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Reebok
1992
Reebok launched this slogan during the 1992 Super Bowl to challenge Nike's stranglehold on athletic footwear. While Nike showcased Michael Jordan, Reebok featured regular people pushing themselves in gyms and on running trails.
The campaign rejected hero worship and celebrated weekend warriors instead. Reebok's market share climbed to 20% as the company claimed fitness culture rather than professional sports. The slogan showed up on t-shirts and gym walls across America.
2005
Reebok borrowed this phrase from a 1983 Gloria Gaynor disco song and rebuilt it for hip-hop.
The campaign featured Allen Iverson, 50 Cent, and Jay-Z. Artists who refused to sand down their edges for corporate approval.
Iverson starred as the face of defiance. His cornrows, tattoos, and infamous "practice" rant made him radioactive to most brands. Reebok signed him anyway. His signature shoe line generated over $1 billion in sales.
The slogan spoke directly to anyone tired of pretending to be someone else.
2008
Reebok tried to own running by promising effortless performance.
The Run Easy campaign centered on ZigTech shoes with zigzag soles that supposedly reduced muscle fatigue by 20%. The shoes looked strange: angular and futuristic, like props from a sci-fi film. The technology made bold claims about energy return and biomechanics.
But the slogan failed. Runners don't want it easy. They want accomplishment earned through difficulty. The disconnect killed the campaign within two years.
2014
After years of bleeding market share under Adidas ownership, Reebok chose weirdness over safe marketing. Sport the Unexpected featured surreal imagery and products like the Pump Fury—a laceless, sock-like shoe that belonged at a rave, not a race.
Reebok revived Ventilator shoes and other '90s designs, betting that athletic wear could be playful. Sales gains stayed modest. But the campaign reminded people that Reebok still existed and wasn't afraid to experiment.
2014-2020s
Be More Human has been Reebok's philosophy for nearly a decade.
The basic premise was that fitness deepens humanity rather than transcends it. While competitors added sensors and apps, Reebok emphasized sweat and community.
The brand invested over $100 million in CrossFit sponsorship, making the Nano shoe standard equipment in more than 15,000 CrossFit gyms worldwide. Ads showed real bodies doing brutal work like flipping tires, climbing ropes, and collapsing after burpees. Reebok opened FitHub stores that functioned as both retail spaces and training facilities.
The campaign positioned physical effort as something primal and connective in an increasingly digital world.
2021-Present
Authentic Brands Group bought Reebok from Adidas for $2.5 billion in 2021 and immediately revived the 1992 slogan.
The message carried new weight after a pandemic that locked people inside and social media that turned everything into passive consumption.
Reebok told a generation drowning in screens to move their bodies instead of watching others move theirs. The brand signed Cardi B and Shaquille O'Neal while targeting younger consumers and women's fitness.
The 30-year-old slogan works better now than it did originally. In 2021, everything became a spectator sport.
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