Puma

Summary

An inspiring entrepreneurial story, what began as two brothers- Rudolf and Adolf Dassler- handcrafting sneakers in their mother’s laundry room is today one of the biggest sports brands in the world. German multinational corporation Puma designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Today it is acclaimed as the third largest sportswear manufacturer worldwide.

History

The story of Puma began in Rudolf Dassler’s mother’s laundry room where his brother Adolf made sports shoes after his return from WWI. Their father, Christoph, who worked in a shoe factory, and brother Zehlein, who produced handmade spikes for track shoes in their blacksmith’s shop, supported the business, and Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was formed. The brothers made spiked running shoes lightweight by replacing metal spikes with canvas and rubber and gifted a pair to sprinter Jesse Owens to wear at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Owens laced up and won gold; his stellar performance boosted sales and the brothers sold 200,000 pairs each year before WWII. In 1943, production ceased and the company’s facilities and workforce was employed to build anti-tank weapons. The Dassler factory was almost destroyed in 1945 by US forces but spared when they explained to the GIs that the firm was interested only in manufacturing shoes; the American occupying forces subsequently became buyers of the Dassler brothers’ shoes. However, the brothers had bitter differences and went separate ways; Adolf launched ‘Adidas’ and Rudolf launched ‘Puma’.

In 1948, at the first football match after WWII, several members of the West German national football team laced up in Puma. In 1952 Rudolf developed a football boot with screw-in studs named Super Atom in collaboration with West Germany’s national team coach Sepp Herberger. Several members of West Germany’s national team wore the shoes during the country’s first post-war football match: a 1-0 win against Switzerland in 1950. From that moment, the brand was on a roll. In the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1500-m runner Josy Barthel laced up in Puma and won gold. Heinz Fütterer broke the 100-m world record in Yokohama, Japan while wearing Puma running shoes, in 1954. At the 1960 Summer Olympics Puma paid German sprinter Armin Hary to wear its shoes in the 100-m sprint final. The German laced up and won gold. During the 1968 Olympics Black Power Salute, the brand sponsored African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Puma partnered athletes Mary Peters, Great Britain; John Akii-Bua, Uganda; Randy Williams, USA; and Klaus Wolfermann, West Germany and all of them won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Puma was tennis player Guillermo Vilas‘ constant. He won French Open, US Open and Australian Open, laced up in Puma tennis shoes. The Torero, a pioneering shoe by founder Rudolf Dassler’s son Armin, is the first shoe equipped with a sole that supports the natural movement of the foot. It made its debut at FIFA World Cup 1982. In 1985, tennis legend Boris Becker worked with Puma to design shoes that prevent ankle turning s that he could take more risks on the court. Soon after, Martina Navrátilová also inked a three-year outfitter deal with Puma.

In 1991 Puma launched the game-changing disc technology on a running shoe; it was the first sports shoe without laces and with a system of internal wires that tighten the upper for a perfect fit. Heike Drechsler, Dieter Baumann and Linford Christie won Gold at the Olympics in Barcelona wearing Puma Disc Spikes. Puma also introduced the RS Computer Shoe, with an integrated device that measured the runner’s speed and pace. Sadly, it sold poorly. During this period, Rudolf’s sons Armin and Gerd Dassler, sold their seventy- two per cent stake in Puma to Swiss business Cosa Liebermann SA. On 10 April 2007 retail conglomerate Pinault- Printemps- Redoute bought twenty seven per cent stake in Puma, paving the way for a “friendly” takeover reportedly worth €330 a share. By July 2007, it owned over sixty per cent stock.

The brand continues to forge forward in competitive sports. Puma is primary producer for Formula One and Nascar apparel; sponsored the 2006 FIFA World Cup champions, the Italian national football team; and inked a partnership with BMW, Ducati and Ferrari to make shoes. Rihanna was named Creative Director of Puma, supervising the womenswear line in December 2014. That year, Puma and Arsenal Football Club entered a five-year merchandising partnership. In 2018, Puma re-entered the basketball sneaker market for the first time in twenty years and made Jay-Z creative director of Puma Basketball. More recently, in September 2020, Puma inked a deal with Brazilian football player, Neymar.

Recently Puma appointed June Ambrose as the brand’s creative partner. “June’s role as a creative partner highlights Puma’s continued focus on creating premium offerings that merge style with performance” Puma said in a press release. Ambrose added: “Beyond the collections, it’ important to me that the collaboration is rooted in social impact and Puma’s work in the social justice space to empower youth through sport makes them the perfect partner.”

Vision

Puma envisions to be the most desirable and sustainable sports-lifestyle company in the world. Thei core tam’s vision today is encapsulated perfectly in this brand statement on the official website: “Forever Faster is more than being quick. It is our mantra. It is more than seventy years of fast products for fast athletes. We aim high and when we score our goals we aim even higher. All to achieve one thing: to be the Fastest Sports Brand in the World.”

Mission

‘We aim high, and when we score our goals, we aim even higher. All to achieve one thing: to be the Fastest Sports Brand in the World.’

Products and Services

Puma offers products for football, basketball, running, fitness, golf, cricket, motorsports and athleisure. This includes men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, footwear, sports wear and sports equipment.

Recognition and Awards

Sports brand Puma has won several awards including German Design Award which recognize outstanding design achievements; Red Dot Design Award for its innovative and aesthetic product designs; Corporate Design Preis: Puma has received the Corporate Design Preis that celebrates exceptional corporate design concepts; Sports Industry Awards which honor excellence in the sports business industry and Footwear Industry Awards for its innovative and stylish shoe designs.

The Team

CEO: Bjørn Gulden
Creative Director: June Ambrose
CCO: Arne Freundt
CFO: Hubert Hinterseher

References

• How Puma Became The World’s Fastest-Growing Sports Apparel Brand Forbes
• Best Puma Shoes GQ
• Puma and Formula 1 Just Threw Their Partnership Into High Gear Esquire
• Fenty X Puma Vogue
• Caleb McLaughlin Knows Why It Pays to Keep It Classic Esquire
• Here’s How Puma Overtook Under Armour GQ
• Hussein Chalayan Appointed Creative Director Ad Week
• Puma Newsroom Puma
• Bryson Dechambeau signs deals with Puma Golf.com
• The hottest fashion trend of the season is also the most wearable Elle
• Selena Gomez X Puma Glamour
• History and Timeline Puma
• Puma Pays Homage to Tommie Smith Complex
• Profile On Puma Crunchbase
• Official Instagram account of Puma Instagram
• Puma X Teen Vogue Puma
• Mission Of Puma Comparably
• Official LinkedIn profile of Puma LinkedIn
• Largest companies by revenue CompaniesCap