Building Market Dominance Through Brand & Culture
In the high-stakes sneaker wars of the 1980s, when Nike dominated basketball, Adidas chased streetwear cred, and Puma was gaining traction, Reebok needed a marketing strategy that wouldn’t just keep up, but leap ahead.
As their public relations and marketing strategist, I helped infuse the brand with cultural heat, delivering a go-to-market strategy that made Reebok more than a performance brand. It became a movement, driven by pop culture, early influencer marketing, and community-first storytelling.
What I Delivered:
Influencer marketing strategy before the term existed.
PR placements that turned cultural moments into product demand.
Brand development and positioning that helped scale Reebok from 3 employees to 1,000+
A culturally attuned, content and placement strategy.
Organic buzz with zero ad spend, driven by what we now call earned media and creator marketing.
From gifting Mick Jagger original Reebok Tennis Pros (seen in the “Dancing in the Street” MTV hit) to planting Reebok firmly on Jane Fonda, Body by Jake, and Chicago’s South side hip hop street performers, my aim wasn’t just visibility, it was cultural relevance and emotional connection for the brand.
The Strategy Behind the Success
Visionary Marketing Leadership | Growth-Focused Brand Strategy | Trend Forecasting & Cultural Insight
Behind the scenes, this success required rare skill sets that now define top-performing CMOs, growth strategists, and marketing consultants:
Trend Forecasting & Market Insight
Before AI and analytics dashboards, I was manually reading the culture while connecting emerging trends in music, fitness, and street style to Reebok’s product roadmap. This was real-time brand positioning, based on intuition, pattern recognition, and audience insight.
Creative Risk-Taking in High-Stakes Markets
Sending Mick Jagger sneakers with a hand-written note or spotlighting unknown dancers wasn’t safe, it was strategic disruption. These were PR and marketing moves that drove virality before social media existed.
Influencer Marketing Pioneer
I built direct relationships with icons, creators, and cultural figures. These weren’t endorsements—they were authentic brand partnerships. Today, we call this creator marketing, ambassador programs, and influencer strategy. I’ve done it for decades.
Brand Strategy & Fractional CMO Thinking
Every message, placement, and move supported Reebok’s long-term positioning: not as a follower, but a cultural innovator. This mindset includes balancing strategy, storytelling, and sales goals, which is what I bring to companies today as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Brand Consultant.
Ready to turn your brand into a cultural movement? Let’s create the kind of strategy your competitors wish they had. Book a call with me and let’s make your brand impossible to ignore.