PUMA Social — After Hours Athlete, 2010— PUMA / Droga5 New York; directed by Ringan Ledwidge
After Hours Athlete
- Brand:
- PUMA
- Agency:
- Droga5 New York
Timeless principle
When category leaders own the dominant definition, name a credible adjacent behavior they have overlooked and build the brand around it.
The idea
Redefine athletes as the people who approach darts, pool, bowling, ping-pong and the rest of the night with competitive commitment.
Why it works
PUMA could not out-own the heroic performance territory of Nike and adidas, so the campaign names a different athlete hiding in plain sight. Bowling alleys, bars and late-night cabs are shot with the care usually reserved for stadiums, while Nash Kato’s gravelly narration treats social rituals as training. The joke never dismisses sport; it transfers sport’s language of dedication, uniforms and competition to a looser kind of play. Because PUMA Social extended the idea into products, clubs, leagues and digital tools, “After Hours Athlete” became more than a line. It gave the brand a behavior, community and category it could credibly own.
Tags
- Film
- Experiential
- Brand Positioning
- Social Sport
- Category Creation
- Digital
Gallery
PUMA Social turns the bar into a sporting arena
