PUMA Debuts Innovative Marketing Tactic

PUMA, a sportlifestyle brand, and The Huffington Post, a news and opinion site, partner to launch the PUMA Index (theindex.puma.com), a playful "stock ticker" Web site featuring models whose level of dress is dependent on how well global stock market indices are performing. As the stocks go down, clothes come off; and as stocks rise, models get dressed. The tongue-in-cheek PUMA brand campaign consists of a five-second commercial spot and banner ads to be shown exclusively on HuffPost. The initiative showcases PUMA clothing and the brand's new PUMA Bodywear to The Huffington Post's large and influential audience.

 

"The PUMA Index is our own cheeky commentary on the economic state today and a way to approach the discussion with a bit of levity. Think of it as a marketing tool that delivers news you can use 'market updates' in a manner that makes you smile," says Antonio Bertone, chief marketing officer for PUMA AG. "HuffPost is one of the most influential social media brands and partnering with them gives us the ability to reach a wider audience, but also the right target audience that we know enjoys fun, thought-provoking content."

 

The PUMA Index site is the second phase of a campaign that launched earlier this month as an iPhone application. Different from the iPhone application, the interactive site allows consumers to not only monitor the Dow Jones Industrial Average, but also the DAX (Germany) and the ASX (Australia), updating market data approximately every 15 minutes.

 

The partnership with The Huffington Post exposes PUMA to the siteâs more than 22.5 million unique monthly visitors. For more information about the PUMA Index, visit theindex.puma.com and watch the demo video on You Tube.