Reebok chose an 81-year-old man to help launch the rebirth of the brand in China. The campaign is the first original creative work to launch in the country in over a decade based on the brand’s global foundation of Be More Human.
China’s hunkiest grandpa is one of Reebok’s new faces. Being old yet muscular helps, but the brand says the octogenarian embodies the Chinese zeal for self-improvement and overcoming limitations.
Reebok has teamed 81-year-old Wang Deshun, with two other local brand ambassadors: actress – 30-year-old actor/singer Yuan Shanshan and actor Wu Lei (18).
The campaign represents the brand’s bold new drive to associate itself more with pull-up bars, kettlebells and medicine balls than basketball hoops. Exactly 10 years ago, Reebok’s biggest Chinese campaign was all about basketball, starring Chinese icon Yao Ming alongside his quest for Olympic success at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The campaign was so reliant on the force of the athlete, that the slogan at the time was also all about him.
Les Mills joins the team
“It was not easy to transition to become a brand focused entirely on high-intensity interval training and calisthenics,” Reebok Greater China manager Chad Wittman told Campaign China.
“With innovations in product cushioning technology and by forging exclusive global strategic partnerships with some of the biggest and most influential names in the industry, such as CrossFit, Spartan Race, Les Mills, Ragnar Relay and the UFC, Reebok has gradually carved out a unique position for itself in this fast-growing segment.”
- Much more (and the Chinese version of the tvc) here
- YouTube version (with subtitles, but less footage) here
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