Reebok TV commercial: Fighting fit

A new Reebok campaign featuring Kangana Ranaut inspires women to stay fit and fight back when required

For young women in India, Kangana Ranaut is arguably the first choice when it comes to representing a fearless, feisty and independent female spirit that cannot be crushed by a masculine world order. In a new TV commercial, part of a campaign begun last year, sportswear major Reebok has utilised Ranaut’s iconic status to inspire women to stay fighting fit.
 

If last year’s advertisement retold Ranaut’s story, showing her exercising as her voice-over answered questions on how she made it big despite all odds, in the new ad she is the backer for the protagonist — Justine Rae Mellocastro, a black belt in Choi Kwang Do, professional hairstylist and a competitive swimmer in real life. The minute-long ad shows the young woman walking down an alley pushing along her bicycle. She sees three men ahead, making some remarks and leering at her. As she approaches them she thrusts her bicycle towards them making them split as she points her fists. They are stunned and she picks up her bicycle and moves on. These scenes alternate with shots of her practising boxing, as Ranaut peps her up with encouraging words. The message of the ad is “girls can fight”, if required.
 

Silvia Tallon, senior marketing director, Reebok India, says through both the ads the company wanted to take a stand against patriarchal stereotypes and strengthen its position as a “women-first” brand. The overall campaign, “Fit to fight”, introduced Ranaut as a brand ambassador and inspired women to share their stories, she adds. “The second edition of the campaign comes with a strong theme where we are highlighting two socials issues — eve teasing and inequality in pay with Kangana playing the mentor, motivating women to break gender stereotypes.” This advertisement will be followed up with a second film, on inequality of pay, which is slated to launch later this month.
 

Tallon points out that Reebok campaigns have always been designed with fitness at the core to inspire individuals to maximise their potential. “Starting with various campaigns such as the one on International Women’s Day where we showcased a powerful story, ‘Mom’, we have defined our ethos of ‘fitness is life’.”
 

The campaign has been conceptualised by McCann India. A spokesperson points out that the communication in the fitness apparel market has been narrow for too long, with the focus solely on men for decades. Of late, the focus has shifted to women, but only on an urban niche. “Looking at category advertising, one might think that the only role of fitness is to turn women into slim, sexy athletes. Reebok, on the other hand, believed the brand had to play a deeper role in the lives of ordinary Indian women.”
 
According to reports citing Euromonitor figures, the Indian sportswear market grew 22 per cent from 2015 to 2016. By 2020, the market is projected to grow another 12 per cent CAGR with sales expected to reach $8 billion (Rs 519.80 billion). The market is dominated by the likes of Adidas, Reebok, Nike and Puma.
 
While Reebok did not disclose any figures on its market position, through this campaign and others, it aims to become the preferred brand for women. The TVC, which has been on air since mid-September, will continue till end of October. This campaign is one of the company’s biggest for this year and is supported by a 360-degree marketing approach including digital, print, cinema and retail.