Shoes are the first thing that we notice in person. Our shoes say a lot about our personality. And when it comes to shoes, Reebok definitely crosses our mind. Reebok has marked its named sports like basketball, and tennis and is also perfect for the gym. Many celebrities have done remarkable endorsements with Reebok
18 Facts about Reebok
1. Reebok = gazelle
The name came after an African gazelle. This symbolizes speed and graze which gave them a great economy. Reebok didn’t want the brand name to have a literal meaning.
2. Till 1979
Reebok was having a hard time getting into the limelight till 1979. They had their shoes showcased at an international sneakers trade in Chicago when Paul Firman noticed their shoes. He was very impressed by the quality of the shoes and decided to publish in North America where it had a great market. With the help of Paul Fireman to got the license in the United States. And they officially launched in the USA.
3. The market of the USA in 1981
After the license in the USA for Reebok the USA market turned out to be great. Each pair was sold for $60 and set high standards. Reebok’s turnover at that time was 1.5 million. There were only three kinds of track shoes which were offered to the public.
4. Reebok for women
Reebok extended the market by launching the first design for women which turned out to be very benefit on sale this made Reebok very interesting and that’s how Reebok was in the limelight for the 1980’s
5. The idea of pumps came across
Taking inspiration from Nike Air, Reebok launched the pump design for the players of basketball pump design consisting of built-in air bladders for a more comfortable experience. After the launching of this design, there was much more competition. This new design was very high-end and was around 170 dollars. Even with the unaffordable price tags it was still very popular at that time. The sale of the pump design was more than 20 million pairs all over the world.
6. Endorsement had a new perspective
Reebok had an innovative idea for the new promotion by joining the hands of the brown and Boston Celtic. Dee Brown had a mind-blowing performance at the all-star dunk contest. The black orange and white created a lot of attention and gave the fan a lot of curiosity. During the performance when brown gave a look at how cool and fun the shoes this act gave them a lot of publicity and enlarged the market
7. Reebok had a bad news in 1991
Reebok had its time in 1980 but after the standards were raised the fans wanted more from Reebok. This caused a downfall for them. Reebok was left out of the game of sneakers. There was no new excitement among the fans for Reebok. Now Reebok needed to change strategies.
8. Pumps were back
The second design of the pump had a new vision. They launched a new design of rim pump basketball sneakers in 2005. The new design consists of an outside ankle which gives more visibility. They endorse Baron Davis, Jerome Williams, Steve Francis, and Yao Ming. The shoes gave them an upper hand in the game and looked super chic.
9. Boost of sales in 1980
In 1980 Americans were very into fitness which turned out to be welfare for Reebok. Reebok launched sneakers for women in aerobics. The shoes were so creative and very comfortable as the signature of Reebok. Sales were touching up to 4 million dollars to 1.4 billion dollars.
10. Joining forces with Adidas
After the launched of the second pump reebok was taken over by Adidas. Adidas Salomon bought the company for 3.78 billion dollars. The exchange of blows Adidas was inspired to make this move. But on the plus side joining forces set them the first position for the manufacturer of sneakers.
11. Royal enter in royal wedding
A nun wore black Reebok at the wedding of Prince Willams and Kate Midleton. Although it was not the best idea for advertisement still was the talk of the town.
12. Crossfit
Reebok got a new chance to showcase its talent by entering a partnership with Crossfit for 10 yrs. This gives the fans a new set of excitement. This design was specifically designed keeping in mind the lifters and heavy workouts. As for the promotion the sneakers were worn in 2010 CrossFit games.
13. Alien shoes were designed
A 25-year-old ripleys design shoes for the film Alien. He worked very hard on this design. The requirements for the shoes were that they were easy to slip off the feet of actress Sigourney Weavers. There were no limitations regarding the design or the color.
14. Fitness was the core element of Reebok
Reebok never disappoints regarding the design for fitness. Reebok initiated towards health. They didn’t allow unhealthy food in their cafeteria. Employees were given permission to bring some items like these from home.
15. Speed lacing was introduced
Reebok was the first company to bring the concept of speed lacing. This consists of reinforced eyelets. This was also involved in the Shaq attaq campaign.
16. Reebok’s new commercial
Reebok showed a lot of trust for the new commercial which was endorsed by the celebrity Shaquille O’ Neil. He made many television advertisements for shoe brands. He handed the commercial all by himself which resulted in beneficial and gave Reebok new brand popularity
17. Shaq attack
Although the Shaq attack was so intense it didn’t reflect on the shoe quality of the Reebok. The designer had used the time to bring new shoes. Which set a record for the fastest fully tested new model for the basketball players.
18. Fun fact during Shaq’s attack
The design had a lot of input from Shaq which made it very unique. He also had inspiration from Judy Close for the dinner of Mac cheese during this family dinner. The idea of the new design also came from the poem “if”. That gave him a new perception.
Conclusion
After all the ups and downs reebok was able to and continue to shine. All the new innovation was very anticipated. Reebok was one of its own
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