Blog Entry #2

Not Just Sneakers?

My initial reaction to this ad was that it appeals to a very small market of "runners". Not only does this ad attract only runners but it also puts down and criticizes people who jog. On the other hand the ad did pull me in with the heading, because it did not really have anything to do with the actual product.
I am not a runner per se, this ad made me feel a little bad about it. At the same time it kind of made me want to start running, but i was also felt like I was on the outside and didn't really understand the feelings and sensations they were talking about.
This ad promotes running, by saying that it is our given instinct to run and that we are meant to run. It goes as fr as to even say that we were born to run, and if we had not run we would not be here. It talks about all the good aspects of running, like how you can be one with the environment, and how when you are at the peak of your running your senses are heightened. This ad also tries to put people away from jogging, calling it a synonym for half-assed. It is odd because the majority of people would fall into their "joggers" category, so as an ad it is affending more people then it is promoting. It would make sense that it would be in a runners magazine , because it would not do very well in an ordinary magazine.
Pearl Izumi definitely alienates joggers from runners. This ad makes jogging look like a joke compared to running. The marketing advantage of dividing joggers from runners is that it makes the runners feel superior and therefore thinking that they need these sneakers so they can maximize their running experience. This division also has faults because if people are runners, they may think that they are not good enough for these sneakers, almost as if they are too intense, which may discourage them from buying them.
I think that this ad was really good at doing what it wanted to do. It showed a picture of the sneakers, but they weren't white and new, they had dirt all over then so that one could tell that they were really used and that all of their features were taken advantage of. I don't know if this ad was the best marketing strategy, but they really went all out for the angle that they decided to go with.
If I were to only choose one ad to run in a magazine I would run the Reebok ad. It appeals to the majority of people by telling them to run at their own pace, and it is alright to jog. It almost says that as long as you are doing something it is acceptable, and that you don't need to be an extreme runner.