Reebok Ad Shows UFC Fighter Conor McGregor's Softer Side

As Conor McGregor returns to the octagon this Saturday for UFC 246, all eyes will be on the former champion who has been embroiled in out-of-the-ring issues. Since losing in an upset to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, McGregor has smashed a fan’s phone, beat up an older man in a bar and attacked the bus carrying Nurmagomedov. He retired in March last year, but that lasted only a few months before setting up the return to the ring against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. Unsurprisingly, his goal as of late has been to change his image. A new spot for Reebok by Deutsch New York feels right in line with that goal as McGregor takes on a new opponent—his son’s toys. [kickout id="1"] The unique art style was accomplished by puppet-master Andy Gent, the same puppeteer that worked on Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The McGregor action figure takes down toy after today, and the spot even captures the Irish fighter’s signature walk near the end of the 45-second spot. The spot really gets kicking (no pun intended) at the 10-second mark when McGregor hops a toy train, lands in his Zig Kinectica’s and the beat of a bespoke action song drops. From there, puppet-McGregor beats the sauce out of a host of toys—like yetis, clowns and rabbits—that would have seemed right at home in bully Sid’s room in Toy Story. “Conor McGregor and The Zig Kinetica is a creatively combustible pairing. On the one hand, you have a global celebrity well-known for never knowing what he’ll do, and on the other, you have the Zig, which could be one of the most unique, culture-bending products in Reebok’s arsenal,” said Dan Kelleher, CCO of Deutsch New York. “Our job was to find a story that utilized both in the most unexpected way possible.” McGregor certainly is unpredictable. While that has become an issue in recent months, that same energy was what made him such a polarizing fighter throughout his career. For Reebok, sticking with McGregor through the problems—which include two allegations of sexual assault along with the violent outbursts—indeed had to be a tough decision. “I’ve been around with Reebok a long time now, and each launch, the energy level is climbing,” said McGregor. “Now, we are exploding.” Athletic brands have had to make tough decisions with off-the-field issues for plenty of athletes. Reebok has been clear that they are in McGregor’s corner, and it will be interesting to see where the path leads from here. CREDITS: Deutsch New York Chief Creative Officer: Dan Kelleher Executive Creative Director: Pete Johnson Creative Director: Marques Gartrell Director of Integrated Production: Joe Calabrese Director of Art Production: Sarah Manna Producer: Shelby Remer Head of Design: Roger Bova Design Director: Joanna Durkalec Designer: Laura Chang Senior Print Producer: Jeanette Luis Art Producer: Dana Kandic Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Baker Group Strategy Director: Garett Awad Group Account Director: Andrew Arnot Account Director: Silvia Lacayo Account Executive: Maria Rivadeneira Project Manager: Allison Wang Associate Business Affairs Manager: Nikki Belekjian Assistant Account Executive: Sean Onwualu Production Co: Riff Raff Films Director: Sacred Egg Exec Producer: Matthew Fone Line Producer: Cathy Hood Stop Motion Model Build & Animation: AMS Ltd Builder/Designer: Andy Gent Editorial: Steelhead Editor: Mike Mallen Animation: Rob Bischoff, John Hatheway Producer: Zack Herpy Audio Post: Honeymix NYC Mixer: Sloan Alexander, Human Music & Sound Design: Human Producer: James Wells Compositing & VFX: Squad47 Design: Brand New School Telecine: The Mill Colorist: Mikey Rossiter Producer: Evan Bauer

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Reebok Shows the Softer Side of Bad Boy UFC Fighter Conor McGregor

It’s a different image for the former champion

Mitch Reames

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Mitch Reames