Brand Communication Analysis

Trent Kahute
Communication Planning : ID520B : Fall 2006
Instructor: Peter Laundy
IIT Institute of Design

Contents

Brand
Brand origins.................................................................................. 3
Brand meaning as it has changed over the years............. 5
Current brand differentiation................................................... 7
Current brand portfolio.............................................................. 9
Brand identity
Brand names................................................................................... 12
Brand name visual treatment................................................... 12
Brand communications identity elements.......................... 15
Brand communications
Communication assets................................................................ 17
Key brand communication decisions.................................... 20
Detailed analysis of a communication.................................. 22

Brand Origins
A Family Business
The roots of the Puma brand stretch back to the mid 1920s when
Adi and Rudolph Dassler spent years working together
building lightweight athletic shoes registered under their family
shoe enterprise Gebrder Dassler, in Herzogenaurach Germany.
Beginning with the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Adis uniquely
designed shoes began to gain a worldwide reputation. Jesse
Owens was wearing a pair of Dasslers track shoes when he won
gold for the USA at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Feuding Brothers
After World War II, during which Rudi Dassler had spent time in a
POW camp, the Dassler brothers began a legendary feud, causing
Rudolph to leave the company and found a rival company across
town. Originally thinking of calling his brand RUDA, Rudi Dassler
named his company Puma Aktiengesellscaft Rudolf Sport (Puma)
while brother Adi incorporated as Adidas. This family rift would
lead to cutthroat business feuds and sporting triumphs forging
two mighty sporting brands recognized all over the world.

Adi Dassler
Founder of ADIDAS

Rudolf Dassler
Founder of PUMA

By 1925 the Dasslers were making leather shoes with nailed studs and
track shoes with hand-forged spikes.

Brand Origins

The leaping puma also symbolizes combination of speed, power,

and elegance often exhibited by professional athletes.

The Puma logo is a symbol of the fierce rivalry between the

two brothers. No longer working with his partner and brother,
the brand would come to symbolize the solitary and secretive
nature of Rudolfs new venture as it moved forward.

Brand meaning as it
has changed through
the years

Era 1 1948 - 1960

Era 2 1960- 1970

The best in football

Going for the gold

Reason for being

Outfitting the worlds best soccer players

Equipping the worlds best athletes

Value Proposition

Best in class performance

Enhances your performance in style

Differentiation

Innovative features (first removable stud)

Celebrity athlete endorsements

Clandestine advertising

Persona

Elite, exclusive, personal, masculine

Exuberant, elitist, colorful, energetic

Associations

German professional soccer team

Charismatic champions (Pele & Joe Namath)

Gold medal athletes (Jim Hines)

Range of authority

Soccer boots

Soccer boots, track shoes, football shoes

Audience

Professional soccer players, experts, trainers, coaches

World class athletes

Relationship

New player in the field

Trusted partner

Era 3 1970 - 1986

Era 4 1986 - 1997

Trying to keep pace

Era 5 1997 - Present

Targeting the sports lifestyle

Business survival

Mixing the influences of sports, lifestyle, and fashion

Play in style and comfort

High performance with personalized fit

Fits your active lifestyle

Comfort & style

Consistent brand message

Innovative footwear systems

(closure & cushioning)

Distinctive styles, branded experiences (concept stores &

events) Co-developed celebrity lines, co branding, partnerships with famous designers

Casual, laidback, cool, minimal,

Hi tech, advanced, not relevant

Classic, cheap, low quality, dated

Elegant, colorful, fresh, spontaneous, individual, urban,

metropolitan, international, edgy

Soccer players at all levels

Champion athletes (Martina Navratilova)

Professional soccer, tennis, track athletes

Diego Maradona, Boris Becker
Discount bins

Multiple sports lifestyle segments

(yoga, tennis, golf, racing, music, soccer, baseball, running)
CEO Jochen Zeitz implements 5 part strategy

Clothing, street footwear

Running shoes, kids shoes, apparel,

Cross trainers, gear

Performance / Casual footwear, apparel, gear, accessories

People who play sports

People around sports

Young athletes, soccer athletes, track

athletes,

Anyone who leads an active lifestyle

(businessmen, active travelers, or marathon runners)

