Elaborated Marketing Strategy of Puma + SWOT Analysis

The marketing strategy of Puma focuses on innovation, collaboration, and leveraging digital platforms to enhance its brand presence. This strategy has made Puma a global leader in sportswear, successfully engaging with its target audience through impactful campaigns and strategic partnerships.

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Aditya Shastri - Trainer at IIDE

Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Updated on: Aug 7, 2024

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Let’s be honest – Puma is one of the leading sports brands across the globe. While its high-quality products are definitely one of the main reasons for the company’s fame, the other major reason is the company’s marketing strategy. This raises our curiosity about how Puma implements digital marketing classes and campaigns to maintain its prominent position in the industry.”

In this case study,  you will learn about the marketing strategy of Puma, its marketing mix, top competitors, failed campaigns, SWOT Analysis, and more. 

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About Puma

Established in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler, Puma stands as a celebrated sportswear brand committed to becoming the world’s fastest sports label. With a dedication to enhancing the sporting experience through innovation, Puma seamlessly merges performance with style in its product offerings. Renowned for its impactful collaborations with celebrities and athletes, Puma continuously pushes the envelope in sports fashion.

Puma is considered a very reputable company. In 2011, they made a positive impact by giving importance to Environmental impact. Puma’s core values consist of being brave, determined and joyful. To stay ahead in the competitive market, Puma’s marketing team can benefit from enrolling in digital marketing courses online to keep up with the latest trends and strategies.

The company has multiple mission statements. These include ‘to be the fastest sports brand in the world and be the most desirable and sustainable Sports Lifestyle company in the world’

brand logo of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: Google

Puma Marketing Strategy – Marketing Mix 

Marketing mix refers to Price, Product, Place, and Promotion. Let us now start by looking at Puma’s price strategy.

1. Price

Puma is the third-largest sports brand in the world. To stand out from the other brands, it gives its products lower price tags.  Puma offers seasonal discounts and promotions. When a consumer makes four purchases within a year, they become eligible for a 50% to 60% discount on their fifth purchase, incentivizing customers to make more purchases.

2. Product

Puma has a massive variety of products for its customers to choose from. However, it produces products based on the country’s demand. For example, Puma produces a larger amount of cricket equipment in India and a larger amount of soccer jerseys in the US.

They also have a one-month warrant that allows customers to exchange or get a refund for their products in case they are not satisfied with the same. h Furthermore, Puma creates products that are equal parts innovative and high-quality. Unlike Puma, Sephora also offers a variety of products and performs promotional activities as well. You can learn more by checking out this blog on the marketing strategy of Nike.

3. Place

Puma has several retail and E-Commerce stores as well as wholesale factories operating in 120 countries which makes supplies always available for its customers.

It has four different central hubs located in Hong Kong, Herzogenaurach, Ho Chi Minh City, and  Boston.

They have corporate offices in each region of Asia, South Asia, South America, and Middle & North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.

Finally, let us look at Puma’s Promotion Strategy.

4. Promotion

Puma has been promoted by famous sports personalities on various advertising platforms. It also uses websites and digital platforms to promote its products.

promotional mix of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: Google

Currently, the brand’s main focus in India is to generate revenue from cricket equipment and by sponsoring the Ranji trophy. Puma’s sponsorship of the Ranji Trophy involves providing cricket equipment and apparel for players, aligning the brand with one of India’s premier domestic cricket tournaments and enhancing visibility among cricket enthusiasts nationwide.

If you are a resident of Hyderabad and wish to make a career in digital marketing. Then you should check out this blog on digital marketing courses in Hyderabad and find the course of your interests.

Puma Marketing Strategy – What’s New With Puma? 

  • In 2023, Puma’s revenue reached €7.6 billion, marking a 13% increase from the previous year (source: Puma Annual Report 2023).
  • Puma’s market share in the global sportswear market is 7%, making it one of the top five brands in the industry (source: Statista).

Business News

  • Puma reported a record revenue of €7.6 billion in 2023, driven by strong performance in the Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions (source: Puma Annual Report 2023).

Product Launch

  • In 2023, Puma launched the Nitro Running Shoes, designed with advanced cushioning technology to enhance performance and comfort for runners (source: Puma Press Release).

Marketing News

  • Puma’s ‘She Moves Us’ campaign remains a source of inspiration and empowerment for women worldwide, blending sports and culture. The campaign highlights the stories of female athletes, ambassadors, and partners, inspiring women globally to push boundaries and support each other.

Celebrity News

  • Football star Neymar Jr. extended his partnership with Puma, continuing to be the face of Puma Football through 2024 (source: Sports Business Journal).

Now, let’s understand the behaviours that the company considers while formulating the marketing strategy of Puma.

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Puma’s Marketing Strategy – Buyer Persona

This table dives into the buyer persona for Gillette customers, detailing their lifestyle, pain points, and reasons for buying Gillette.

Studying this behaviour helps in the creation of the right Puma marketing strategy.  For example, if the person is into social media and likes following sports events, then PUMA may send them Instagram ads that talk about sports and their products simultaneously.

SWOT Analysis of Puma

SWOT analysis studies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of a company.

