So, Did His Publisher's Sweepscape Sell Reebok?
Here's what happened.
In the last installment of Do You You Know This Man?, you were left with an old fashioned cliffhanger: Did he or didn’t he sell Reebok? Did he offend and lose existing customers by promoting Reebok? Did he lose all his advertisers? Did he go out of business as a result?
We know. The suspense has been too much. How do we know? Several of you told us.
One reader on pins and needles wrote, “What the #%?€?????? You can’t leave me hanging like this???? Trying to Google what happened but nothing’s coming up……..”
“Oooooh, a cliff hanger!!!!” chimed another.
Not all of you were pleased.
One of you wrote, “What about this stay tuned business. Stay tuned? Really. Stay tuned? Is that any way to treat loyal readers. Stay tuned? What if several of us couldn't sleep worrying about whether Ms. Cohen really did sign up? By Tuesday morning, sleep deprived, we get into a terrible traffic accident and end up in a hospital room paralyzed from the shins down. How would you feel then, This Man?”
Not great.
So, let’s get to it. Here’s what happened.
The publication of that Feb-March 1986 issue with the Publisher’s Sweepscape letter was fortuitously timed with another national sporting goods show.
When the trade show floor opened that Thursday morning, he crashed into Reebok’s owner and CEO Paul Fireman.
He and Fireman had history. Back in 1980, when he launched Sportscape, Reebok, a British footwear company, was a mere pimple on the sporting goods scene. Fireman held the U.S. distribution rights.
In those days, Fireman headquartered in a strip mall on Boston’s South Shore. One lazy afternoon he called on Fireman. For several hours, the two of them, both under the delusion they were working their asses off, shot the shit.
They could expend this time because neither had customers knocking down their doors. Yes, among other topics, they did discuss Reebok buying advertising in Sportscape. They both knew Fireman wasn’t going to buy. Fireman’s budget was miniscule. An ad in Sportscape wasn’t going to move the needle.
Nevertheless, Fireman proffered the idea that he be given a 50% discount. Why? He was the little guy. He told Fireman size doesn’t matter; everyone pays the same.
That was Paul Fireman in 1980. How things had changed by 1986. In 1981, Fireman bought out the Brits and had the foresight and brilliance to foresee the aerobics revolution and the insatiable need by women for a soft leather pink high topped shoe.
What took Nike’s Phil Knight 20 years to accomplish — a billion dollars in sales — Fireman did in 5 years.
A billion dollars can take you a long way but only get you so far. When Fireman applied for membership at The County Club in Brookline, Ma., the oldest and, perhaps, most prestigious country club in the United States, he was rejected. The obvious but unstated reason was because he was Jewish.
Sure they had a few Jewish members. They just didn’t want too many. Fireman got the last laugh. He built a 10,000 square foot home overlooking the 15th green at The Country Club.
He also built his own private golf course on Cape Cod.
Avid readers of Do You Know This Man? may have caught that this is the second time anti-semitism has reared its’ ugly head. If you missed it, and are interested, check out, The Gangs All Here.
Anyway, back to that sporting goods show in ‘86.
He ran into Fireman and showed him his Publisher’s Sweepscape column. Fireman read the piece carefully, and with a broad smile pronounced, “I love the energy. I hope you sell her.” A direct reference to Reebok’s ad director Sharon Cohen.
Sharon Cohen did not share Fireman’s admiration for his pluckiness. She was peeved. She accused him of blindsiding her and said she should have been given a heads up.
He believed blindsiding was too strong. “Caught unawares” was the better fit.
Things went from bad to worse when he was literally blindsided by John Fisher, the CEO of Hyde Athletics, the makers of the high-performance Saucony running shoes. Fisher, a loyal Sportscape advertiser, thwacked him on the back with a rolled-up Feb-March issue of Sportscape.
'“What the hell are you doing promoting Reebok?”
Ouch! Fisher didn’t hang around for an answer.
That night he had dinner with his friend Jake Steinman. Jakes’s magazine, City Sports, a participant sports publication for Californians, had been the inspiration for Sportscape. Jake was bemused by the Sharon Cohen and John Fisher stories.
“How fucked am I?” he asked Jake.
Jake laughed and said, “Well, I’d say you’re pretty fucked.”
Time, of course, would tell.
Sportscape readers did respond to his Publisher’s Sweepscape column. More than 300 entries in all. Probably a fifty-fifty split between forms filled out and essays.
What came through was a love for Sportscape Magazine and a fervency for selling Reebok on advertising in Sportscape.
Once collected, the entries were mailed to Sharon Cohen in a gift-wrapped box with a red and blue bow — Reebok’s logo colors.
A note was included with an apology for “blindsiding” her and a hope she would appreciate the reader enthusiasm for the contest.
