Reebok

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Reebok Shoes

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Running Shoes




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History of Reebok


Reebok (NYSE:RBK), also known as Reebok International Limited, is a global manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. From African gazelle to spiked running shoes, Reebok has been running fast for more than a hundred years, however the roots of Reebok lay in another company, JW Foster and Sons. In 1893, a famous English runner Joseph Foster customized a pair of running shoes for himself by adding spikes to the sole. Other runners quickly took notice of this innovation, prompting Foster to create his own shoe company, JW Foster and Sons of Bolton, United Kingdom, in 1894. The company remained a moderately successful, but littleknown British shoe company, providing the running shoes worn at the 1924 Summer Olympics, until 1958 when Foster's grandsons created a sister company, Reebok. Reebok would later absorb JW Foster and Sons to create a unified brand.In 1979, Paul Fireman, a partner in an outdoor sporting goods distributorship, noticed the high quality, custommade track shoes at a Chicago trade show and saw potential in the century old company. He acquired exclusive rights to distribute Reebok shoes in North American and subsequently started the company known as Reebok USA and introduced three running shoes the same year. At $60 a pair, they were the most expensive running shoes on the market at the time.. The company faced stiff competition from the already established Nike and rather than try to compete directly, Reebok chose to develop niche markets and product lines such as women's fitness and aerobics shoes.By 1981, Reebok's sales exceeded $1.5 million, but a dramatic move was planned for the next year. The company surged in popularity in 1982 when Reebok introduced the Reebok Freestyle athletic shoe. The shoe ,an oxfordstyle sneaker specially designed for women, was an instant success with the current aerobic dance craze in full swing. Reebok and Reebok shoes became the hot brand for aerobic buffs everywhere and the Freestyle has been hailed as Reebok's most successful athletic shoes of all time. But the success of the freestyle was not entirely due to its athletic uses. It also became the icon of the 80's fashion world used for casual wear because of its comfort and sleek style. A high top version was released (identified by the two velcro straps around the ankle collar) and additional colors were released, including white, black, red, yellow, and blue. The Freestyle continue to be producedThe 80's were Reebok's decade of success.

