Is Reebok Living Its Brand?

Last year I wrote about Reebok's brand repositioning, where they began to put greater emphasis on being the sports brand focused on making fitness fun.  Over the past year Reebok saw a 12% increase in sales with a 15% increase in the fourth quarter, which is far better than the state they were in prior to the rebrand.  This double-digit growth is, no doubt, due to their EasyTone and ZigTech product innovations.

Last Friday, I came across an article on Brand Republic talking about the new 'Reebok Trial on Tour' campaign where people can try out the EasyTone and ZigTech shoes in DW gyms and sport stores.  After the people try out the shoes, they can provide feedback on their experience, which will create a great database of consumer insight to hopefully aid the the further refinement of Reebok's products.

A campaign like this not only allows for rich customer feedback as it's in-the-moment (for instance, Gatorade tested horribly in focus groups when it was first being launched, but when tested during a football game it performed extremely well because it was being used in-the-moment it was designed for -- the same goes for this experience), but it also is a great way to raise awareness for Reebok's products. It's personal experiences with brands, like this, that help it to remain top-of-mind for consumers.  However, this personal experience doesn't just create awareness for products, it begins to influence the long-term perceptions towards the brand and what it stands for. The products may change over time, but the perception of what that brand is good at will stick around for years.

This brings me to the reason I'm writing this post: Are trials in gyms the best place for Reebok to be positioning itself?

To ensure they are the leader in helping people become active for the fun of it, rather than being the #1 athlete or smashing personal goals (Nike and Adidas already occupy these areas), Reebok needs to be where people are staying active recreationally.

Having looked on DW Fitness Club's website, I noticed they have group exercise sessions to add a bit of fun to training. I think positioning the Reebok trials during these sessions would be a great start to aligning the brand to fun fitness.

But who's targeting these guys?

The after work ultimate frisbee players:

Note: Image from Flickr here

Or the weekend dodgeball in the park goers:

Note: Image from Flickr here

These are the people who seek fun while staying active. They are also, most likely, the people arranging these activities for their friends. So maybe instead of focusing on gyms -- a place where people go to train and beat personal goals (Adidas) or become #1 (Nike) -- why don't they seek out unique environments that cater specifically to having fun with fitness, like parks, recreation centres or walking paths.

Not only would they be positioning themselves in the minds of their core audience, but they would also be gaining insights for them to further refine and/or create new innovations for people seeking pleasure in fitness rather than just performance.

If Reebok truly wants to be the leader in fun fitness, they need to ensure everything they do, innovate or go to must align with their purpose. This will establish a strong foundation for their year old repositioning. Since it takes a long time to firmly establish what a brand stands for, clarity and consistency around its purpose is key.