Reebok 2009 Annual Report Download - page 79

GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP Reebok Strategy 75
Revive Classics
Although Reebok Classics was born from
sport in the early 80s, today it represents
the intersection where sport meets style,
offering lifestyle footwear, apparel and
accessories. In rebuilding the Classics
business, a key tenet of the strategy is
to control distribution by segmenting the
product offering available for retailers,
as well as keeping a tight rein on supply.
In 2009, Reebok has continued to
tightly manage its directional sport and
generalist retail channels particularly in
the United States and in Europe, with the
primary aim to clean up old inventory and
reduce the brand’s exposure to low price
points. In addition, Reebok has launched
new product initiatives in a controlled
and disciplined way. At the same time,
the brand has begun to strengthen its
position in the select and trend chan-
nels with limited editions and special
projects. An example of this is “Pump20”
which was kicked off in November 2009
to celebrate the 20th anniversary of
The Pump™. Through a partnership with
20 select retailers around the world,
custom collaborations of The Pump™
were developed and exclusively launched
in select stores.
To leverage its iconic sports
heritage, Reebok revives its Classics
business by focusing its product range
with two priority pillars that define the
Classics product architecture: Always
Classic and New Classic.
Always Classic: Always Classic
products harken back to the brand’s
roots and merge iconic models from the
80s and 90s with new midsole/outsole
technologies.
New Classic: The New Classic seg-
ment represents the modern inter-
pretation of Reebok’s roots. Inspired
by the past, New Classic collections
merge sport and style to re-energise the
category. The launch of the Women’s Fly
Generation collection represents this new
direction with products like the Top Down
and Courtee Mid.
The marketing communication will use
the brand platform of “Ree” as the guid-
ing principle for Classics – with the new
messaging of “ReeClassic”. The main
message behind “ReeClassic” will be
the idea of reinterpreting Reebok’s roots
and will be showcased primarily through
retail and digital.
2009 and 2010 mark the kick-off for Reebok’s various initiatives to
redefine the brand’s image. “Ree” will be a guiding principle in the
communication with consumers going forward. The key message of
all 2010 campaign layouts is simple: Reebok wants to “Reedefine”
sport and style to bring back fun and joy to consumers’ lives.
Pictured is a theme of the “ReeClassic” campaign. For Classics, the
campaign visuals will primarily be used for in-store communication
within Reebok’s own stores as well as other retail outlets and digital
throughout spring/summer 2010.
Classics Campaign C
04