Reebok ropes in Katrina Kaif as brand ambassador

Continuing with its strategy to capitalise on celebrities and women buyers in India, sportswear brand Reebok has roped in actor Katrina Kaif as its latest brand ambassador. Reebok, subsidiary of the world’s second largest sportswear maker Adidas, has had celebrity endorsers such as MS Dhoni, Nargis Fakhri and Kangana Ranaut for its previous campaigns.  

Sunil Gupta, brand director for Reebok India, says that Katrina is a perfect fit for the brand. “Katrina is a fitness enthusiast. We are confident that together, we will continue to inspire the youth and be the thought leaders in the fitness industry,” he said.

Kaif says that the brand serves as a motivation for her to be disciplined and stronger every day. “Reebok is committed to bring a change and enable everyone to harness their latent potential,” she said.

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Bought by German biggie Adidas in 2006, Reebok has had a chequered report card over the past decade, hit by tepid growth and erratic performance. In its first quarter earnings conference call in May this year, Kasper Rorsted, chief executive officer of Adidas, underlined the need to drive growth back into Reebok. “That is the ultimate target we have set for 2020. The target to have a growing Reebok and a profitable Reebok by 2020,” Rorsted stressed.

While conceding that the brand has resisted the temptation of being aggressive from a push standpoint and driving promotional deals for the sake of getting top line, Rorsted acknowledged there is a need to do two things: Better products and more relevance with the consumer from a brand standpoint. “We need to revitalise the brand,” he added.

Back in India, Reebok slipped on sales last year as it reportedly posted Rs 391 core in revenues against Rs 416 crore in fiscal 2017. The brand, it seems, needs to put on its running shoes, and Kaif might be the right one to do it.