The Hindu Business Line : Reebok for long-term association with sportspersons

Bangalore, Oct. 3 Moving beyond cosmetic brand endorsement relationships with cricketers, sportswear brand Reebok is looking to have long-term associations with sportspersons. It is especially keen on promoting sports at the grassroots level.

Besides roping in several cricketers, including Rahul Dravid, M.S. Dhoni and Irfan Pathan, Reebok is also the sponsor of the Davis Cup and is associated with three soccer clubs in India. It also sponsors tennis player Sunita Rao.

Training Programmes

At the grass root level too the company encourages games such as soccer, tennis and cricket, and is associated with cricket academies in the country. Reebok sponsors shoes, footwear and apparel to budding sportspersons; it also supports fitness training programmes in the country.

“Our global vision is fulfilling the potential of young talent from humble backgrounds. In India too our aim is to spot talent early, support and empower athletes,” said Mr Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India, at a recent function in the city where Reebok felicitated cricketers from the 20-20 squad.

Reebok is actively involved in the process of discovering new talent. Mr Prem said: “We go around to playgrounds, watch matches to spot talent. We are associated with a pool of talented cricketers who are not yet in the national team. We were also supporting players like Dhoni much before they made it to the team.”

Sportswear Industry

But obviously, commercial interests do play a part in associating with a sport like cricket. The on ground message the cricketers carry is phenomenal, said Mr Prem. In India, Reebok claims to have a market share of 51 per cent in the sportswear industry, with revenues of Rs 900 crore.

“We have grown six times in the last four years,” Mr Prem said. There are about 520 exclusive Reebok stores in the country across 165 cities.

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