A Mysterious Guest Hits the Courts in Reebok's Otherworldly Comeback Campaign

The sneaker you thought you knew has a few tricks up its sleeve. Reebok is back with a new marketing lead, tagline and campaign released today that leaps in unexpected directions, marking a significant departure from "Be More Human." With "Sport the Unexpected," the classic athleticwear company courts a larger demographic that skews younger and more culture-conscious by combining a disparate slate of elements, from streetball to EDM. The "seemingly uninvited" central character in this spot also takes at least a hint of inspiration from the Korean sci-fi/horror genre that exploded in the late '90s. What does it all have to do with a reboot of Reebok's classic Aztrek line? We're not quite sure, but the brand packs a lot of fun into 90 seconds. [kickout id="1"] The unconventional protagonist is a metaphor for the effect Reebok itself wants to have, appearing out of nowhere to both surprise and compel the audience. "Reebok has been its most successful when we’ve been bold and provocative, when we’ve had a strong perspective on culture and embraced being daring and different," said global head of marketing and brand management, Melanie Boulden, who joined the company last year after leading Crayola's global marketing team. She continued, "If you look at the marketing coming from our industry over the years, it looks similar. With this campaign, we’re breaking convention and offering an alternative point of view on sport and life. We want consumers to know there is an alternative in the category. We want them to be proud to sport the unexpected." "Be More Human" ran for three years, but where that effort directly targeted fitness-conscious women, the new work looks to expand the connections consumers—especially young ones—draw between the Reebok name and other cultural touchpoints. At present, the company is best known for its cross-promotions with fitness-oriented names like CrossFit and Spartan Race. But Reebok wants to move into the space occupied by more fashion-forward competitors like Nike, Adidas and Converse. On that pop culture note, the company also recently released a series of digital videos starring brand ambassadors and hip-hop stars Cardi B and Future. [kickout id="2"] And for sneakerheads, this marketing push coincides with the brand new all-white Aztrek Double model. The new campaign, which will include more spots in this vein, marks the last collaboration between Reebok and Venables Bell & Partners, which won the business in a 2015 review but declined to participate in the most recent pitch that saw Deutsch pick up global creative AOR status. That agency's work will continue along the path begun by this effort. Boulden said this work will present a side of Reebok that "the consumer hasn’t seen in quite some time." Regarding her target audience, she continued that "they want to mix it up and call their own shots. They want to do—and wear—what’s unexpected. And, most importantly, they want to be entertained. And this campaign certainly delivers on that." CREDITS Client: Reebok Agency: Venables Bell & Partners Campaign: "Sport the Unexpected" Global Head of Marketing and Brand Management: Melanie Boulden Senior Director Brand Marketing: Inga Stenta Global Brand Advertising Director: Amy Manganiello Senior Brand Advertising Manager: Laura Whedon Senior Director Brand Management" James Woolard Senior Manager Brand Management Chris Strachan Brand Advertising Coordinator: Shelby Kreienberg Founder, Chairman: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Byron Del Rosario Sr. Art Director: Allie Nordstrom Sr. Copywriter: Elliot Nordstrom Director of Integrated Production: Hilary Coate Producer: Namrata Abhyankar Head of Brand Management: Michael Chase Freelance Brand Director: Kristin Obi Brand Supervisor Hector: Romero Brand Manager: Alex Kaye Associate Partner, Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson Senior Strategist: Dylan Phillips Director of Business Affairs: Quynh-An Phan Business Affairs Manager: Sametta Gbilia Senior Traffic Manager: Jermelia Holling Assistant Traffic/Business Affairs Manager: Christine Tom Director of Lumberyard: Raquel Bedard MCR Operations Manager: Jeff Saunders Production Company: Prettybird Director: Tom Noakes Co-Founder/Executive Producer: Kerstin Emhoff Head of Production: Rika Osenberg Producer: Julie Sawyer Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple Production Designer: Jason Hougaard Editorial: Exile Editor: Shane Reid Executive Producer: CL Weaver Head of Production: Jennifer Locke Senior Producer: Michael Miller Assistant Editor: Kyle Behrens Assistant Editor: Jay McConville VFX/Finishing: Framestore President, Advertising North America: James Razzall Director of Production & Operations: Bethan Thomas Executive Creative Director: Aron Hjartarson Creative Director: Chris Waitt Creative Director: Ben West Senior Flame / Lead Artist: Raul Ortego Flame Artist: Humberto Reynaga Integrated Advertising Producer: Georgina Poushkine VFX Coordinator: Jose Alvarado Telecine: Color Collective Executive Producer: Claudia Guevara Colorist: Alex Bickell Color Assistant: Alex Jimenez Music: Barking Owl Executive Producer/Creative Director: Kelly Bayett Producer: KC Dossett Music Supervisor: Jessica Dierauer Storm the Court Music: "Prayer Hands" by A-Trak & YehMe2 Mix & Sound Design: Barking Owl Engineer: AJ Murillo Assistant: Eolyne Arnold Sound Designer: Morgan Johnson Creative Director/Partner: Kelly Bayett Producer: KC Dossett

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A Mysterious Guest Hits the Courts in Reebok's Otherworldly Comeback Campaign

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