• Ad Age, Tuesday, March 7, 2006 12 PM

Athletic wear marketer Reebok has signed red-hot music star Daddy Yankee as a celebrity endorser to launch a new signature shoe and apparel line that will be backed by a new ad campaign from an agency founded by one of the company's top marketing executives. Daddy Yankee is Raymond Ayala, a 29-year-old native of Puerto Rico who has emerged as a major star in reggaeton, a music style that pulls influences from hip-hop, reggae, merengue and salsa. He is believed to have wide crossover appeal, so the new shoe and clothing line will not be designed to appeal only to Hispanics. "It's all-encompassing," said Que Gaskins, Reebok's vice president-global marketing for lifestyle and entertainment for the RBK brand. "It's more a reflection of Daddy Yankee's music instead of us trying to pigeonhole him." Gaskins founded The Additive, a Philadelphia and Los Angeles-based company that will handle the new line's ad campaign. Reebok has enjoyed great success in marrying music stars with its apparel and shoes, with signature shoe lines from rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent.

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