Reebok rebrands as a fitness center in the U.S. and Europe

Reebok, the sportswear from Germany, is heading to fitness business, with its major marketing campaign "Be More Human" in Berlin, Germany with partnership from CrossFit, Les Mills and Spartan Race.

"It is exactly the right time for such a marketing campaign after we have rebuilt the brand," Katja Erbe, Reebok brand director in Europe said in a report from Reuters.

Erbe said they are rebranding Reebok as a fitness center. They teamed up with CrossFit, Les Mills and Spartan Race fitness courses.

Reebok's "Be More Human" campaign aims to change lives by testing our physical strength and resilience. The website presents a platform with various tools that challenges our character and experiences.

"Be More Human" focuses on a group oriented session and not the usual individual workout in the gym. "Reebok is on the right track with the emphasis on training. It reflects the movement towards social fitness in the United States ... people are now dressing for the gym," Matt Powell, a sports analyst of NPD Group research firm observed.

With the "Be More Human" advertising campaign launched ahead in the United States, Reebok will have a full blast fitness promotion in Germany this week, displaying ads and billboards on gyms.

Zuzanna Pusz, an analyst at Berenberg identified that Adidas is spending 14 % on marketing Reebok as a fitness label compared to its competitors that normally gives out 10-11% of sales. "It would be surprising if they didn't have momentum, but the question still remains whether Reebok can close the profitability gap with Adidas," Pusz commented.

Reebok is a popular brand in the 80s. It suffered from a major decline in sales even after Adidas acquired it in 2005 for $3.8B. In 2014, it shrunk to $1.80B, which is only 11% of Adidas' sales.

But despite of the constant slump, at this point, Reebok still collaborates with other shoe brands to produce great material and design for athletes. Recently, Reebok had a special collaboration with Mastermind Japan, a men's clothing brand for Reebok Classic, cited on Sneaker News.

Even so, many believe that this is the wrong move from Adidas. Some say Reebok has been a traditional brand and it should keep its battle against Nike.