The Reebok Challenge
Participating in “Strategy & Social Media Lab” of this semester’s AD&PR Lab, among various projects, we were given the opportunity to work with Reebok on The Reebok Challenge. Our mission was to prepare and think of a communication strategy about the Classic Leather Legacy, which was Reebok’s new shoe, scheduled to come out on September 2020. This shoe model is part of the Classic Leather line which was first introduced to the public on 1983.
We took into consideration the fact that the target group of the specific product is basically our generation, the Generation-Z, people aged from 16 to 24. Classic Leather Legacy storyline outlines that we, as a generation, have been through a lot; from economic crises to even pandemic. We know that we cannot change the past and what came before us but we can change what comes next. We have learned to be hardworking and ambitious; we never stop chasing our dreams. We are fighters, and despite all these difficulties, we try to write our own legacy. The name of this campaign, “My legacy is now”, comes to establish everything mentioned above.
Our strategic approach began by finding a handful of influences who, we believe, are suitable for representing our product and vision. We found people who either have already written a part of their legacy, or have just started to do so. We immediately thought of Michail Seitis, a professional amputee blade runner. After an accident that changed his life, Michail’s dream of participating in the Olympic Games was not shuttered; he trained hard to compete in his first race with a prosthetic leg and managed to become a world champion, a Paralympian. Certainly, he would not be the only ambassador for Reebok’s new product. We thought that a suitable fit would also be influencers such as the trapper SNIK, the winner of this year’s Greek Master Chef, Stavros Varthalitis, the well-known choreographer Tasos Xiarcho, and many more who could share how they created their legacy and are easily recognizable from our target group. Based on an online focus group that we conducted, we realized that influencers would probably be the best way to advertise our new product on social media (Facebook & Instagram) and on Youtube.
For only promoting reasons, we also came up with the idea of creating a premium version of the shoe. The only difference with the original one would be the sole. On it, the phrase “My legacy is now” would be written. In this way, anyone stepping on sand, mud, water or even soil, would leave their footprint behind — which symbolizes the fact that this person is writing their own legacy right now. This promotion strategy would be boosted by call-to-action posts on social media, where our influencers would motivate users to share how they are writing their own legacy, and also with experiential advertising & digital partnerships with shopping malls.
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE STRATEGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA LAB
This last semester was evidently different compared to the previous ones. The new government measures for the insurance of the public health safety made our physical presence in the laboratory prohibitive. However, AD&PR Lab did not fail in making it a wonderful experience, even behind a digital screen. The name of this semester’s Lab was Strategy Communication & Social Media and it was separated in two parts. In the first one, we had the opportunity to take lectures from 2 experts, one in the field of Real Estate and one from the Radio industry and on the second part, we participated in lectures that aimed to teach us the importance and meaning of strategic Communication for companies.
Through these lessons, we indicated the differences in strategy and operations between a start-up and a company with perennial experience. Through interactive games, we learnt how consumers’ behavior and psychology are two valuable tools in each expertise’s hands in order to form the strategy and communication of the company they’re working for.
The constant growing needs and expectations of customers, combined with the increasing popularity of social media as a tool for evaluating brands and services, lead modern companies in embracing a “Human-Centric Design” for their business, trying to always provide to their consumers the ultimate experience. Through our projects, we were taught how this design should be amplified in every aspect of a business’ life — from the creation of a start-up, to the construction of a campaign or a communication strategy.
This semester wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for our lecturers, Mrs. B. Tsakarestou, Mrs. L. Kiriakou and D. Screta who assisted us in all our projects and tried to teach us based on the needs and expectations of the market we will soon be a part of. They also networked us with experts from various different fields that make a company — for instance, Mr. Zaharias and Mr. Birbas from the Ux Prodigy with whom we analyzed the value of a customer journey map and the way to create one on our own.
This semester was a brand new experience for us. Every Monday from the screens of our laptops in our desks, beds, sofas or from wherever each of us could sign in, we would have 4 full hours of discussions, lectures, interactive games and presentations that helped us get one step closer to our goal; becoming the best experts in our generation and change what has been done so far.
Konstantina Angelidou, Grasiela Varkari, Myrto Galanopoulou, Katerina Somi, Margarita Kammenou
Betty Tsakarestou, Lina Kiriakou
