Reebok gets back into the race

Reebok, which launched its brand riding the aerobics craze, now wants you running with it.

Over the past few years, the Canton sneaker maker has reinvigorated its running division, rolling out a new line of high-tech sneakers and signing on more athletes as endorsers. The company, which has amassed 15 awards globally from trade publications since 2003, is unveiling next week its most ambitious marketing campaign yet to win over runners.

After years of trying to build its lifestyle and entertainment reputation, Reebok wants its running credibility back. More than that, the company wants to improve its struggling overall brand, which saw US sales drop last year. Running is its biggest category, followed by basketball and tennis.

Running is lucrative because it is the biggest segment of the athletic footwear market, with US sales jumping 5 percent to $4.9 billion between 2004 and 2006 and average prices increasing 9.5 percent to $40.47 over the same period, according to market research firm NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y. But the growing popularity of the sport has attracted more rival sneaker brands, forcing companies to battle to keep their market share.

"It's very congested now. We have to come up with something unique and compelling that will attract people to the brand," said Mark Bossardet, Reebok's head of global running.

Reebok, which German sportswear firm Adidas Group bought last year for $3.8 billion, is attempting to carve a niche by focusing on comfort and fit that appeals to the general running population, not just hard-core marathoners. While other firms focus on the blood, sweat, and tears of running, Reebok's global "Run Easy" campaign will celebrate the sport's camaraderie and joy, Uli Becker , Reebok's chief marketing officer, said earlier this year.

The company's newest running technology, Kinetic Fit System, focuses on the fit of the entire shoe, rather than just the ride -- where competitors have paid most attention designing shocks and gels. Reebok's engineers have strategically placed synthetic panels of the upper shoe where the foot flexes so that the bottom and upper move in harmony.

Over the past few years, Reebok has enlisted young athletes to endorse its running line -- from Aries Merritt , a seven-time NCAA All-American men's champion, to Monique Henderson, a former Olympian who ranked third last year in the nation in 400 meters.

The Trinity KFS, launched last fall, received a coveted award from the magazine Runner's World USA, and sales of the $115 sneakers have been strong, Reebok said but declined to provide more details. Its newest sneakers using the technology, Premier Ultra KFS, also sell for about $115 and will debut next month during the Boston Marathon Expo at the Hynes Convention Center.

"I was really skeptical at first," said Warren Greene , brand editor at Runner's World who picked the Trinity KFS as an Editor's Choice award last fall. "But when I put the shoe on I was totally blown away by it. We heard from our runners who tried them out that Trinity KFS fit great and was as comfortable a shoe as they ever ran in."

Reebok's attention to running comes as other rivals fine tune their focus. New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. recently launched NBx, an entire division dedicated to the elite running industry. New Balance chief executive Jim Davis said the Boston firm used to dominate the shelves of specialty running stores, but it grew too quickly and took its eye off the market. Now, the company is trying to step up its game.

"The running category is also where you see innovative technology launches and higher average price points, so it is a very competitive area where brands look to make a strategic impact," Davis said.

Executives from Nike Inc., which dominates the running category, declined to comment.

Bob McGee , editor of industry newsletter Sporting Goods Intelligence, said Reebok's approach to go after the casual runner will enable it to capture a bigger market beyond serious marathoners.

"This softer approach might play better with younger demographics of females," said McGee.

"It's many of the people that wore the aerobics shoes -- they're trying to reach that same demographic."

Reebok's Bossardet said he doesn't expect to win over the running public overnight.

"It's an evolution, not a revolution. It takes years to establish yourself as a credible running brand," he said. "But at least we're in the race."

Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.