What it had to solve
Reebok was launching the Zig Kinetica, a silhouette that channels and returns energy with every stride, as the next phase of its 'Sport the Unexpected' platform celebrating bold risk takers. The launch needed a story as unpredictable as its star, who was returning to the UFC.
The idea
A mundane clean-up of his son's bedroom morphs Conor McGregor into a toy action figure that must harness the Zig Kinetica's energy-return power to fight off rogue toys.
How it works
Deutsch NY partnered with puppet master Andy Gent — known for Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr Fox — to build a physical action figure of McGregor, directed by Sacred Egg through Riff Raff Films with compositing, design and colour from Squad 47 Films, Brand New School and The Mill. The animated film anchored a global drop priced at $120 on Reebok.com, announced 14 January 2020 after a 2019 testing programme that collaborated with big fashion names.
What it did
The film became the launch vehicle for the 21 February 2020 global drop of the $120 Zig Kinetica; no launch results were disclosed in the source.
Background
On 14 January 2020 Reebok announced the launch of Zig Kinetica, a new silhouette that 'channels and returns energy with every stride', with a global drop set for 21 February 2020 at $120. The shoe would debut with an animated film starring Conor McGregor, in which a mundane clean-up of his son's bedroom takes an unexpected turn: the shoe's transformative power morphs the fighter into an action figure that must harness Zig Kinetica's energy to fight off rogue toys.
The craft was deliberately handmade. Deutsch NY worked with puppet master Andy Gent, of Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr Fox fame, to create the physical action figure of McGregor; the film was directed by Sacred Egg through Riff Raff Films, with The Mill London on colour and Brand New School on design. Chief creative officer Dan Kelleher called McGregor and the Zig 'a creatively combustible pairing' — a celebrity known for never knowing what he'll do, attached to what Reebok hoped was its most culture-bending product.
The launch marked the next phase of Reebok's 'Sport the Unexpected' campaign, celebrating bold risk takers who reshape culture by being anything but expected. Matt Blonder, Reebok's VP of marketing and digital brand commerce, called the launch a watershed moment for the brand, timed to McGregor's return to the UFC and preceded by a 2019 testing programme that saw the Zig silhouette collaborate with major fashion names. ZigTech itself dated back to 2010's ZigPulse, giving the launch a decade of technology story to draw on.
Why it lands
The idea converts a product spec — energy return — into a literal plot device: the toy McGregor must scavenge the shoe's power to win his fight.
Building the figure as a real puppet gives the spot a handmade, collectible texture pure CG lacks — matching a shoe positioned where sport meets style.
It demonstrates how a heritage technology story (ZigTech since 2010) gets relit for a new silhouette through spectacle rather than explanation.
What you can take
A celebrity famous for unpredictability pairs best with an unpredictable execution: morphing him into a hand-made puppet says 'unexpected' louder than filming him straight.
Since then
The source records only the announcement and the planned 21 February 2020 global drop; no post-launch results are mentioned.
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