NBA
Puma Launches Basketball Resurgence
Puma is trying to make basketball a profitable part of its operations once again. The company had initially been the first sneaker company to endorse an NBA player back in 1973. But at the time they couldn’t compete with Nike and Adidas. Puma launches basketball resurgence by signing top NBA draft picks and they’re not done yet.
Nike took flight with their signature “Air Jordans” which ultimately monopolized the basketball shoe/apparel business. The rest was history until now.
D I S R U P T T H E G A M E #FALL18 pic.twitter.com/PmkaGImsIL
— PUMA Basketball (@PUMAHoops) June 20, 2018
Puma Signs 2018 NBA Draft Picks
Puma has signed predicted 1st round picks DeAndre Ayton, Michael Porter Jr., and Marvin Bagley III. In addition, DeAndre Ayton signed a four-year multimillion-dollar deal with the Puma sports apparel and sneaker company.
Pushing their brand back onto the market with NBA draft picks and famous entertainers. A clever strategy to put an end to the Nike monopoly. Adidas has already answered back by signing a deal with another top draft pick in Trae Young.
JUST IN: Puma has signed Michael Porter Jr. Joins Ayton, Bagley III & Zhaire Smith in draft class.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 20, 2018
“We’ve been trying to figure out for a while when and where to enter the market,” said Adam Petrick, Puma’s global director of brand and marketing. “As the basketball market softened up a bit, we saw that as an opportunity.”
“We had Usain Bolt, but track and field is never going to be dominant here,” Petrick said. “We tried football with Jadeveon Clowney, Julian Edelman and Jamaal Charles, but we never made cleats. Basketball was perfect because of what it offered in terms of culture, music, style, gaming and Twitter.”
Puma Name Jay-Z As Their Creative Director
Jay-Z was recently named Creative Director by the company. The move makes a lot of sense in an epic drive to gain public recognition and clout. Jay-Z is the owner of Roc Nation Sports and could help Puma with future NBA stars signing endorsement deals.
Jay-Z is a successful rapper and is currently successful with his own apparel line and other businesses. Puma also has other celebrities on board such as Rihanna, Big Sean, and The Weeknd.
The Brand Is Making A Splash
Puma is definitely on the right track to gaining popularity of their basketball sneakers and apparel. This is an ingenious marketing path that the company has selected to become a leader of basketball gear.
Puma can make a profitable splash in epic proportions in the NBA sports sneaker and apparel market. Will Nike and Adidas try to answer back with their own marketing ideas to stay highly competitive?
