PUMA Gets Personal

For large and small-scale clothing retailers the recession has hit hard below the belt. Sales are dwindling as consumers downsize their wallets and, in turn, their wardrobes. But all that economizing means it’s the perfect time for retail marketing and advertising teams to revise their game plan. Enter “hyper-local marketing” a new trend that’s hitting consumer markets in a big way. For a prime example of hyper-local marketing (tying products and goods directly to a community or location) look to sneaker and athletic wear giant PUMA‘s new marketing campaign. Best known for their hip, street-trendy sneaker designs, PUMA usually goes big in advertising, with high budget television and magazine ads featuring hip dancers and athletes sporting Puma footwear while pumping their bodies to a hipster soundtrack. But this season, instead of dedicating their dollars to mass produced TV promos and ad space the company is trying a more personal approach with a new campaign.

The campaign, dubbed “PUMA Employees Only” features store associates from key cities across the United States (New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami just to name a few) speaking their mind on everything from the boring scene at a photo shoot to the trials and tribulations of the single life to not getting a return call from a hottie. Each employee’s personal stories are displayed via a white poster board featuring blurbs and writings ripped straight from the employee’s mental diary of thoughts. The campaign also stretches itself outside the world of PUMA employees and into the life of the consumer as select stores nationwide offer up a poster board, black marker, and photo op to customers with an itch to share their thoughts with the world. The new ad campaign is a smart move in tough times, allowing consumers to build relationships with store associates pre-purchase and recognize associates as neighborhood celebrities. Most importantly, it celebrates individuals and community in our ever-growing world, transforming PUMA into a champion of identity and removing it from the ranks of the impersonal retail giants.