Reebok International looked to excite the market with the ad campaign that is expected to further energize the company’s Rbk brand and strengthen its position with the coveted 12 to 24 year-old consumer base that is responsible for the vast majority of sneaker sales in the mall.

The campaign, entitled “I Am What I Am”, was expected to be a message of empowerment and individuality delivered by a diverse group of Rbk endorsers, from hip-hop artist 50 cent to hoopsters Allen Iverson and Yao Ming. The initial print ads show promise as Shawn Carter (rapper Jay-Z) stands in from of the projects he grew up in and proclaims, I got my MBA from Marcy Projects” in a printed quote.

But some of the early excitement about the campaign must have been short-lived as advertising blogs and the media started to question the campaign’s title, referring to it as the “Popeye” campaign. SEW also noticed that the underlying message of empowerment is oddly familiar to the ill-fated UBU campaign of more than a decade ago.

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