![Reebok – NBA All Star Event [2022]](https://i0.wp.com/bentopliss.com/assets/2022/03/Project_panel_480x328px__0007_ALLSTAR.jpg?fit=480%2C328)
![Reebok x Jurassic Park [Pitch]](https://i0.wp.com/bentopliss.com/assets/2022/03/Project_panel_480x328px__0006_JP.jpg?fit=480%2C328)
Celebrating everything community with the OFFSPRING collaboration with Reebok with campaign concept art direction, activation creative and retail tools that brings OFFSPRINGS limited edition of the Workout Plus ‘Ice’ to the consumer.
For those who are old enough to remember, the Reebok Work Out “Ice” was a big U.K. trend in the late 90s. Whether it was on the Ripple sole, in a multitude of colours and shades or finding it’s way on other Reebok models, the “Ice” sole was a must have. You’d have people teaming them up with Iceberg jackets and crazy Mosh jeans, it truly was a phenomena that swept up and down the country.
The campaign was shot by OFFSPRINGS very own community member @nineteen.85
"We wanted to encapsulate and evoke nostalgic emotions of fun times with friends. Whether it was in the park, at the skate rink or just hanging out in the community, Reebok’s rich historic heritage has always been present, and representative of UK culture through the years."
The idea was for this shoe to give you the feeling of those good old memories and whilst you wear it, to make new ones.
In addition to all this I created special elements for the release. With every purchase OFFSPRING included a custom ice cubes tray stamped with the brands logos to keep you cool on those summer days and you will also receive a dual branded community tote bag.
Back at the end of 2019 and the start of 2021 I got to lead the creative for the launching premium capsule collection from Reebok, Reebok Reserve. This is an exclusive collection of faithful reproductions from the archive and modern twists on Classic silhouettes.
Aimed at the sneaker aficionado who truly appreciates the stories and minute details in a shoe. Whether its digging out the original 1983 sole mould from the Italian factory or adding fleece and washing instructions to create a truly cosy winter Workout!
Currently working on the latest Reserve Campaign, and I can't wait to share what has Reebok has Reserved for 2022.
THE YEAR IS 1991.
THE DUNK CONTEST TITLE IS STILL ANYONE’S GAME.
DEE BROWN STEPS ONTO THE COURT.
HE SIZES UP THE RIM, BALL IN HAND, WITH ATTENTION FROM FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
HE SETS THE BALL ON THE FLOOR. WITH TWO HANDS HE PRIMES THE PUMPS ON HIS PUMP OMNI ZONE II SNEAKERS, REVOLUTIONARILY LOCKING IN A CUSTOM FIT FOR TAKEOFF.
EACH TIME HE APPROACHES THE NET, HE—AND THE UNPRECEDENTED PUMP TECHNOLOGY— BECOME EVEN MORE OF A PHENOMENON.
ON THE SEVENTH TRY, HE LAUNCHES INTO THE AIR, EYES COVERED BY HIS FOREARM.
BROWN CASUALLY JAMS THE BALL THROUGH THE BASKET, NAILING THE ICONIC NO-LOOK DUNK.
AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 9: Dee Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics goes up for slam dunk during the Slam Dunk Contest in the 1991 NBA All-Star Week on February 9, 1991 at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
🏀 🏀 🏀
Last month Reebok reached out to us to help celebrate the launch of Pump Omni Zone II, 30 years on from this iconic moment. They asked us to create a digital look book using WNBA player Lexie Brown (Dee Brown’s daughter) that could support PR and tell the younger digital consumer the history around Dee Brown’s iconic no-look dunk (without actually being allowed to tell the story due to legal reasons SHOCK).
The challenges of lockdown have led to creatives experimenting with virtual photography, with #facetimeshoots becoming a huge trend among celebs and brands. To create our “No Look Book”, we thought we’d give this new trend a go ourselves.
We opted for a more candid approach making sure the models never look down the camera lens. Through collaborating with a Leeds based photographer who has mastered the art of the #homeshoot, we were able to shoot Lexie living in Florida and model Gabe residing in Phoenix using their iPhones - all from the comfort of our own home!
