Reebok launches its maiden campaign under its new owners in India
Reebok is out to make a comeback in India under its new manufacturing and distribution owner – Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL).
The sportswear brand plans to reclaim its glory as a leading sports and performance player in the Indian market, with the launch of ‘I am the new’. The brand campaign, its first under new owners, features newly appointed brand ambassadors: the World’s No. 1 T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav and leading actor Taapsee Pannu.
The celebrities, which hail from the influential world of sports and cinema, reinforce the brand campaign's messaging which encourages audiences to view the playground differently and embrace fitness as a way of life.
Both Yadav and Pannu have had their own backstories of overcoming challenges and charting their own paths, which embodies the campaign's core message of “embrace your unorthodox spirit and create your own trail”, according to Reebok India’s chief operating officer Manoj Juna
Juneja says the campaign is “a rallying cry for the youth of India to break free from limitations and embrace their true potential.”
“Reebok has played a pivotal role in transforming the world’s perception of sports and fitness, and this campaign is all about cementing that reputation and reclaiming our position at the top,” says Juneja.
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The legacy and the future
Reebok originally launched in India under its previous owner German sportswear brand Adidas in 2006. The India launch was part of a strategy to strengthen the brand's global position. After Authentic Brand Group acquired Reebok from Adidas in 2022, Aditya Birla Fashion bought the rights to the brand in India.
A leading fashion company in India, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) had announced its plans in 2021 to distribute and sell Reebok products in India and Southeast Asia, along with having exclusive rights to distribute and sell Reebok products in these markets through wholesale, e-commerce and Reebok-branded retail stores, as per a company statement.
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This also marks ABFRL’s foray into the fast-growing sports and activewear segment, which is a growing one with players like Puma, Nike, Adidas, and Skechers, as well as many relatively newer players like Decathalon, etc.