Then he waited. One week. Two weeks. Three weeks. Still no word.
As for John Fisher, thankfully, he never said another word and kept running his ads.
Five and 1/2 weeks after the package was sent, a Reebok product manager called and said she wanted to discuss advertising in Sportscape.
Reebok’s first ad of many appeared in Sportscape’s September issue.
The original game plan was for Sharon Cohen to select the winner. Since Sharon had gone radio silent, the winner of the contest was selected by the Sportscape team.
They picked a good one.
Dear Sharon,
I have been running since 1969 and I usually buy three pairs of shoes a year. I have never bought a pair of Reeboks. Are they any good?
Please respond.
You can reach me through Sportscape.
Jake Steinman once said, “Just because something is interesting to you doesn’t mean it’s interesting to someone else.”
Hope this saga is the exception that proves the rule.
Thanks for reading.
If you’re up for it, here are some additional Sweepscape entries.
Dear Sharon,
Reebok not advertising in Sportscape is like winking in the dark: you know you’re doing it, but no one else does.
Dear Sharon
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because:
Saucony: “Shoes for the Great American Athlete”
Brooks: “Put your best foot forward.”
Reebok: (If you had an ad in Sportscape, we would know your motto)
Dear Sharon,
I’ve been reading Sportscape for several years. In fact my biggest kick each month is getting the best update possible. One reason I like Sportscape is because my favorite sport is tennis. If Reebok wants to sell sell shoes to the 70,000 plus readers, then you’re completely out of your mind not to advertise in our magazine.
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because it’s where it belongs. We’re talking about the “New England Sports Journal” here, Sharon. All too often companies who expand as quickly and successfully as Reebok forget where their roots lie. You have New England roots and like it or not, it is the base from which you jump forth. Abandon your shoes and your arches will fall.
Dear Ms. Cohen,
My father works for Sportscape, and if you don’t advertise he’ll lose his job. Then we would be another family out in the cold.
Sincerely, Michael Onigman
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because I live in Oregon and I wouldn’t miss an issue. Having grown up in the Boston area and relocating to Oregon three years ago, I read Sportscape regularly for two reasons:
It helps cure homesickness! Reading about the people and events in the New England sports scene keeps me in touch with the area where I competed as a gymnast, learned to play tennis, ran in the fall and spring, played field hockey, learned to ice skate, smashed up several tobaggans and, with my dad’s encouragement, began to appreciate the benefits of sports for a lifetime.
The articles are well-written, the topics intriguing and almost always beneficial, and the information is very worthwhile… all the way out in Oregon! And friends who have never been to Boston also think it’s a great publication. The ads are an important part of learning about what’s new in sport and fitness. Obviously, Reebok’s ads in Sportscape will not only reach dedicated readers in New England but those of us who enjoy it elsewhere in the country. Todd Logan probably didn’t expect a fan letter from so far afield but Sportscape is worth the plug.
For the above mentioned reason, Reebok would be in very good company in Sportscape.
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because without maintaining a high profile as THE workout shoe, the public will become confused, dismayed and disappointed. So will your boss, Sharon. CALL SPORTSCAPE NOW!
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because of Sportscape’s terrific sense of humor and its readership’s savvy inclination to buy excellent products, like Reeboks!
Sportscape convinces!
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because they must be as aggressive, if not more than, their competition.
My other reason is a purely selfish one. I own 100 shares of Reebok and I’d like to see it do very well.
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because every runner in New England reads Sportscape. In fact every athlete in New England reads Sportscape. Do it now!
Dear Sharon:
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because… well maybe you shouldn’t. After all there are a lot of advertisements for athletic shoes — Saucony, Nike, Brooks and Converse.
And Sportscape is just another magazine, right?
Dear Sharon,
All my friends have Reeboks. My Dad won’t let me get them unless you advertise Reeboks in Sportscape. So please advertise them.
Julie Onigman
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because diehard athletes only trust
A) Other Athletes
B) Sportscape
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because… Sportscape is the Bible for local runners and aerobic enthusiasts.
Do it, Sharon.
It’s God’s will.
Dear Sharon,
Reebok should advertise in Sportscape because it is New England’s best sports magazine. Besides, they’ve already promoted Reebok by mentioning Reebok six times and your name 14 times — all on the front page of the best sports publication I’ve ever read. C’mon Sharon, when was the last time you received this much fan mail??
Waiting to see Reebok in Sportscape’s pages…
Do You Know This Man?: An Irreverent Memoir, is an ongoing exploration of the one character who eludes, confounds and mystifies. Me. Right now, it’s available for free, including being able to listen to some of my plays and dive into the best of Sportscape Magazine.
Current premium content available for free:
Listen to the original cast recordings of Persistence of Vision and Tops or Bottoms.
Watch a complete performance of Botanic Garden.
That’s the scoop!