REEBOK FREESTYLE

SADAF MATIN

09BS0001215
About Reebok Freestyle:
Reebok Freestyle is a women's athletic shoe style that was introduced in 1982 and
designed for aerobic exercise. It quickly surged Reebok into the mainstream athletic wear
market and fashion scene along with becoming one of the most popular athletic shoes of all
time. In 1984, the shoe accounted for more than half of the Reebok sales. As a result, the
Freestyle became a 1980s fashion icon and is still manufactured to this day.

Freestyle features:

 Low top Oxford style show made out of leather out of yellow gum sole.
 British union jack flag on one side
 The Freestyle was one of the first athletic shoe to be specifically designed for women
and was introduced at a time when the aerobic fitness craze started. Women were
impressed with the styling, comfort, and support the shoe provided for working out. The
Freestyle's athletic use quickly spread to walking, body building, dance,
and cheerleading. Ms. Olympia Cory Eversons wore Freestyle hi-tops frequently in
competition, working out, and on ESPN's Body Shaping program. Reebok sponsored the
Los Angeles Lakers Girls in the late 1980s and supplied them with white Freestyle hi-
tops. Since then, other professional cheerleading and dance teams have used Freestyles.
Even high school and college cheerleading teams have used Freestyles as their shoe of
choice.

 Outside the gym, the Freestyle quickly hit the streets as popular casual wear.
Women could wear Freestyles with jeans, shorts, sweat pants, leggings and even
as commuter shoes to work. In the 1980s, Freestyles were often seen with flop
or slouch socks which were usually stretched over the bottom of the pant leg to help
highlight the shoe. Actress Cybill Shepherd wore a bright orange pair, with a black
strapless gown, at the 1985 Emmy Awards. Some women would own more than one
color of Freestyles allowing some to wear two different colored shoes like white and
black or red and yellow. This trend occurred after the Punky Brewster television
series.
 In some urban areas, the slang name for the shoe was a "5411" because the retail
price was usually $49.99 USD and with tax (particularly in New York City. It cost
$54.11 USD.
 The Freestyle's popularity, comfort, and styling quickly spread to the work place.
Nurses and waitresses gave up ordinary uniform shoes for the Freestyle.
Critical success factors:
KEY INTERNAL FACTORS:

STRENGTHS:

 Research and Development

 Marketing
 Outsourcing

WEAKNESS:

 Inefficiencies in management
 Price

KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS:

OPPURTUNITIES:

 Ability to create synergy between brands

 Technology
 Contemporary products
 National Football League Campaign
 Women’s Marketplace.

THREATS:
 Strong competition
 Chinese substitutes
 Weak department store channel
 Global/Domestic economies
Strategies followed by Adidas and Nike:
Nike centered their brand equity model on the platform, endorsement
focus strategy development of flagship stores while Adidas also focused
on endorsement focus strategy but more on sponsorship of major
global events and teams.

In contrast Nike focused on individuals like T.Woods and M.Jordan and

their success stories reason for that is ads like Just Do it.

Nike strategy was to create global market presence. Oversized

billboards and murals were used endorsing the sponsored athletes and
not the product, while Adidas made impact with brilliant execution.
they communicated their heritage of innovation, technology and
success stories with personalities like Mohammad Ali and tried
spreading messages like ‘We know then-We know now’.

Nike customers associated the brand with sports, lifestyle and

attitude.Adidas was trendy, cool and modern.

Nike products are higher priced, but Nike has done a great job of
driving the perceived value of their products over the years through
multi-product branding. Nike has a higher level of consumers who have
associated themselves with the brand, and will pay the higher price
point to own something with the Nike Swoosh on it.
.