Dive Brief:
- Puma is placing a bigger emphasis on sport performance across its portfolio for its first global brand campaign in a decade, according to a press release.
- “Forever. Faster. — See The Game Like We Do” represents the largest marketing investment to date from the legacy sportswear company. It is also the first time the brand has put a unified messaging platform behind its football, running, basketball and handball offerings.
- A long list of athlete ambassadors will amplify the campaign, which is running on TV, social media, public relations, out-of-home and point-of-sale channels throughout the year. Like rivals, Puma is eyeing upcoming sporting occasions, including the 2024 Summer Olympics, to forge a stronger connection with consumers.
Dive Insight:
Puma is seeking to streamline its messaging strategy and reinvigorate a positioning around sport performance with “Forever. Faster. — See The Game Like We Do,” the 75-year-old brand’s biggest campaign yet in terms of media investment. The effort uniting Puma’s sportswear offerings aims to capitalize on closely watched events coming down the pike, including the UEFA Euro championship and Summer Olympics in Paris, for which the brand has produced dedicated creative.
New commercials vibrantly capture the energy of top-tier athletes in action and the fans who are enraptured by their skill when spectating either in the stadium or on TV. Ambassadors such as pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, sprinter Karsten Warholm, soccer player Neymar Jr and basketball star Breanna Stewart help drive home the themes, with an emphasis on speed.
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“Everyone dreams of having a superpower and speed is Puma’s,” said Arne Freundt, CEO of Puma, in a statement. “Through our ability to bring speed to life, Puma invites all people to break through their own limits, unlock their personal best and become a better version of themselves, allowing them to see the game like we do: Forever. Faster.”
A representative for the brand declined to share specific media investment figures behind the campaign, which appears across a wide range of channels, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. New York-based agency Matte Projects spearheaded “Forever. Faster. — See The Game Like We Do.”
Puma’s last global advertising campaign also bore the “Forever Faster” moniker and starred icons like Usain Bolt, who at the time was the world’s fastest man. The sports world has shifted significantly in the past decade amid the continued ascendance of streaming and social media, with niche and women’s sports finding newfound popularity in a potential boon for apparel marketers.
Puma in June shook up its marketing organization, moving its base of operations from Boston to Germany, where it is headquartered. The transition saw the departure of global brand chief Adam Petrick. The brand has contended with flagging profits and kicked off the year by offering guidance that landed under analyst expectations.
Such struggles have become common in the sportswear industry, which is facing pressures related to inflation, changing international consumer tastes and global strife. Competitors are also eyeing more impactful marketing as a way to right their ships. Nike, which recently appointed a new CMO, has committed to producing more distinctive brand marketing and said it will debut one of its boldest ad campaigns in several years for the Olympics.