Familiar friend

A old friend you lost touch with

Hip friend who shows you a good time

Beyond the playing field

Hip, cool, and leading the way

Current Brand Differentiation

PUMA
In recent years, the Puma brand has become synonymous with fashion, style, and
sport. Through fresh design, co-branding and partnerships with celebrities and
famous designers, Puma has elevated their brand image so that it now competes
with fashion brands as well as their traditional rivals in the sporting footwear
industry. The Puma brand communication strategy is flexible across multiple
categories, yet communicates innovation for an active lifestyle. Puma
communicates with each category in a unique manner, but the tone is
unmistakingly tied back to the overall brand through the overarching brand
personality and identity. To extend their brand Puma has created concept retail
stores that enable people to experience the brand in engaging and compelling
ways. Puma also engages customers through their Mongolian barbeque concept
that enables customers to design and build their own footwear from scratch.
Further differentiating the brand from traditional rivals, Puma frequently hosts
promotional events that are based around active lifestyle themes based on dining,
entertainment, fashion, and music.

Reason for Being

Mixing the influences of sports, lifestyle, and fashion

Value Proposition

Fits your active lifestyle

Reasons to
Believe

- Distinctive trend setting styles

- Branded retail experiences (concept stores)
- Co-developed celebrity lines (Turlington / Nuala)
- Co branding partnerships (Ferrari,
- Partnerships with famous designers (Starck, Wanders)
- Mass customization (mongolian bbq)
- Promotional events (beats & treats)

Persona

Elegant, colorful, fresh, spontaneous, individual,

metropolitan, international

Associations

Fashion brands (Gucci, Armani, Dolce Gabbana)

Fringe / extreme sports
Music artists & movie stars

Range of
Authority

Performance & casual footwear

Apparel & accessories

Audience

Anyone who leads an active lifestyle

Relationship

Hip friend who shows you a good time

ADIDAS
Adidass mission is to improve every athletes performance through innovation.
The overall Adidas brand communicates the companys goal of fusing sport
performance and style competing very closely with Nikes value proposition. To
compete with the value propositions of their traditional competitors, Adidas has
focused their brand communications in three different areas: sport performance,
sport heritage and sport style. Brand communications are tailored to the specific
market segments within each unit. Leveraging its cutting edge innovations in
footwear, Adidas spends the majority of its effort communicating to the sport
performance segment. In response to the sports lifestyle trend being led by
Puma, Adidas has recently co developed product lines with famous designers and
has focused on the timeless and classic nature of their brand.

NIKE
Nike has developed a brand that has global reach striving to bring inspiration and
innovation to every athlete in the world. Over the years Nike has partnered with
the worlds greatest athletes to build their brand recognition and reach,
masterfully demonstrating the power of image marketing. Nike communicates to
a wide variety of sporting and lifestyle segments while retaining its focus on high
performance athletes. Like Puma, Nike has extended their brand through concept
retail stores, event sponsorships, online customization services, and co branding
with design savvy companies. The Nike brand differentiates itself from Puma by
focusing on performance driven style, whereas Puma communicates lifestyle
driven style. The Nike brand goes head to head with the Adidas brand on the
sports performance front, fiercely competing to improve performance through
technological innovation.

Current Brand Differentiation

Improving every athletes performance through innovation

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete

in the world

Perform at the highest level

Just do it

- Footwear technology innovations

- Automatic customization (Adidas 1)
- Co developed celebrity lines (Stella McCartney)
- Classic styles, tradition and heritage
- Mass Customization (Adicolor)

- Footwear technology platforms (shox, air, airmax, zoom air)

- Cutting edge performance / lifestyle apparel
- Mass customization (NIKE ID)
- Full line of performance / lifestyle accessories
- Digital / Physical Expereriences (Co branding with IPOD)
- Social responsibility (Livestrong, United Nations programs)
- Branded retail experiences (Niketown)
- Event sponsorships (marathons, olympics)

Clear, orderly, practical, hi tech, classic, sophisticated, sincere

Athletic, influential, outgoing, fresh, aggressive,

hi tech, futuristic, retro cool

Elite Soccer players, soccer teams, NBA stars

Hip hop artists (Run DMC)
Mainstream sports

Athletes at the top of their respective sport

(Micheal Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong)
Unfair labor practices

High performance footwear

Performance & casual apparel

Footwear, apparel, equipment in multiple categories

Anyone who plays sports

All athletes - anyone with a body

Respected coach

Fellow athlete

Brand Portfolio Overview

Masterbrand - Sport Lifestyle

Classic
Lifestyle

Puma is doing exceedingly well in the world

of sport lifestyle where it is widely considered
a leading brand that enjoys a comfortable
old-school legitimacy. Within irony-rich, tech
savvy urban hipster circles, Puma is as much a
fashion statement as it is an athletic brand.

