Reebok gives Glue London pan-European football brief

Reebok has appointed Glue London to handle its pan-European football brief for next year. It is not clear if the agency pitched for the business.

The agency already handles the digital marketing business for Adidas, which owns the Reebok brand.

Reebok does not have a retained UK agency for its £12m above-the-line advertising account. Mcgarrybowen, the New York agency, handles its brand strategy business.

Earlier this year, Reebok chief marketing officer Uli Becker was promoted to president and chief executive of the brand. He has announced plans to streamline the brand’s marketing strategy in an attempt to target the sports lifestyle market.

Previously, Reebok appointed Leagas Delaney to relaunch its football business across Europe in 2004 (MW September 23, 2004).

Reebok is the kit sponsor of Bolton Wanderers FC and also headline sponsor of its stadium. It has used Manchester United star Ryan Giggs and Barcelona FC striker Thierry Henry in advertising campaigns over recent years.

The brand also has partnerships outside of football with such stars as Lewis Hamilton, Indian cricketers MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid, women’s tennis star Jelena Jankovic and Swedish athlete Carolina Klüft.

In August 2005, German sports goods company Adidas-Salomon agreed to buy US rival Reebok for £2.1bn. Since then, the group has announced plans to consolidate the distribution for both the brands by mid-2009.