This allowed us to be extremely flexible working around Lexie’s strict training schedule whilst also battling with shipping delays, apparel going missing, weather conditions and last-minute shoot location changes.
Check out the The No Look Book
The client was absolutely buzzing with the quality that we were able to produce using an iPhone and our flexibility throughout the campaign, sharing the feedback below:
“This is absolutely perfect, we love the execution here and thank you everyone for your work on this.”
The Pump Omni Zone II release sold out in hours.
Leveraging the graphic language of old Kung-Fu movie posters, graphic novels and the humour of the film franchise, creating the key visuals for the Reebok and KFP collab was a fun project work on.
Starting with a teaser social story campaign based around Chinese New Year before leading into the graphic poster inspired key campaign.
The streams have crossed! Proud to see this work drop - a great project to be a part of.
Back in January whilst I was working in NYC, we were asked to pitch for an upcoming collaboration between Hollywood actress Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, etc.) and adidas. Leading the creative and working alongside Strategy Director (Jonathan Gogel) and Account Director (Jason Newman) we turned the winning pitch round in less than two and a half days.
Just as we were progressing nicely with the project, COVID arrived on the scene and put a stop to the project and the upcoming shoot. Now, nine months later and the work is starting to go live. The project resumed in June (after the initial planned go live date of the Spring) and we conducted the photo shoot in LA remotely via Zoom, with only the production team on site.
"Zoe Saldana is bringing together sportswear giant Adidas and department store Kohl's for an activewear collection meant to “highlight, support, and celebrate women of color,” according to the actor and activist. “As a woman of today, a mother, and an entrepreneur, it’s become incredibly important for me to connect with other women by sharing our stories as we navigate through life trying to be the best versions of ourselves.”
Read more about the project here
Good to see some work created during lockdown hit the stores and streets of the UK and beyond. Retail windows, OOH and hero activation for JD's brand new Paris flagship store shown.
I believe this went into over 220 doors in total.
Better shots & case study to follow...
Gap, being arguably one of the most iconic brands across the US & Europe, presented a fantastic opportunity to work on refreshing the brands retail identity, in what is an increasingly competitive market with the emergence of many new/contemporary vertical retailers fighting for their share of the previously Gap dominated arena.
The first task was to develop a Global retail toolkit for their 50th anniversary 1969 collection which meant going through a rigorous sign off process including presenting to Gap's CEO & CMO in their head office.
Three months after final delivery of the toolkit, the UK & Asia have rolled out the IMA creative across key stores (Oxford Street pictured) as well as a London pop-up celebrating fifty years of Gap denim.
Taking inspiration from the woven intricacies of the weave of denim, the pattern featured in the lead creative was developed alongside a new branding identity for the 1969 collection in a bid to appeal to a younger (Gen Z), fashion focused audience whilst still being recognisable to the core Gap consumer. We also worked on the positioning of the in-store experience and developed fixtures to showcase the range.
The pop-up store in Soho London, was targeted at attracting a new higher end consumer with the objective of educating this consumer on the brands rich heritage, building credibility & offering an experience which included an in-store customisation area, all of which was linked to the wider social campaign #GapDenimFutures- both key areas of our toolkit and strategy.
A huge thank you to everyone at Intermarketing who worked on this campaign alongside the team in Manchester, across no less than four offices around the world including Amsterdam, Leeds and NYC.
-
See below images of the Oxford Street store and read the featured article on the London pop-up here, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for updates on the other projects worked on globally.
A series of rave inspired posters for the rave inspired Ozweego shoe.
The latest project Reebok project I've been fortunate enough to be involved in, with the good people at Tangent has now started to be released on the global Reebok Classic channels.
Cheers to the good people over at Working Not Working for giving my profile their seal of approval and for the little shout out in their latest email.
If you want to check out my profile head over to: https://workingnotworking.com/42190-ben
Over six months hard work went into the creation of these three global campaigns for Reebok, working with the good guys at Tangent and work I'm really proud of.
Full case studies can be found on the below links:
- Trainer re-issue and intro campaign for the Reebok Classic 3D OP.98.
- Hero campaign and film for the 2018 interpretation, the Reebok Classic 3D OP.LITE.
- The high-end Ian Paley capsule collection, the Reebok Classic 3D OP.IP.