Masterbrand - Sport
Football*
Running*
Cricket*
Baseball*
Motorsports
Women (BMX)
Golf

The primary focus within the sport category

is on football where Puma has leveraged its
heritage in providing performance footwear
for world class soccer athletes. Puma also
claims a lifestyle niche and has branched off
into fringe sports such as motorsports and
BMX racing. But it is in the nonconformist
environment of extreme sports that Puma
has more street credibility than many of its
competitors such as heavy-hitting brands like
Nike, Reebok and Sketchers.

Sub-Brands
Womens Active
Urban Travel
Premium Luxury
Retro - Nostalgia

Through fresh design, co-branding and

partnerships with celebrities and famous
designers, Puma has elevated their brand
image so that it now competes with fashion
brands (Gucci, Dolce & Gabanna, DKNY,
Prada) as well as their traditional rivals in
the sporting footwear industry. Puma has
also attracted new customers, through their
designer sub brands which provide offerings
outside the scope of the core Puma brand.

Co-Brands
Urban Modern
Urban Street
Contemporary
Fashion

Partnering with famous international

fashion designers, architects, and artists has
catalyzed Pumas recent rise within the lifestyle fashion industry. Puma has leveraged
the brand name of the designer to help to
build an identity around the offering.

Brand Portfolio
Masterbrand - Sport Lifestyle

Masterbrand - Sport

Classic

Football

Suede, Roma, Brasil

Performance, Distinctive, Heritage

The classic category exploits

the sporting heritage appeal
of the Puma brand by offering
products that combine
timeless classics with the
latest style.
The lifestyle brand category
is made up of a wide variety
of footwear, apparel, and accessories that are trend
setting, urban, and ultra hip.

Lifestyle
Speed Cat & Numostro

The Puma sport brand category

targets both mainstream sports
(football golf, and baseball) as
well as extreme sports (BMX,
Motorsports). Puma is currently
using different brand identities to
differentiate their offerings and
the messaging from that of the
core brand.

To build associations with

other design savvy brands,
Puma has partnered with
Ferrari, F1 Racing, and Cooper
Mini to co-brand new and
existing products.

Golf

Lifestyle - Co Branding
+

Running

Casual, Fresh, Whimsical

Ferrari

Motorsports

Technical, Mechanical, Performance

Cooper Mini Motion

Women / BMX

Feminine, strength, dynamic

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Brand Portfolio
Sub-Brands

Brand Expansion / Adding New Dimensions

Nuala is the product of an organic partnership

reflecting Christy Turlingtons passion for the
ancient discipline of Yoga. The sub brand
represents PUMAs commitment to create a
superior mix of sport and lifestyle products. It
is an elegant yet concise fashion collection to
complement a womans busy work, travel and
exercise schedule.

The Mongolian Shoe BBQ, is a natural evolution of the customization trend. It extends
the brand by giving people the opportunity
to build their own shoes and ultimately have
more control over the finished product by
being truly involved in the creative process.

The Puma store shows the brand and what

Pumas all about. Located in prime locations
in metropolitan areas, the concept store is a
communication and marketing tool, as well as
a sales tool. Distinctive architectural design
leverages a striking uses of pumas familiar
jumping cat logo.

Fashion designer Neil Barrett has created a

a collection with global jetsetter in mind.
The collection conveys a modular concept
approach that accomodates the on-the-go
lifestyle of todays style conscious adventurers.

+
Platinum is a luxury shoe line that focuses
on craftsmenship and pulls influences from
Pumass sport heritage, and recently has drawn
inspiration from the prestige of timeless sports
like polo, yachting, and auto racing.

The Rudolf Dassler Collection recalls the

innocence and timelessness of sport through
its clean, simple, and provocative styling. The
collection is rooted in the heritage of soccer,
tennis, running, and boxing shoes of the late
1940s and 1950s.

Puma extends their brand by partnering with

Biomega to design a bike that addresses the
needs of the urban commuter. The Puma
Biomega Street Bike is the Scandinavian take
on US-style bad boy culture.

Co-Brands

The Mihara Yasuhiro limited edition collection

consists of apparel, shoes, and accessories for
both men and women that break through the
boundaries that have been set up through
the course of fashion history. He designs with
the intent of changing our perception and
stereotype. Not interested in churning out
mass produced high street numbers.

