Changing values
Puma’s marketing revamp follows its largest consumer research project, surveying 10,000 people around the world, which revealed that today’s “consumers have a lot more motivations about why they do sport,” said Legrand.
“What [younger generations] want is a space for self-expression. The codes [of sport] have been a little too heavy on past generations, and they are looking to free themselves from that,” she continued.
Puma’s findings align with a wider trend in the sportswear space. Gen Z are fueling growth in sports like running, but they tend to be less focused on motivations like competition and more focused on holistic factors such as health and wellness, said Jed Hallam, co-founder and managing director of CultureLab.
“New people coming in [to sport] is changing the way the culture operates and the value system within that,” Hallam said. “It’s more inclusive and less intimidating. People don’t necessarily want to be in that competitive mindset.”
In that vein, Puma’s first ad under the “Go Wild” platform focuses on the so-called “runner’s high” that some runners experience. But instead of featuring stereotypical sport scenes of high-octane action or professional athletes and celebrities, the spot shows regular people in everyday scenarios, like a new mom running with a stroller, a man with his dog, and a community runners’ group.
That depiction aims to return to a “sense of humor, clever joy” and light-heartedness that Puma demonstrated in past marketing, Legrand said.
“Gen Z are looking for spaces with more fun and joy, and sports should be a place for that,” she said. “We take sport very seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Speaking to communities
Up-and-coming sportswear brands like On and Hoka have also stolen market share partly by successfully targeting niche communities, Hallam observed.
He cited examples like cult running apparel brand Satisfy, which “went from an edgy brand for 10,000 people to a multimillion [dollar] brand in a few years.” Satisfy raised $12.4 million (€11 million) in funding and exceeded $11.3 million (€10 million) in revenue at the end of 2024.
Not only have these newcomers tapped into consumer preferences for more specialized and innovative sportswear, they have also capitalized on buzzy cultural partnerships with celebrities, such as On’s collaboration with Zendaya.
Now other legacy rivals like Nike—which is undergoing its own turnaround—are upping their game in that arena. Nike unveiled recent collaborations with Kool-Aid, which was inspired by a TikTok trend, and Kim Kardashian’s Skims, which could help it capture more of the women’s market.
