The Tapout brand is going hard-core in the fitness space.
Authentic Brands Group has entered into a joint venture agreement with the WWE for its Tapout brand, giving the brand some entertainment muscle to boot.
The venture is part of ABG’s repositioning of the brand, which it acquired in September 2010. Under the terms of the venture, Tapout is now the official fitness and training partner of WWE, and will be integrated across the entertainment firm’s global platforms. Those platforms include TV programming, WWE Network, pay-per-view broadcasts, live events, digital and social media and its online shopping site.
Originally a mixed-martial arts brand established in 1997, Jamie Salter, chairman and chief executive officer of ABG, explained that the new positioning transforms Tapout into a “family fitness lifestyle brand,” reflecting the change in consumer trends as well as the shift toward a healthier lifestyle and the growing ath-leisure trend.
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As part of the partnership, ABG will work with its bench of licensees to develop the brand in existing and future product categories, while WWE will aim to get the brand in front of its fan base. On the agenda will be new content featuring WWE “Superstars and Divas” in Tapout apparel, focusing on hard-body fitness regimens. Tapout in turn will be the lead sponsor of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., where performers, trainers and staff will be outfitted in Tapout performance gear.
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According to Salter, the redesigned Tapout product lines — initially men’s and women’s performance apparel and accessories — will be available at retail in spring 2016 targeting the affordable-entry price point that’s “one level below” its higher-priced competitors. New product categories for the brand will include sport/performance eyewear, performance socks, headwear, bags and accessories. Other rollouts starting this year featuring new Tapout branding and packaging will start with beverages, supplements and fitness centers.
Salter said, “This is our first major deal with a brand that is not in entertainment, but effectively is now in entertainment and the content business.”
According to Casey Collins, WWE’s executive vice president for consumer products, “We have more than 14 million viewers domestically on a weekly basis, a diverse audience that includes 460 million social media followers, 320 live events a year, 12 pay-per-view events a year and 6.5 hours of live programming each week.”
Audience strength is significant among kids, young adults and teenagers, with all broadcast programming rated TV-PG. About 38 percent of the followers are female and the balance at 62 percent male. The WWE network is available in more than 170 countries.