The Starck shoe collection is not based on

design, not on showing off, not on more and
more and more features, but on showing less
and less and less. It means more technology,
more intelligence, but less styling. This is the
secret of the Starck Puma Line.

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Brand Names
Brand Names

PUMA

nuala

96 HOURS

The Puma brand name stands for distinctiveness,

individualism, spontaneity, internationalism, and
sporting heritage. Distinctiveness and individuality allude to the brand focus on cutting
edge design and fashion trends while retaining a
non conformist attitude. Spontaneity caters to
the brand focus on the active lifestyle. Internationalism speaks to global reach and appeal of
the Puma brand. It stands for sporting heritage
because Puma still sells a variety of classic styles
that have been around for over 25 years.

The name nuala is an acronym representing:

Natural - Universal - Altruistic - Limitless Authentic. The name is defined as meditation
in motion and it stands for intuition, intelligence,
and individuality. Intuition speaks to trusting
your own instincts and your ability to connect
with your inner self. Intelligence speaks to
providing smart footwear and apparel solutions
that combine style with performance. Individuality addresses the idea that lifestyle products
should fit and adapt to the demanding needs of
each woman.

Innovative, urban and versatile, 96 Hours

accomodates the on-the-go lifestyle of todays
style conscious travelers. Innovative speaks
to the concept of providing a small selection
of pieces that provide everything an intrepid
adventurer/ traveller would need to keep togged
up for four days. Urban addresses the casual
modern style that fits into your daily routine
whether its work or pleasure. Versatile speaks
to the on-the-go lifestyle of todays style
conscious types who embark on impossibly
glamorous blurs of airport lounges and boutique
hotel lobbies, meetings and cocktail bars, gyms
and gallery openings.

The brand name alludes to the attributes of the

puma animal: the combination of speed, power,
elegance , attributes often associated with athletes. The name is also short, easy to pronounce,
and memorable.

Overall, the name misses the mark because there

is a disconnect on the number of hours a quick
trip might take for the average active traveler.
Instead of 96 hours, they should have tried 24, 36,
or 48 hours to really help people easily connect
to the core of the concept.

Visual Treatment

The Puma symbol is one the few logos that can

be used with or without an accompanying name.
The logo has been used for over thirty years and
has now has gained global recognition. The
iconic leaping cat tells us that the brand is active,
aggressive, and forward looking. The leaping
monotone cat is also a highly identifiable
trademark of old-school seniority. The organic
and curvacous styling of the leaping cat suggest
the visual styles that Puma footwear delivers.
The all capital sans serif font helps the company
create a commanding presence that sets an
aggressive tone. The logo is visually appealing in
black-and-white as they are in color.

The elegant geometric simplicity of the nuala

symbol clearly references the principles and
ideals of yoga and holistic living. The lower
case lettering indicates the human and organic
nature of the brand and the rounded sans serif
font references the circle of life. Unlike other
designer collections, the nuala mark does not reference Puma nor the creator and sponsor, model
Christy Turlington.

The 96 hours graphic symbol is clear,

straightforward and blunt. The military type
font suggest the urgency and pace at which this
brand is meant to be experienced. The font
suggests a brand that is rugged, tough, and
prepares you for your mission: adventorous
travel at all cost.

The addition of Turlingtons name may help build

brand awareness because the brand is trying to
differentiate itself from Puma and other
competition like Stella McCartneys Adidas Line
and Nike.

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Master Brand Communication

Identity Elements
Type Face and Text Placement

Color

Layout

Clean & Modern Typography

Puma consistently uses Helvetica font throughout their brand
communication material. From websites to ads and packaging,
Helvetica font is used in both upper cases and lower cases.
The chosen typography works well for Pumas brand image because it a timeless font that connects the classic
heritage style and with trendy fashion forward styles. There
is also a minimal use of text in print material, websites and
advertisements, letting the products speak for themselves.

Refined Color Palette

Pumas primary color palette of black, red, white, and grey is
consistently used across their brand communication to unify the
different master brand categories, sub brands, and co brands.
Their signature color is a saturated red which is bold, distinctive,
and easy to recognize. In addition clean, white backgrounds are
consistently used across master brand websites. Their spartan
approach to color is especially helpful to consumers because
Pumas products (footwear, apparel, accessories) are offered in a
vast array of colors and styles in which the overall brand identity
could get easily lost.

