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Puma Brand Analysis PDF
Puma Brand Analysis PDF
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.
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 erce 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.
Persona Associations
Charismatic champions (Pele & Joe Namath) Gold medal athletes (Jim Hines)
Trusted partner
Hi tech, advanced, not relevant Classic, cheap, low quality, dated Professional soccer, tennis, track athletes Diego Maradona, Boris Becker Discount bins Running shoes, kids shoes, apparel, Cross trainers, gear Young athletes, soccer athletes, track athletes, A old friend you lost touch with
Clothing, street footwear People who play sports People around sports Familiar friend
Fits your active lifestyle - 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) Elegant, colorful, fresh, spontaneous, individual, metropolitan, international Fashion brands (Gucci, Armani, Dolce Gabbana) Fringe / extreme sports Music artists & movie stars Performance & casual footwear Apparel & accessories Anyone who leads an active lifestyle 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 specic 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.
Persona Associations
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, ercely competing to improve performance through technological innovation.
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world Just do it - 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) Athletic, inuential, outgoing, fresh, aggressive, hi tech, futuristic, retro cool Athletes at the top of their respective sport (Micheal Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong) Unfair labor practices Footwear, apparel, equipment in multiple categories
Perform at the highest level - Footwear technology innovations - Automatic customization (Adidas 1) - Co developed celebrity lines (Stella McCartney) - Classic styles, tradition and heritage - Mass Customization (Adicolor)
Clear, orderly, practical, hi tech, classic, sophisticated, sincere Elite Soccer players, soccer teams, NBA stars Hip hop artists (Run DMC) Mainstream sports High performance footwear Performance & casual apparel Anyone who plays sports Respected coach
Masterbrand - Sport
Football* Running* Cricket* Baseball* Motorsports Women (BMX) Golf
Sub-Brands
Womens Active Urban Travel Premium Luxury Retro - Nostalgia Urban Modern Urban Street Contemporary Fashion
Co-Brands
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.
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.
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.
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
Classic
Suede, Roma, Brasil
Masterbrand - Sport
Football
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. 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.
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.
Running
Golf
Lifestyle - Co Branding
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Ferrari
Motorsports
Women / BMX
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Brand Portfolio
Sub-Brands Brand Expansion / Adding New Dimensions
Nuala is the product of an organic partnership reecting 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 nished product by being truly involved in the creative process.
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.
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.
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Platinum is a luxury shoe line that focuses on craftsmenship and pulls inuences 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
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 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.
nuala
The name nuala is an acronym representing: Natural - Universal - Altruistic - Limitless Authentic. The name is dened 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 t and adapt to the demanding needs of each woman.
96 HOURS
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 ts 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. 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 identiable 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 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.
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.
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Color
Rened 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.
Layout
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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Product Tags
Street Grafti
Retail Signage
Event Signage
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Co-Brands
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.
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Communication Assets
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Communication Assets
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Communication Assets
Marketing Context
Pumas marketing efforts clearly fall in Kotlers information economy category , but they still market themselves in a few ways that ts 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.
Organizational Assets
One of Pumas greatest strengths is its CEO Jochen Zeitz who has devised and implemented a ve 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.
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Trent Kahute
Communication Planning : ID520B : Fall 2006 Instructor: Peter Laundy IIT Institute of Design