Reebok banking on Yao ad campaign

BEIJING, July 13 (UPI) -- Reebok is trying to sell more shoes in China with the help of an NBA star from the Asian nation, the company says.

The athletic shoemaker has begun an advertising campaign using Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center for the Houston Rockets and player on the Chinese Olympic basketball team, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

Already footwear companies Nike, Adidas, New Balance and others have long advertised in China, while Reebok was busy trying to woo buyers in Europe and North America.

Last month, Reebok erected a 40-foot-tall statue of Yao Ming next to one of its massive billboards overlooking Beijing's busiest shopping district.

On Tuesday, at some of its 800 stores in China, Reebok will unveil a limited-edition Yao Ming sneaker as part of the company's largest-ever advertising campaign.

"With a huge global event like the Olympics, and with Yao as such a huge figure for the country, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as we make our charge into China," said Todd Krinsky, Reebok's vice president of sports and entertainment marketing.

Reebok is dedicating about 14 percent of its revenue to marketing in China, which is slightly above the 10 percent industry average.