Adhering to the grid

Arranging layouts on a grid gives Pumas communications
a clean, simple, and modern look and feel. Logos, symbols,
and text adhere to the grid to reinforce the modern design
nature of the brand. Puma uses the grid layout to organize the
minimal copy in a clear and orderly manner shifting the focus
to the different product offerings.
The use of their primary color palette can be found in all of
Pumas communication imagery supporting the integrate
nature of the brand. Pictures and visual zones often have crisp
corners that reinforce the look and feel of Pumas products
through their modernity and timelessness.

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Master Brand Communication

Identity Elements
Logo Identity & Placement
Master Logo
Puma uses their master logo across all
brands and across all categories as a central
unifying mark. The logo has been
traditionally utilized as a footwear tag and as
apparel and accessory marks.

Leaping Cat Logo

The leaping cap has recently been used as
a stand alone logo because the Puma logo
has gained enough recognition over the
years and its now instantly associated with
the Puma brand. As Puma moves forward,
they continue to use the leaping cat logo on
an increasing number of their brand touch
points ranging from footwear to in store
environments

Product Tags

Footwear & Apparel

Ambient Street Advertising

Street Graffiti

Retail Signage

Event Signage

Typography Logo
The Puma type based logo is primarily utilized
in the master brand sport lifestyle category.
This logo is associated with the following two
aspects of the Puma brand: retro classics and
fashionable apparel.

Apparel & Accessories

Super Cat Logo

The Super Cat logo was first designed in the
early 1970s as an evolution of the leaping
puma that historically donned the sides of
Pumas footwear. Since then, the mark has
served as an instantly recognizable trademark
symbol for the Puma brand. As the portfolio
has expanded beyond footwear, Puma has
found ways to introduce the super cat log
into accessories and apparel.

Footwear & Accessories

14

Master Brand Communication

Identity Elements
Imagery
Master Brand - Sport Lifestyle
Pumas master brand website and advertising campaign employ a variety of techniques to
communicate the Pumas brand integration of sport, lifestyle, and fashion. The imagery alludes
to active lifestyles that are associated more with fashion (social events, shopping) than sport.
Imagery ranges from up close product shots, to fashion models wearing the product, to both
abstract and photo imagery of activities that young hip people participate in. The imagery is
clearly designed to appeal to active urban females as the target demographic.

Master Brand - Sport

In the sport master brand categories, Puma consistently uses photo imagery to communicate
the brand message. Advertisements and web sites typically portray an athlete dynamically
participating in a sporting activity wearing the Puma products. The product itself becomes the
backdrop to the dynamic gesture of the athlete. Interestingly enough, the athlete is typically
portrayed as participating in the activity alone, not in a group or team. Unlike their competitors,
Puma had few athlete endorsements, making the brand accessible to almost anyone involved
with that particular sport.

15

Sub Brand & Co Brand

Communication Identity Elements
Sub Brands
Nuala
Nuala is represented by a warm and sophisticated
color palette. The brand utilizes sans serif font in
lower cases adding a feeling an organic, approachable and friendly feel. Photo imagery depicts both
the collection designer (Turlington) in up close
shots and active women participating in activities like yoga and dance. Overall, the Nuala brand
communications convey an intelligent approach to
addressing the needs of a womens active lifestyle.

Co-Brands
96 Hours
96 Hours is represented by a muted, cool
color palette and the bold text usage is
minimal to non existent. With this sub brand,
Puma takes a traditional approach to communicating their brand message by using
photo imagery that captures models using
and displaying the product line. Although
the images are taken in urban settings such
as airports and office buildings, the brand
purpose seems to unclear and inconsistent.

Puma - Mihara
Puma - Mihara is represented by a saturated
and bold color palette. The use of typography is nonexistent, forcing the products to
speak for themselves. Imagery in advertisements and websites portray exercising cyber
punks, trailer trash partiers , and bowling
steet zombies. Communications effectively
the underground street culture origin of the
Mihara brand.

Puma - Starck
Starck utilizes the Pumas master brand color
palette with the addition of a saturated yellow as
his signature color. Relying on the ability of the
products to communicate the brand message,
the use of typography is nonexistent. In
atypical fashion, Starck has restrained from
showing his face in this brands communications.
Instead, he opted for a clean, minimal aesthetic
that focuses on a single primal character and his
relation to the footwear. The result is whimsical,
fun, and approachable.

