Puma launches global brand push with football hub
Puma is launching a global football hub where fans can interact with players including Cesc Fabregas and Yaya Toure as it sets in motion plans to rival Nike and Adidas during next year’s World Cup.
Sergio Agüero, Marco Reus, Gianluigi Buffon and Thierry Henry will also back the portal, which invites fans to complete a series of monthly challenges to win prizes. Visitors can also submit suggestions for match-day gestures such as a new pre-match ritual or a goal celebration with the winning proposals being performed by one of Puma’s football ambassadors.
Additionally, the portal will give fans the chance to preview Puma’s upcoming boot and kit launches. The sportswear maker will promote the hub through it’s own website and social platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Puma will allow users to share content with one another on the platform next year as it looks to establish a community of passionate football fans ahead of the World Cup in Brazil next June.
The business sees the tournament as a key opportunity to boost waning sales of its football products, despite the dominance of bigger rivals Nike and Adidas. It is preparing a major marketing drive that will include the use of social media to capitalise on the buzz around the event. The push will mark the peak of an 18-month strategy that will have the seen the business bring its football credentials to the fore after previously focusing more on its lifestyle range and ties to urban culture.
The German sports apparel group revealed ongoing declines in demand in Europe and Asia had sent earnings tumbling in its second quarter. It posted a 4 per cent drop in sales to €692m (£595m) in the period and predicted revenue to drop between 1 and 5 per cent for the year as a whole.
Adidas, which has recently launched a Facebook hub fronted by FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, is hoping its upcoming football activity can lift lacklustre sales in Europe after poor results in its latest quarter. The company’s second quarter sales fell 4 per cent year-on-year to €3.38bn (£2.9bn), forcing it to cut its 2013 forecast.