« Isn't life grand? | Main | "Scrubs" and "Grey's Anatomy": Something to Look For »
What Is Reebok Up To?
Maggie Gyllenhaal is the next Christina Ricci: She's doing ads for Reebok. According to a "spokesperson," Gyllenhaal is "a great representative for our brand, which is about promoting individual style." This is the first time I can remember a sneaker company trying to confuse people into buying their shoes.
January 24, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
Oh, so Reebok is courting the bag lady demographic? That seems to be what Maggie Gyllenhaal dresses like on a daily basis.
Posted by: Kit | Jan 24, 2006 4:42:06 PM
Reebok, the sportswear brand recently acquired by Adidas-Solomon AG, is causing something of a stir with its “shockers”. And by “shockers” we’re not referring to a new innovative bio-mechanical and ergonomic footwear revelation - God forbid! No, we’re referring to controversial advertising which includes depictions of Satan - indeed, God forbid!
Only last year Reebok ran a controversial television advertisement which depicted 50 Cent, the renowned uber-rapper and former drug dealer who lives in Connecticut, counting the number of bullets that have been shot at him. The famous rapper laughs and then looks into the camera as a voiceover asks, “Who do you plan to massacre next?” The advertisement was pulled in the United Kingdom. This type of tired and frankly puerile advertising is a long way from Reebok’s roots which where planted in the soil of step-aerobics and Richard Simmons’ anti-inertia classes. Indeed, the brand appears to be at the antithesis of its roots with its direct association with the negative side of hip-hop culture.
Given the negative connotations associated with Reebok’s patently obvious attempt to woo the dark side, many knowledgeable commentators are asking could this negatively impact their new parent company, Adidas. Adidas still has a strong customer base in Middle America and mainstream Europe and surely the last thing they would want to do is alienate their main customer base by supporting advertisements glamorising Satan and murder.
The Congress of Racial Equality is outraged by Reebok’s negative message about black men. “50 Cent was a drug dealer and proud of it,” says Niger Innis their spokesperson. “The fact that corporations are going to reward that kind of behavior is an outrage.” Let’s hope Reebok and now, more importantly, Adidas take note of this valuable advice and they start to glamorise wholesome and decent role-models and ideologies.
Posted by: Kitmeout | Feb 16, 2006 10:37:09 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.