16

Communication Assets

Puma Stores - Providing Rich Customer Interactions

Pumas retail experience is replacing the brand message as their
primary promotional delivery vehicle. Retail continues to grow in
importance as a showcase for the brand and as a way of getting
more innovative products to the consumer. In 2006, Puma opened
20 new Concept stores and countless more PUMA stores and
outlets. The concept stores serve as the epicenter of the Puma
brand, providing consumers with a more holistic experience by
enabling interaction with their customers on different levels,
displaying the depth of the brand while creating even more
opportunity for discovery. In addition, Concept Stores host the
Mongolian BBQ, where consumers can design their own
personalized shoes. In 2006, Puma retail has been used to
introduce exclusive product launches, as well as other unique
brand driven consumer events.

Cultural Connection and personal expression value

Dedicated to using the most advanced technology in creating
products that realizes the fullest potential of its user, PUMA has
remained in a pinnacle position in the world of sports. However, in
recent years, Puma has bravely ventured into the realm of fashion
and has proved equally successful, garnering great following by the
young and trendy. Combining athletic sensibilities with fashion
chic, PUMA has remained in the forefront of style with its classic
styles unleashing unlimited potential. From the style capital of
Paris to the streets of Tokyo, PUMA is present everywhere - a must
have item for the fashionable crowds. Pumas diverse offering of
products ultimately allow their customers to express their
individuality through trend setting style and fashionable utility.

Frequent product launches & a cornucopia of styles

New product launches, seasonal styling changes, customer focused
events, and new retail store openings help keep the Puma brand
fresh in the minds of consumers. Interestingly enough, Puma
communicates the cutting edge of fashion and active lifestyle
trends through fresh footwear and apparel designs that combine
material, colors, and styles into products that resonate with
customers.

17

Communication Assets

Leading Sports Lifestyle Creates Differentiation

Sub Brands Serving Premium Niches

Wearing the Brand - Inherent Brand Visibility

Puma, which has managed to differentiate itself from more powerful rivals like Nike and Adidas, has emerged as a hugely influential
brand, transforming from an alternative brand to a global icon with
broader desirability. The brands message was refined, its voice clarified and in the process, Puma has created a new market segment:
sport lifestyle. Now that competitors are playing in the sport lifestyle
segment, Puma now strives to be the most desirable sport lifestyle
company in the world. Pumas marketing strategy seeks to establish
the brand as an icon that extends its lead in the sport lifestyle
market. The key to achieving this position is to maintain a culturally
relevant message that connects with consumers despite a cluttered
media environment.

All of Pumas sub-brands (Nuala, 96 hours, Platinum, Rudolf Dassler

Collection) exist to serve different premium niche market segments.
This strategy enables the Puma master brand to focus on the core
segments of sport and sport lifestyle without dilluting the brand
message to its core audience.

The name PUMA has been synonymous with the athletic spirit
and sport lifestyle, playing a pivotal role in the illustrious history of
sports. For many years, the brand became inextricably linked with
some of the worlds top performing athletes, and in some of their
most glorious moments. Currently, the Puma brand is often
associated with people who are fashionable, trendy and lead an
active lifestyle. To build brand awareness and recognition, Puma has
and continues to prominently display their logos on almost all of
their footwear, apparel, and accessories. With such a recognizable
brand as Puma, they spend little time on generating awareness, but
instead spend a considerable amount of time maintaining visibility
and awareness.

18

Communication Assets

Creating the buzz with key influencers

Puma focuses on making sure key influencers are wearing the
brand, primarily through having what they call brand zinger events
for their target audiences throughout the year. Events include
underground parties, dj and dance competitions, and gatherings of
different anti establishment segments. By respecting the culture
and voice of these groups, Puma lets the participants personify the
essence of the Puma brand, thus bringing free word of mouth
advertising and building elusive street cred.

Deep pockets for communications

Puma products generate significant margins. the company is
rapidly growing and they are constantly testing new ways to
communicate their brand. They are a company that leverages
an image marketing strategy that requires heavy investments in
all aspects of brand communications ranging from new concept
stores to print and media advertisements.

Organizational Assets
One of Pumas greatest strengths is its CEO Jochen Zeitz who has
devised and implemented a five stage strategy that focuses on
innovation and design. Part of this strategy includes leveraging
existing communication assets but also aggressively developing
new ones. He has single handedly changed the company and
supercharged the brand by helping to attract and retain top
creative talent and allowing them to radically experiment with
the brand and its communication assets.

