February 7, 2008

Reebok + Kool-Aid = Instant Classics

After years of crashing through walls to bring children cherry refreshment, the Kool-Aid man needs new sneaks. The tried and true juice drink partners with the time-tested Reebok brand to revive its message. The co-branded marketing promotion, Instant Classics, kicks off in Reebok’s ’08 Spring collection.

Other than color-by-flavor and ‘ice cube’ rubber soles, the common thread between these two hangs on nothing more than a few puns about ‘flavor’. Nonetheless, the two classics pimped out the Pro-Legacy basketball low-top for the big promotion. The Kool-aid Reebok Collection falls in line with ultra-saturated color palettes debuting in urban shoe wear designs of the last year. Reebok Director of Lifestyle Design, Benjamin Kuchler, takes the line one step further with the inclusion of t-shirts, hoodies and hats in every flavor SKU. The complimentary apparel pieces also follow in suit, tagged with the smiling, pitcher-pouring Kool-aid man.

In an attempt to make the collaboration really hang together, all sneaks come with scent-infused sock liners. The fruit-scented sneaks are only offered in toddler, pre-school, grade-school and men’s sizes, excluding women from the strawberry sweetness.

The collection ranges from $50-$75 and can be purchased at undergroundstation.com or select Reebok retailers nationwide. Grape, strawberry and cherry launched 2/1. Orange, lemon and lime hit stores 3/15.

Article categories: Advertising & Branding, Brands, Design, Fashion, Youth