• Ad Age, Wednesday, November 16, 2005 1:30 PM

Reebok has discovered the value of online marketing. Following last year's successful tie-in with a Mexican soccer team, Chivas, the shoe marketer is now launching a Web site--its first ever targeted to the young Hispanic market. The deal with Chivas was Mexico-based and backed by an ad campaign there. It focused on a product line that included soccer jerseys. But Reebok soon saw the jerseys gaining popularity among young Latinos in the U.S. When that happened, "We said, 'Let's bring the products to the U.S. and do a campaign,'" said Jorge Dionne, Reebok's marketing director for Latin America. Now the marketer is introducing Barrio RBK, its first Web site for young Latinos (www.barriorbk.com). The site is in Spanglish with a heavy emphasis on music. It also features Latino celebrities such as Chivas goalie Oswaldo Sanchez and actor John Leguizamo. "We'll keep looking for people who resonate with Hispanic consumers," Dionne said. He added that henceforth all ads relevant to the Latino market will be tagged with the Web site address.

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