Reebok launches Life is Not a Spectator Sport campaign

Ponahalo Mojapelo - Model, DJ, stylist, and writer

The campaign is a partnership with five movement makers who embody what it means to live life off the sidelines. It also leverages the power of digital storytelling to highlight the potential that emerges when people are driven by their ambition to live life on their own terms. The campaign is reminiscent of its 1984 classic campaign, under the tagline “Because Life is Not a Spectator Sport”.

Nearly 40 years later the message is the same, but the world has changed. The new iteration of the campaign celebrates the ‘Classic Leather’ shoe and the pioneers that have made it iconic.

Movement makers

The five movement makers’will work with the brand to create content that tells their story of living ‘off the bench’ in the hope of inspiring their audiences to share their experiences too.

These creators are:

• Musa Keys – Amapiano artist
  
• Sne Mbatha – Professional dancer and choreographer
  
• Melissa – Commercial pilot and content creator
  
• Ponahalo Mojapelo - Model, DJ, stylist, and writer
  
• Joshua Rubin – Podcaster and documentary photographer

Each movement maker brings a different element of South African culture to the fore. Whether it’s inspiring young South African women to take to the skies, encouraging the youth to channel their talent, or documenting the power and pitfalls of living in South Africa, the intention is to hold up a mirror to the everyday Reebok Movement Maker so that they too feel empowered to excel.

“In coming together to share our stories, we can inspire others,” says Keys. For Mojapelo, who has been featured in Thebe Magugu campaigns, in Vogue and is a regular feature of the local creative community, the excitement is palpable.

“I’m excited by the calibre of people involved in this campaign and to have a seat at the same table as them. “My focus has always been on inspiring young girls and women to be bold, daring, and proudly different. I’m ecstatic to be a part of a campaign that reverberates that message even further," says Mojapelo.

Reebok South Africa’s brand and omnichannel manager, Steffi Jones, says: “We want to create real emotive connections with our communities. Partnering with world-class, local talent allows us to tell their stories, connect with our communities and enable the possibility of greatness by ‘getting off the sidelines’.”

Melissa - Commercial pilot and content creator

Online digital storytelling

For the South African execution of the campaign, Reebok and Augment Agency have connected with Hashtag Our Stories, an online digital storytelling platform founded by ‘selfie journalism’ legend Yusuf Omar, to encapsulate easy, accessible storytelling which encourages content from everyday people. The partnership is a crucial part of the campaign.

“Off the back of two tough years for most, aspirational content has never been more important,” says Aaron Zipper, director at Augment Agency.

“Having said that, this is more than just about inspiring people to think positively, it's about equipping them to take action. If these last few years have taught us anything, it really is that anything is possible if you are willing to go for it,” says Zipper.

Online creator summit

Through the five movement makers and an online creator summit, Reebok South Africa will share user-generated-content (UGC) of real-life South African stories that embody and reflect the ‘Life is…’ attitude and mantra.

The Reebok Creator Summit on 30 March is open to all South Africans for free, and will be hosted in a branded metaverse environment.It will teach attendees how to tell their story, how to optimise their creative process, and capture quality content using their cell phone. There will also be an opportunity to engage the movement makers about their stories and their work.

Further to this, a R25,000 booster pack (including R15,000 in financial support) will be up for grabs for attendees, encouraging them to get off the sidelines, put their newly acquired skills to use and submit their own stories for review after the workshop.