NEW YORK — Reebok has spent the last few years signing deals with male musicians such as Jay-Z and 50 Cent, and now the company has tapped a female artist, Miri Ben-Ari.
Ben-Ari, a 26-year-old Israeli hip-hop violinist, will be featured in Reebok’s latest marketing campaign, and there is also discussion of a signature footwear and apparel collection, although nothing specific has been developed, said Wendy Kula, Reebok’s director of lifestyle and entertainment marketing.
“We have been looking for a female artist who fits with our brand and our message, and we found that with Ben-Ari,” Kula said. “She has an individual sound in that she fuses classical and hip-hop music, and she also has a great sense of style.”
In a first for the company, Reebok’s entertainment division also helped develop the video for her song “We Gonna Win.” As part of that process, Reebok worked with her label on the process of creating the album, helped choose the video’s director and also provided customized Rbk apparel for the video. The album, called “The Hip Hop Violinist” hits stores on Sept. 20.
Reebok, which was just purchased by Adidas, recently signed a deal with Nelly for a collection of apparel and footwear. Although its collaboration with producer Pharrell Williams ended in a lawsuit, Kula said the company was not deterred and is seeking to add more female musicians to its roster.
“This is a learning process for us,” Kula said. “We have done a lot on the male side, but we want to do more on the female side.”