How Puma is taking on Nike and Adidas at Copa America?
To many, the German firm Puma was seen as a baby brother. This is reflected in overall sales, with Puma recording $2.1billion (£1.66bn at current rates) in revenue in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $5.46bn for Adidas and $12.43bn for Nike. As such, Puma is indisputably a challenger brand.
Adidas has long had its tentacles wrapped around major FIFA tournaments, such as the World Cup, and UEFA’s prized assets- the European Championship and Champions League. But this summer’s Copa America is the first since 2004 not to have Nike as a sponsor of the tournament and the match ball. Instead, Puma has taken ownership, as part of a bigger deal including all of the South American football federation CONMEBOL’s country and club competitions.
Yet Puma only sponsors one national team competing at the Copa America: Paraguay. Adidas sponsors eight (most notably Argentina and Mexico), Nike sponsors four (including the USA and Brazil), Marathon sponsors two, and Reebok sponsors one. It follows a pattern Puma has adopted in different markets, notably taking over sponsorship of the English Premier League ball from the 2024-25 season after a long period of Nike dominance, but sponsoring only one club in Manchester City. Puma also sponsors the ball in La Liga but does not sponsor any of Spain’s biggest hitters.
NYT story by Adam Crafton, link below.
Principle Drone Pilot and Creative Director at Airbear Video. GVC Specific Category, A2 CofC | EASA A1/A2/A3 License.
5moGreat ad! Just a quick ask if the camera was intentionally in the shot with the girl.