The company also developed and released the famous Pump technology marketed with the memorable slogan "Pump It Up" in the late 80's. The shoes used an air bladder, inflated with a small pump integrated into the tongue of the shoes, to hold them tightly to the wearer's feet. Such technology has been parodied by Mel Brooks in his 1993 film, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Sidekick Ahchoo, played by comedian/actor Dave Chappelle (Chappelle's Show, Undercover Brother, and Half Baked), called a timeout in a fight with the Sheriff's men to pump up his sneakers.Despite its financial and cultural success, Reebok struggled with the problem of producing a highquality, cost efficient product without compromising its values or offendial moral and cultural standards. The company's failure to divest from South African in the 1980's and its former association with sweatshops severely hurt its reputation, causing the company to institute an agressive human rights agenda in the 1990's. As part of the campaign, Reebok established the Human Rights Award which is prsents to prominent civil rights activists once a year.Sales of athletic shoes declined industrywide in the late 1990's. Reebok lost $7.1 million in 1998. Whether this loss is due to industry problems or internal problems with Reebok is questionable. Reebok responded to losses by laying off 500 if its then 5,000 workers. CEO Paul Fireman declined his 1998 bonus in reaction to the slump and appointed two market legends, Angel Martinez and Carl Yankowski, to run Reebok Unlimited. Martnez had created Reebok's aerobic shoe in the 1980's and in his capacity as chief executive of Rockport, he increased the subsidiary's sales by selling them as "more than just comfortable." Teamed up with Yankowski, former Sony COO, Martinez embarked on a plan to reclaim Reebok's roots and refocus the business.In 1989, Reebok launched Step Reebok nationally after conducting comprehensive scientific and biomechanical research that showed step aerobics was a highly credible and effective format for cardiovascular exercise. This revolutionary, never before seen form of exercise quickly caught and launched a new exercise trend.In 1997, Reebok introduced its DMX technology shoe. The DMX shoes were designed to increase air flow and cushion and stabilize the feet. Venus Williams and Allen Iverson endorsed the 1999 DMX advertising campaign, but did not catch on. In April of the same year, Reebok launched a new campaign to market the shoes as the VW Beetle of sneakers; unattractive but highly functional shoes for people who care more about how the shoes feel than how fashionable they look. Unsurprisingly, the campaign and shoes lacked appeal with the growing youth market. Teenagers in the late 1990's gained greatly in buying power and they demanded fashion not function. Reebok then went back to its original plan and began marketing to more women and to embrace and encourage individuals establishing a marketing partnership with talk show host/comedienne/actress Rosie O'Donnell, who endorsed Reebok through her "Chub Club" exercise club for regular women. This campaign was counter to the general idea that athletic shoes are primarily sold to teenage males looking for the trendiest buy rather than the most practical.Increasingly, Reebok has dug in for competition in the fierce rivalry with Nike. In 2000, Reebok again revolutionized how people exercise and train with its global introduction of Reebok Core Training and the Reebok Core Board. Widely used today by professional athletes, conditioned exercisers and beginners alike, this innovative workout is a dynamic strength and conditioning program that focuses on developing total body power by emphasizing the abs, torso and "core" muscles. Reebok and the National Football League announced the formation of an exclusive partnership. The NFL granted a 10year exclusive license to Reebok beginning with the 2002 NFL season to manufacture, market and sell NFL licensed merchandise for all 32 NFL teams. This license allows Reebok to provide onfield uniforms, sideline apparel, practice apparel, footwear and sell an NFLbranded apparel line as well as exclusive rights to develop a new line of NFL fitness equipment.In August 2001, Reebok formed a 10year strategic partnership with the National Basketball Association under which Reebok will design, manufacture, sell and market licensed merchandise for the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the NBA's fledgling minor league. The next year, Reebok and the Indy Racing League (IRL) teamed up in an agreement that named Reebok the official outfitter of the IRL. As part of the agreement, Reebok provided customdesigned, cobranded ReebokIndy Racing League apparel to IRL officials and selected teams. The Reebok brand also received exposure through logos on race cars, team uniforms, transporters and other IRL promotional programs included in the promotional rights agreement.Also in 2002, Reebok launched Rbk, a collection of streetinspired footwear and apparel hookups designed for the youth to reflect the attitude of their livescool, edgy, and authentic. Rbk is inspired by current street fashion and marketed to appeal to the current culture. The global Sounds of Rhythm of Sport campaing was launched in January of 2002 with a flurry of product launches, television and print ads, consumer and retail promotions, and celebrity events. The "Sound & Rhythm of Sport" collections represent the fusion between sports and music. The campaign featured Reebok's NBA, NFL and tennis athletes paired with many of the music industry's edgiest hiphop and rap artists. Reebok also previewed its Rbk collection at more than 1,000 music store around he U.S. Noted styles from this marketing campaign are the Reebok G Unit collection, promoted by rapper 50 Cent, and the Reebok S. Carter collection.Beginning in the 200405 season, Reebok gained exclusive rights to supply and market all oncourt apparel, including uniforms, shooting shirts, warmups, authentic and replica jerseys and practice gear for all NBA, WNBA and NBDL teams. Reebok also gained exclusive rights, with limited exceptions, to design, manufacture, market and sell headwear, Tshirts, fleece and other apparel products for all teams in most channels of distributions. Also in 2004, after years of champion human and civil rights, the fair Labor Association accredited Reebok's footwear division, the first such credit issued.In August 2005, one of Reebok's largest rivals, Adidas, announced that it would acquire Reebok, allowing both brands to compete with Nike. This merger is expected to be completed by the middle of 2006. === Reebok Company Overview ===Reebok has four main divisions that produce athletic shoes, apparel, and accesssories for competition and casual wear. The company consists of:Reebok divisionReebok division is responsible for producing Reebok shoes and apparel used by athletes and nonathletes. Reebok division is also responsible for the Weebok brand of shoes for kids.Rockport CompanyRockport is primarily responsible for producing the Rockport brand of shoes.Ralph Lauren Footwear companyThe Ralph Lauren company is responsible for producing products sold under the Ralph Lauren logo and the Polo logo.Greg Norman division This division of Reebok produces all products marketed under the Norman brand. This division is primarily devoted to golf sportswear and accessories.Reebok operates more than 200 stores across the U.S. under either the Reebok name of one of the other division. The company is based in Canton, Massachusetts and holds approximately 15% of the market share, making it second to Nike.Reebok Corporate ResponsibilityReebok is firmly committed to human and civil rights. It established the Reebok Human Rights Award which recognizes young activists who have made significant contributions to human rights causes through nonviolent means. The Award aims to generate positive international attention for the recipients and to support their efforts. Since 1988, more than 60 recipients from over 35 countries have received the award. Nominees are submitted from around the world by prominent individuals in the human rights community and by nongovernmental organizations, and winners must be 30 years old or younger and receive a $50,000 grant from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation to further their work. Current awardees for 2005 arehttp://www.sneakerhead.com/

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