Marketing Context
Pumas marketing efforts clearly fall in Kotlers information
economy category , but they still market themselves in a few
ways that fits the industrial economy paradigm. Puma is
clearly focused on customer acquisition than on customer
retention. It relies on its heritage in sport categories, but
the sport lifestyle category seeks to broaden the size of the
market to anyone who leads an active lifestyle. While Puma
follows the information economy paradigm of building its
brand through company behavior, it also builds its brand
through heavy advertising. This strategy makes sense because
it needs to reach consumers who often respond to visual
media and Puma is particularly adept at creating distinctive
and memorable advertising.

19

Key Brand Communication Decisions

Puma Concept Retail Stores
PUMA has taken the sport-fashion concept a step further by creating a branded
store environment that showcases its cutting edge designs and
collaborative projects. The design intent of the PUMA concept a place where
the PUMA energy is evident, promotes city style, and encourages casual
shopping. Puma has developed a strong design image through its stores in
America and Europe and although there is a strong unifying style, each store
has its own characteristics defined by local culture and site constraints. PUMA
Concept Stores utilize the jumping cat branding as its focal point for design
direction and each of the fixtures in the store is inspired by sport and it is
designed to be a place where all of PUMAs sport-fashion brands can intersect
and interact in a unique way. Features that are often integrated into the retail
environment design include signature internally illuminated niche walls,
folding ceiling and wall panels, internally illuminated cantilevered shelving,
display boxes and the large feature arch at the entry to the store. In addition,
the concept stores often host signature events such as Mongolian shoe bbqs,
fashion shows, and dj hosted dance parties.

20

Key Brand Communication Decisions

Puma Fashion Shows

As Puma ventures into the fashion world with their sport lifestyle master
brand, fashionable sub brands, and designer collections they are beginning to
reach new audiences through different communication channels. Puma now
hosts seasonal fashion shows at sleek facilities at fashion hot spots around
the world. Shows are typically media rich events that combine live djs, visual
multimedia, and models wearing the latest and hippest products from Puma.
The vibrance, energy and perpetual motion of the event mirror the PUMA brand
aesthetic, and attracts sport lifestyle consumers from across the globe. These
events attract a multitude of retail purchasers allowing Puma to expand into
new market outlets. These types of events help Puma differentiate themselves
even further from their traditional competitors: Adidas and Nike.

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Detailed Analysis of a Communication

New Stuff advertising campaign

New Stuff TV Advertisements - Winter 2005/06

The communications I chose to analyze are the New Stuff ads on TV and in
print featuring animals interacting with Puma products in adoring and
distinctive ways.

Targeting a youthful audience

PUMA decided to communicate their brand image through a product-focused
campaign that conveys cutting edge style to a 16-34 year old audience.

Style focused messages

Puma introduced the award winning New Stuff campaign as a way to
showcase their design leadership. New stuff print executions highlighted the
freshest new Puma styles and the commitment that Puma has to providing
customers with innovative sport lifestyle products.

Attracting new customers

A core objective of the campaign was to increase sales, increase the
mainstream audiences knowledge of Puma ranges and project the brands core
values as being different. New products needed to be showcased to the
mainstream audience in a creative and unique way that was unexpected,
unique and different . To communicate this concept, animated animals such
as monkeys, bats, bees, mice, and fish are depicted as playfully interacting with
Puma products in an engaging and fresh manner.

Ad Agency: Zenith Optimedia International/GBH

New Stuff Print Advertisements - Spring & Summer 2006

Usage of mixed media

Puma first introduced this campaign in 15 second television advertisements.
The campaign was visually fresh and clean with crisp photography that drew attention to the products. The print advertising that followed reflects the focused
simplicity and whimsical nature of the TV spots.

Building momentum from the holiday season

TV spots were run in November and they drew inspiration from Aesops fables
by depicting two typical adversaries gifting each other Puma presents. Based
upon the success of the TV ads, print ads were run into the following two seasons highlighting new Puma products. Elements of the ad migrated into
surrounding media environments, engaging advertising savvy young adults
who might be suspicious of broadcast advertising.

Presentation communication mode

These advertisements obviously fall into the Presentation mode and structured
around the products themselves (features and attributes).

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Trent Kahute
Communication Planning : ID520B : Fall 2006
Instructor: Peter Laundy
IIT Institute of Design