“Classic Leather Legacy” Reebok Launch | youTHUNDER
As a final project at the Strategy and Social Media Lab of AD and PR Lab as a team we had to propose a Communication Strategy plan for Reebok’s upcoming launch of the shoe “Classic Leather Legacy”.
Before suggesting a strategy plan, we first had to understand Reebok’s existing communication strategy. After doing some research, we noticed that it fits to a wide variety of audience, it uses new technology which makes the brand more innovative, and it embraces people’s needs — an anthropocentric character, while focusing on sport and fitness culture. Furthermore, we looked into some of Reebok’s campaigns, such as “Be More Human, Live with Fire, It’s a Man’s World, and Spot the Unexpected”.
Next step was to take a look into Reebok’s target group, in order to understand it and its preferences better, for which we created 3 focus groups. Some of the insights that we found, was that the target group uses social media extensively, and especially the platform TikTok was widely used during the lockdown period. Moreover, the target group follows many influencers and tries to create a constant interaction with them. It prefers a more fun, chill communication, instead of a more formal, fake one, while also wanting to feel that the brands’ communication is personal and direct. The target group, lastly, strives to find out ways to work out outdoors, while it also tends to share bits of the everyday life on social media.
After learning these insights for the target group, and understanding the way Reebok communicates, we went on to create a strategy for the launch of the shoe “Classic Leather Legacy”.
The strategy we came up with is divided into 3 parts, the one Before the Launch, the Launch, and the one After the Launch.
Before the Launch, during the months of July and August, there will be a digital activation. We will use Reebok’s owned platforms to create the impression that something is coming. It will basically be a communicational build-up, in which we will slowly reveal more and more information, such as the day of the Launch, details of the shoe etc.
During this communication, we will use the platform of TikTok in order to invite the audience in a challenge. We will ask them to showcase, through the features of the platform, their own Legacy, in their preferred way. It will be a call to action, in which the audience will be asked to be creative, and plus, it will create a more direct interaction with the brand. They will also be asked to upload a story on instagram with this called to action, in which the main slogan of the shoe “My Legacy is Now” will be transformed into “Your Legacy is Here”. The audience will be informed that the two best efforts will receive a gift, and that the announcement of the winners will take place in the opening, the Launch of the shoe.
Apart from this digital activation, there will be an article about the launch in the traditional media, such as Lifo, which is a very important magazine for Greece, writing about such social, lifestyle subjects. It is important that when an event, such as the present one, happens, that the information exists also at the traditional media, apart from the owned platforms of the brand. This article will take place later in the communicational period, after the date of the launch has been announced, and it will be about exactly this date, the launch of the “Classic Leather Legacy”.
When the time for the official Launch comes, at 1st of September 2020, and since the classic, physical opening was not an option, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch will take place digitally. Specifically, the idea is to use the premium version of Zoom, which provides an ideal situation for a launch, since it can handle thousands of people attending the same call. In this Zoom call we will have invited 5–10 influencers and athletes to participate. People like Christina Mpompa, Genevieve Majari, Leuteris Petrounias and Anna Korakaki. This choice was made with the criteria of them being fitting with the vibe and the values of the brand of Reebok. We wanted people that work on the Fitness + Wellbeing issue, while also having a cool, fun vibe and a recognition in their industry. Of course, we also wanted to bring people that either already cooperate with Reebok, or if not, that they do not cooperate with a competitor brand.
These influencers and athletes will have invited people to join the Zoom meeting during the previous time period through their own social media accounts. During this meeting they will answer to questions, and they will also tell us their story, their own Legacy.
Towards the end of this call, there will be a countdown, which will lead to a promo video of the shoe. This video will show the influencers and athletes present at the call wearing the shoe while going on with their every-day lives, and “doing their thing” (Of course the things shown will be according to the general communicational strategy of Reebok). After this video ends, which will symbolize the official Launch of the shoe, the announcement of the 2 winners of the previous TikTok challenge will continue. These 2 winners, apart from the shoe, will also have as a gift the chance to participate in the photoshooting of the shoe, together with the influencer/ athlete of their choice (of the ones present at the call.) This will create the personal and direct vibe that was mentioned in the beginning.
After the Launch it is crucial to have a strong presence on social media, in order for the target group to be informed about the shoe. 80% of Reebok’s incomes come from the physical store, but in order for an individual to go to the store and proceed to buy the shoe, he/she must have already seen it in the digital world, in order for interest to be created. This is why advertising space will be bought in Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, 3 platforms that the target group uses massively.
Apart from this digital activation, it is also crucial to have a strategic placement at the physical stores. The idea is to choose 10 strategic stores in Attica, those stores that financially provide a reason for Reebok to place its shoe there, according to previous statistics. Stores in places like Glyfada, the centre of Athens and Kifissia. In these stores a podium will be placed with the shoe and with the face of the brand’s most important influencer.
When it comes to the Investment Split, as a team we proceeded to evaluate a cost for the previous strategic plan. Specifically, the article at the traditional media was calculated to be 1–2,000€, depending on its size and placement, the video production around 15–20,000€ for the same reason. The Zoom call was calculated to be around 10,000€, the purchasing of advertising space on social media 500€/ day, in order to have a more specific and targeted communication, and lastly, the positioning of a podium in the 10 strategic stores was calculated to cost 500€/ store.
After having finished this semester, as a team we had a more in-depth understanding of the way brands plan their strategy. The strategy needs to be cleverly chosen, it needs to be in line with the general values and goals of the brand, and not to be different on every occasion, while, on the other hand, it should consider the different trends and needs of the world (such as the present situation with COVID-19). A strategy consists of many factors, that need to be very well connected under the same “umbrella” of thoughts, under the same idea. It is not right to have 5 seemingly good ideas and try to make all of them work, but to have 1 good idea, that is spread wisely and creatively on different platforms and with different ways.
youTHUNDER team members:
Eri Gerali
Maria Zioga
Δήμητρα Κιοϊλόγλου
Evangelia Kyrkou
Amanda Linara
Ιριάνα Νίκα
Theodora Fokaeos
Strategy and Social Media Lab Professors:
Lina Kiriakou
Betty Tsakarestou
