a “new age of fitness” and the campaign is a way for Reebok to represent itself to consumers after finally nailing down its focus.
“The brand has gone through a lot of different iterations over the last few years and has played in a number of different territories,” said Clark. “In the last three years we defined ourselves somewhat back to our roots of being a true fitness brand, but expressing fitness in a different way than we have in the past. The intent of this campaign to almost re-introduce the customer to what we stand for and change perception of the brand that they may have thought we were.”
The campaign is anchored by the “Be More Human Experience,” housed at Reebok.com/BeMoreHuman. Available via desktop, tablet and mobile, the site features a number of interactive tools including “The Human Score” a test that attempts to define your “humanness,” and “Grey Matters” a 3D visualizer that allows visitors to view what happen in the brain during various physical activities.
Rebook is also running a social campaign, called #BreakYourSelfie which encourages people to post selfies of themselves post-workout.
“Be More Human” was developed by the brand’s San Francisco-based agency of record, Venables Bell & Partners. Additional elements include print, digital and out-of-home.
The campaign will run for four weeks. In Canada, Reebok worked with Carat on media, while Exacto Communications is handling PR.
