Reebok Classics is a brand that takes pride in the products they create, built on a foundation of quality, style, and culture. It’s no wonder that they keep releasing shoes that fly off of the shelf -sometimes even selling out of shoes the very same day they are released.
Not only does Reebok Classics knows how to make a good product, but they also know how to build relationships with the retailers who sell it and engage the consumers who buy it. Reebok Classics has been using Promoboxx to align their digital marketing efforts with their urban and trend retailers for over two years now. From launching online sweepstakes to promoting hip-hop/sports endorsements and generating buzz around product launches – Reebok Classics is always turning heads.
Recently, Reebok Classics celebrated the heritage of 90s basketball and the dynamic culture of the barbershop with The Retro Shop campaign. To spread the word about this initiative, Reebok wanted to launch a digital campaign on Promoboxx and invite their retailers to help tell the story of The Retro Shop at a local level.
“In footwear, the shoes are simply the medium. As a brand we need to tell stories and any way we can do that better is a good thing.” Sam Del Pilar, Reebok’s US Associate Marketing Manager, notes. “We’ve been able to stay at the forefront in our industry because we can efficiently engage and include our retailers in this story telling process. In the end, we’re just maximizing the potential for a healthy relationship and looking beyond the simple transaction.”
All of Reebok Classics’ digital marketing efforts with their retailers have been known to impress us at Promoboxx, but The Retro Shop campaign was on another level. Full of videos, high-res images, clean lines, this was an example of brand storytelling done right.
Reebok Classics used Promoboxx to invite their retailers and consumers to celebrate the heritage of 90s basketball and dynamic culture of the barbershop with The Retro Shop campaign. Reebok showcased shoes complemented by short stories about them. This narrative offered consumers enough information to peak their interest, with the end goal to inspire them to learn more about each product.
As Jon Hamm, Chief Creative and Innovation Officer at Momentum Worldwide, said, “we are in a world where a brand’s values and the emotions they evoke are narrative material. Content is dead. Long live storytelling.”
Reebok Classics included their new video series called “The Retro Shop,” featuring guest appearances by icons Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Kemp. When a consumer lands on The Retro Shop campaign, their attention is immediately grabbed by an auto-playing video that launches them into The Retro Shop story.
Scrolling down the page, one can also find engaging content that allows consumers to learn more about each featured shoe. The Retro Shop story is told in a variety of forms of content (video, audio, text, images). The end goal is to garner enough interest from the consumer to learn more about the featured products and where to buy them.
The campaign page features three athletes tied to the 90s basketball sneakers released by Reebok Classics. Shawn Kemp wore the Kamikaze and showed his larger than life persona on the court, Glenn Robinson wore the Rail while making it rain with his smooth jumper, and Shaq destroyed backboards with his aggressiveness in the Shaq Attaq. These endorsements validate the quality and performance that Reebok promises in its products; it allows the consumer to become attached to both the product and to whom that product is associated with.
There are many reasons why The Retro Shop campaign was a success, but it is important to understand that the world-class content is not what made it successful. The full narrative that brought Reebok Classics and its retailers together to engage and educate consumers is what made this digital campaign unique. Reebok truly understands that their retailers are their best marketing asset – a crucial component to the growth and engagement of Reebok’s local fanbase and the Reebok Classics story. After all, if your retailers don’t believe in your brand’s story…who will?