Let’s understand the SWOT Analysis of the Puma company.

1. Strength

      • It produces shoes and racing shoes for Formula One and NASCAR
      • It has partnered with BMW and Ferrari and is an exceptional brand name all over the world
      • It was the first company to sponsor the FIFA Football World Cup
      • Puma has a creative Research and Development team
      • It has creative and innovative marketing strategies. These strategies have allowed the brand to market its products well

2. Weakness

      • Adidas and Nike are tough competitors
      • The company has a limited market share as compared to its competitors
      • There is a chance of people preferring other brands. Puma has to search for investors and can take financial assistance from competitors
      • The company experiences many salary conflicts among the employees. This often leads to strikes and hardships in production

3. Opportunities

      • It has a great opportunity to increase its business from new developing markets in Asia. According to the current changing trends, they can improve their business in India, Vietnam, Mexico, etc to increase their global footprints

4. Threats

      • There can be intense competition soon as every brand wants to be at the top
      • With followers, you also get haters who might create false allegations against the companies. It should be able to handle any allegations by the people
      • Counterfeit products
      • Innovative low-cost products
      • Currency fluctuations are some threats to the company

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Marketing Strategies of Puma

Puma’s marketing strategies include strategic celebrity endorsements and impactful advertising campaigns. The ‘Forever Faster’ campaign exemplifies Puma’s commitment to speed and agility, positioning the brand as a leader in sportswear. By collaborating with high-profile athletes and celebrities like Usain Bolt and Rihanna, Puma effectively enhances its brand visibility and appeal.

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1. Product Diversification

Puma has come a long way, from producing only footwear to diversifying their product range to include equipment and trekking Equipment.

Puma creates custom-made shoes along with racer suits and shoes for Formula One, The company also provides football shoes for players and different types of equipment for various sports.

Do you find this article interesting so far?  If so, you should check this blog on the marketing strategy of Spotify.

2. National Brand Ambassadors – Puma Promotion Strategy

Puma has signed deals with various sports personalities like  Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sushma Verma, and Sunil Chhetri to promote their brand.

Puma also endorses its products with different celebrities. For example, Saina Nehwal was used to endorse the brand’s line of Badminton rackets and corks.

Puma has created a positive brand image by typing up with famous sports players.  These brand ambassadors influence people to buy their products.

brand awareness- marketing strategy of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: Google

Making a person feel proud of the brand they are purchasing is also an important marketing tactic.

Let us now see some of Puma’s CSR strategies implemented to bring awareness.

3. CSR Strategies

Puma provides Sports Scholarships to promote sports culture and also the Anti-Child Labour Campaign.

What’s more, Puma has 10 sustainable goals to fulfil by 2050. This includes goals geared toward human rights, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, biodiversity, using sustainable materials, less usage of chemicals, etc.

4. Gaining Commercial Advantage From Research & Development

Puma introduced an innovative packaging solution called Clever Little Boxes to replace traditional shoe boxes and covers. This initiative aimed to reduce the environmental impact by significantly cutting down the use of cardboard, paper, and plastic. Additionally, these boxes contribute to lowering carbon dioxide emissions during production and transportation, aligning with Puma’s commitment to sustainability while also reducing costs and improving efficiency.

5. Puma’s Marketing Budget

Statstics of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: statistia.com

Now that you have seen the expenditure incurred by the company over the years, let us see Puma’s marketing campaign.

6. Puma’s Marketing Campaign

The company has created several campaigns that have not only touched people but have also subtly promoted their brand.

Propah Lady Campaign (Puma Advertising Strategy)

The ‘Propah Lady’ campaign by Puma challenges traditional stereotypes and redefines what it means to be a lady. It empowers women to embrace their true selves, showcasing strength, individuality, and authenticity.

This campaign celebrates the shift from women being told what to do and not to do. It celebrates breaking stereotypes.

Puma collaborated with prominent Indian female personalities, including Boxer Mary Kom, Actress Sara Ali Khan, International Athlete Dutee Chand, and Transgender model Anjali Lama, who embodied the spirit of a “Propah Lady.” The campaign utilised social media platforms, television ads, and print media to reach a wide audience, encouraging women to embrace their individuality and break societal norms.

It focused on how women are always told to be feminine, wear decent clothes, be soft and not be opinionated.

From a very young age, women are always told to be proper but this campaign focuses on how women can be a Propah Lady which means women can be however they want to be and not how society wants them to be.

During the past years, people have started using social media on a large scale and every company should have a social media campaign.

Want to study the strategies of other brands? Check this blog on the Marketing Strategy of Nykaa

7. Social Media – Puma’s Branding Strategy

Fun fact: Puma has multiple social media accounts. What’s more, each account serves a different purpose. Noted before is an explanation of how they manage their different social media accounts.

Instagram

PumaIndia has 762K followers and  Puma has 11.7 million followers on Instagram. They also have various pages on Instagram like Puma Women, Puma Motorsports, Puma Football, and Puma Sportstyle which show their range of products Apart from this, the brand posts different types of content on different pages.

Instagram of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: Google

On Puma India’s account, for example, the company creates engaging content using all content types offered by Instagram, i.e., Reels, Guides, Carousal, IGTV, and Single Image Posts.

