Reebok: mediocre shoe brand = terrible ad campaign

Have you seen the new Reebok ads? This is an example: Basically reebok is encouraging people to be mediocre and not try too hard. I remember when they used to hire pro athletes to use their products because people looked up to them since they were exceptionally good…don’t worry about that anymore A 10 MINUTE MILE IS THE SAME DISTANCE AS A SIX MINUTE MILE! Except you’re slow and likely overweight and you tell people you are a runner and no one would ever know based on looking at you because you putz along at a 10 minute mile. This ad campaign was created by the same group of people that equate running a marathon with jogging 5 miles at 12 minutes per and then walking the rest, after which they reward themselves with a trip to Outback and feast on the blooming onion.

I’m all for encouraging people to start running and I recognize that many people may never run faster than a 10 minute mile, but that doesn’t mean you should actively encourage them not to dream big. The other ad in this campaign that I’ve seen says “if you’re can’t have a conversation while you run, you’re running too hard.” I’d like to change that to “if you can’t have a conversation while you run, you are actually getting a decent cardiovascular workout.” Seriously Reebok? Howsabout as an alternative you actually run a lot so you get to the point where you can run a six minute mile easily and have a conversation while doing it? That would blow some minds. And we wonder why America is obese it’s because Reebok’s new mantra is “I am what I am.”