MAM
Reebok’s new campaign chants ‘I am what I am’ mantra
MUMBAI: Reebok has announced a new global marketing and advertising campaign to cement its brand position — celebrating individuality and authenticity.
The I am what I am campaign will use icons like Allen Iverson, pop star Jay-Z and actress Lucy Liu
The multi-faceted campaign links all of the brand’s marketing and advertising efforts under the I am what I am umbrella. It will be supported by the company’s largest advertising spend in nearly a decade.
Created by New York advertising agency mcgarrybowen I am what I am launches globally later this month on TV, cinema, in key print publications and on billboards in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, London and Tokyo. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com this afternoon McCann Erickson national creative director Prasoon Joshi said that in India promotional work on Reebok would begin in a month’s time.
The television spots debut during the NBA All-Star Game on 20 February, 2005, and the print ads hit in March publications. The campaign encourages young people to embrace their own individuality by celebrating their contemporary heroes including: music icons Jay-Z and 50 Cent; tennis ace Andy Roddick, Kelly Holmes, and basketball star Yao Ming; screen star Lucy Liu, skateboarder Stevie Williams, and soccer star Iker Casillas.
Elaborating further on the initiative Reebok’s global chief marketing officer Dennis Baldwin said, “The I am what I am campaign which celebrates authenticity and individuality is both relevant and inspiring for young consumers. We understand the struggle for today’s youth to both fit in and stand out as individuals. Through this campaign, we hope to encourage young people to find their own voice by celebrating contemporary icons who have accomplished their dreams by being true to themselves and following their own unique path to greatness.”
Marking the first advertising campaign that mcgarrybowen has created for Reebok, the I am what I am television ads feature portraits of authentic celebrities. Directed by director Jake Scott who is the son of film director Ridley Scott the spots reveal the essential truths of who the celebrities are away from the cameras. Shot by some of the world’s best photographers, the print and billboard ads feature portrait shots and
insightful quotes. The ads give each celebrity the opportunity to break through the fiction that surrounds their public persona.
Reebok VP global integrated marketing Brian Povinelli said, “We took a unique approach by enrolling the athletes and entertainers into a campaign that provides them with a genuine forum for self expression. We want the world to know that I am what I am is more than an ad campaign. It speaks to who Reebok truly is as a brand and it is an invitation for today’s youth to join in.”
On behalf of the celebrities who are participating in the I am what I am campaign, Reebok will make a donation to the charity of their choice, for a total company pledge of $1 million during the next 12 months.
In order to further support the movement to celebrate authenticity, Reebok will launch an online forum on www.rbk.com where consumers will have the opportunity to create their own I am what I am ads or nominate someone who they feel truly embodies the campaign message.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