Twitter

Puma joined Twitter in June 2009 and currently has 1.7 million followers on Twitter.

Twitter of Puma-marketing strategy of Puma -marketing strategy of Puma| IIDE

Source: Google

The company posts about various topics like preventing online abuse, their products, different players as well as games like football and basketball.

With this, we have to see Puma’s Marketing strategy.

The company has a well-managed marketing strategy for all its subcategories. This includes strategies for its large range of products, influencer strategies with brand ambassadors for each product category, and CSR strategies to solidify customer trust. Want to develop money-making skills? Check out IIDE’s Make Money from Home Masterclass to learn skills that can help generate a new source of income.

Puma’s Digital Marketing Strategy

Here are some of the elements that are integrated into Puma’s marketing strategy:

SEO Strategy: Puma uses targeted keywords (keywords aimed at specific audiences) and optimised content (Focused words to attract user attention) to improve its search engine rankings (Position of website in search), ensuring high visibility for product searches and brand-related queries.

SMM Strategy: Puma leverages social media platforms to engage with its audience through creative content, influencer collaborations, and interactive campaigns.

E-commerce Strategy: Puma’s e-commerce platform offers a seamless shopping experience with personalised recommendations, easy navigation, and exclusive online releases.

Mobile App: The Puma mobile app provides users with a convenient shopping experience, access to exclusive content, and personalised notifications about new releases and promotions.

Influence Marketing Strategy: Puma collaborates with influencers and athletes to promote its products, reaching a broader audience and enhancing brand credibility.

Marketing and Advertising Campaigns: One of Puma’s most notable campaigns is the ‘Forever Faster’ campaign, which emphasises speed, performance, and style. This campaign successfully increased brand awareness and sales, reinforcing Puma’s position in the sportswear market. The ‘She Moves Us’ campaign, focusing on female empowerment, has also received widespread acclaim for its positive impact and resonance with women globally.

Do you find this blog informative? Check out our digital marketing blogs to gain more information.

Top Competitors That Influence Puma’s Branding Strategy

A Puma brand’s strategy is crafted by studying the strategy of its top competitors:

      • Nike: Dominates the global sportswear market with innovative products and extensive marketing campaigns.
      • Adidas: Known for its stylish and high-performance sportswear, Adidas is a major competitor in the industry.
      • Under Armour: Focuses on performance-oriented sportswear and innovative product designs.
      • Reebok: Offers a range of fitness and lifestyle products, competing closely with Puma in various segments.
      • New Balance: Known for its high-quality running shoes and commitment to innovation in sportswear.

Check out more such digital marketing case studies. This will help you learn and understand the marketing strategies of different brands.

Puma Marketing Strategy – Failed Campaigns

One of Puma’s controversial campaigns was the ‘Future Rider’ campaign in 2020, which faced backlash for its portrayal of cultural stereotypes. The brand received criticism for insensitive marketing and was compelled to pull the campaign and issue an apology. This incident underscored the crucial role of cultural sensitivity in international marketing endeavours.

Many students in Delhi want to learn digital marketing to work with reputed brands like Puma. Hence they look for institutes offering digital marketing courses in delhi.

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Buyers Persona:

Rohit

Mumbai

Occupation: Web-Developer

Age: 20 years

Motivation

  • Seeks stylish, high-performance sportswear that enhances athletic performance and aligns with current fashion trends

Interest & Hobbies

  • Sports, fitness, fashion, social media engagement, and following sports events

Pain Points

  • High prices, limited availability of exclusive releases, and concerns about sustainability

Social Media Presence

  • Active on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, following athletes, fashion influencers, and fitness experts

Conclusion

Puma has placed itself in the spotlight with its distinctive marketing strategies. They target certain segments of society in specific locations. A hilarious aspect is how their resale – second-hand products – sell for nearly three times its retail price! It all rounds back to the ‘limited supply, high demand’ phenomenon.

Puma’s business model is interesting from its logo, and product designs to its market reach. Isn’t that the most important thing? To make a statement! Let us know your input in the comments below.

We hope this blog was insightful and interesting. If you’re interested in the marketing field check out IIDE’s Post Graduation in Digital Marketing course. These are skills you can utilise to understand and curate effective marketing strategies for various industries.

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Author's Note:

My name is Aditya Shastri and I have written this case study with the help of my students from IIDE's online digital marketing courses in India.

Practical assignments, case studies & simulations helped the students from this course present this analysis.

Building on this practical approach, we are now introducing a new dimension for our online digital marketing course learners - the Campus Immersion Experience.

If you found this case study helpful, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Aditya Shastri - Trainer at IIDE

Aditya Shastri

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Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Aditya Shastri leads the Business Development segment at IIDE and is a seasoned Content Marketing expert. With over a decade of experience, Aditya has trained more than 20,000 students and professionals in digital marketing, collaborating with prestigious institutions and corporations such as Jet Airways, Godrej Professionals, Pfizer, Mahindra Group, Publicis Worldwide, and many others. His ability to simplify complex marketing concepts, combined with his engaging teaching style, has earned him widespread admiration from students and professionals alike.