You mentioned last Olympics, nobody was wearing Puma Hoops. Now you have 14 athletes. How different is it now than it was five years ago? And how important is it that Puma Hoops has the footprint that it does?
I think to your second part, I think it’s very important that we’re in this space. I think we provide the consumer just another lane, how to get connected with basketball. I think our competition that’s already out there does a great job in storytelling basketball, and I think we’re bringing another complementary angle to that. And I think all of us have to have each other in order to have our own spaces. I think we’ve kind of owned a specific segment of it that we’re going to keep growing and we’re excited for it. And again, if you think about it, turn back the clock to 2018, we said let’s sign our first athletes and get a shoe on court for the season, to where we are now, is an unbelievable growth path and we’re excited to keep going
Earlier today, you mentioned that Puma is a top-three signature brand and a top-three performance brand. Can you break down exactly what that means?
We look at a lot of data when it comes to sales in the US and if you look at NPD Sarna data that is published, we see that on a quarter to quarter basis. If you look at sellout numbers, Puma’s always in that top three of either signature product or just if you put the whole performance group together, it means that people are out there, they’re buying our product, we see it on shelves and most importantly we’re seeing it on players across all sorts of ages and levels.
Puma Hoops has some momentum with signature stars like Stewie and LaMelo, what stands out to you about them compared to the rest of the hoopers out there?
I think both are disruptive forces in their own space. I think Melo really showed that you can have an impact from a very, very early age on. And I think you have a consumer that really has grown up with him and has gone on this journey with him from middle school to high school, to reality TV, to the NBA, and so on. I think he’s really owned that journey and an unbelievable fan base has come with him. Stewie [is] one of the best basketball players on the planet and really changing the game for women’s basketball since the moment she stepped on court. I think they both own very specific spaces and they’re champions of them, so I think that’s why it really makes them special.
Melo specifically, his sneakers are just so wildly popular amongst children. Do you think that what you mentioned about us watching him grow up and his journey is the catalyst behind that?
Absolutely. Yeah. I think it’s because he has been a connection point to the game of basketball since all of us can remember. And I think he has really gone through that journey of growing up from truly middle school player to NBA superstar and people have grown up with him as well. And I think that’s why the shoes really have that connection point and his story really comes out of the design, and I think that’s why it’s been a success for everybody.
We get to see so much of his personality and his sneakers with the collabs like Dexter’s Lab, Rick and Morty, et cetera. How important is it for him to be able to show that personality through his whole line?
A hundred percent. Signature is all about amplifying the athlete’s voice and he really needs to dictate how that story comes through. And I think you’ve seen that out of every iteration of the shoe and you’ll continue to see his personality come through, if that’s through favorite TV shows or stuff that he just generally likes. And obviously he’s extremely involved in all aspects of the design. So if his personality comes through the product, we have a winner.
Stewie was the first WNBA star to have her own signature in a decade. How much did it mean to you, her, and the brand to be able to make that happen not only for her, but for women’s basketball in general?
I think for women’s basketball in general, unbelievably important. I think also Stewie being the best in the game, she’s the perfect person to start that, or let’s say restart, that trend. And I think for us, I think we pride ourselves on taking a lot of actions that fall in this idea of being the first unexpected movers. I think we’ve done a nice job over the last five years of being a brand of firsts, always trying to be the first at either creating something new or testing a new space. And I think that the women’s signature space at the time fit into that. If we think about it, we started at the right time with the right player and now look at the market. So I think it was super important and Stewie will continue to be a kind of lighthouse guidance for us as we figure out what’s next in that space.
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