The 71-year-old PUMA is "rejuvenating."

According to the latest financial report data, PUMA has ushered in the company's largest performance growth over the years. In 2018, PUMA's share price rose by about 40%, setting a record high.

With PUMA's fierce beast, we might as well look back at the 10 milestones since the establishment of PUMA. As the world's third largest sports brand company, PUMA is known worldwide for its highly iconic products. All of this originated in a factory in the German town of Herzogenaurach.

01

In 1927, the German town of Herzogenaurach, a pair of brothers brewing a big cause in the footwear industry.

The two of them were Rudolf Dassler and the other was Adolf Dassler, so they named the factory "Dassler Brothers Shoes Factory".

The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory is the only factory in the region that produces sports shoes. However, due to insufficient power supply at the time, the brothers could only rely on the pedals for artificial power generation.

The hard work pays off, and the products made by the brothers are loved by the athletes once they are published. Most German athletes who participated in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics wore shoes made by the brothers.

In 1936, they ushered in further breakthroughs. On the eve of the Berlin Olympics, the brothers took a box of shoes to the home of American athlete Jesse Owens, trying to convince him to wear the shoes they made. After a soft and hard foam, Owens promised the brothers. What the brothers did not expect was that Owens won four gold medals in the Olympic Games and broke two world records and five Olympic records. This brought them a fantastic endorsement, and the shoes began to sell.

But after Qi Li’s entrepreneurship did not take long, the brothers were separated by a “betrayal”. When Hitler came to power in 1930, the brothers joined the Nazi Party. At the end of the war, Rudolf was arrested by the Allies, who at the time believed that his brother had betrayed him. Since then, the relationship between the two has become incompatible, and the contradictions are irreconcilable. In this way, the "Dassler Brothers Shoes Factory" has come to an end.

Later, Adolf chose to move to the other side of the Orah River and set up his own company. His own nickname "Adi" and the surname "Das" established Adidas; and Rudolf on the other side of the river, soon afterwards, also named his company. Ruda was renamed "PUMA".

Two sports business giants were born.

02

In 1948, shortly after its establishment, PUMA released the first pair of soccer shoes in the company's history, named "ATOM." In cooperation with PUMA founder Rudolf Dassler and Sepp Herberger, then head coach of the West German national team, the world's first pair of detachable studded soccer shoes was born.

The release of ATOM also played the role of PUMA in the football world. In 1948, during the first game of the German national team after World War II, several players wore ATOM, including Herbert Burdenski who scored the first post-war post in Germany.

In 1953, PUMA released a new generation version of the ATOM series. These shoes also inherit the success of their predecessors. The following year, most of the players in the Bundesliga team Hannover 96 were wearing the PUMA series, and they also won the German Cup in the same year. This is a huge brand exposure for PUMA.

However, let PUMA really make a difference in the football world, is a name we are very familiar with - Bailey.

As the best football player of the 20th century, Bailey in the 60s and 80s was said to be on the court. He led the Brazilian team to win the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cup respectively, and was the only player in history to win the World Cup three times as a player.

During the three championships, Bailey’s teammates and opponents have changed, but the only thing that hasn’t changed is the PUMA brand he wears on his feet.

FIFA World Cup, the world's most eye-catching sporting event; Bailey, the world's best player. The superposition effect produced by this strong combination is unimaginable.

Therefore, PUMA was also the most popular football shoe brand at the time. Today, although the football shoe market is almost divided by Adi and Nike, PUMA is still highly regarded by consumers in its own chic style. Its stars, there are also super-popular superstars like Gretzman and Royce.

All of this started with the pair of ATOMs that opened the way for PUMA to conquer the football world.

Bailey is the general who killed the village for them.

03

For a company, Logo is an identity, an image, which contains the company's philosophy and purpose.

In 1957, the first logo in the history of PUMA was born.

Unlike the LOGO we see now, the first version of the LOGO is much more complicated: a beast that is jumping through the capital letter "D", with the four letters "PUMA" written below, and the overall shape of the logo is hexagon.

In 1968, PUMA's logo evolved again, leaving only a beast that was jumping; and in 1970, the logo evolved again on the basis of 1968, designed by German cartoonist Lutz Backes, in this edition. In the Logo, the angle of the beast jumping has changed and the image has become more realistic.

The gradual and extremely simplified design has also made the logo a household name. Today, Nike's tick and Adi's three bars are one of the most recognizable logos in the world.

Some people say that PUMA's logo is a cheetah, and some people say it is a tiger or a lion. But PUMA officials have never given a clear answer.

Because, for PUMA founder Rudolf Dassler, PUMA needs to be represented by Logo, which is the five characteristics of Speed, Strength, Suppleness, Agility and edurance. It doesn't matter what the beast is.

04

In 1958, the second year after the first Logo was launched, Hummer ushered in one of the most representative design elements in the company's history - the runway standard.

The runway markings are symmetrically located on the left and right sides of the PUMA shoes, and the three lines extend from near to far. But in fact, the original intention of this design is to strengthen the package of the shoes and better protect the players' feet.

Perhaps PUMA did not think that the outstanding performance of the signing athletes on the field made the runway logo change from "functionality" to "branding": in 1958, Bailey wearing PUMA shoes led Brazil to win. World Cup champion. In 1960, German athlete Armin Hary won the 100M sprint event at the Olympic Games in Rome.

The runway standard itself is like the arc of the cheetah jumping, and it perfectly fits the PUMA brand concept. Behind the seemingly unexpected gains, PUMA is clearly aware of its brand positioning and strong brand confidence.

05 Witnesses of black affirmation

Just like Nike and Air Max, for many people, the words PUMA and Suede should also be in pairs. As one of the most influential shoes in the history of shoes, Suede also played an indispensable role in the process of the black affirmative movement.

On October 16, 1968, the weather in Mexico City was exceptionally hot. At that time, 70,000 live audiences did not think that they would become witnesses to historical events.

In the men's 200m sprint, African-American athlete Tommie Smith won the championship with a world record. At the awards ceremony, Tommie Smith walked to the podium and held a Puma Suede in his left hand. No one knows what he is going to do.

Later, when the American national anthem sounded, he placed Hummer Suede on the podium. At this time, Tommie Smith and the third-placed teammate John Carlos clenched their fists and raised their right hand until the national anthem ended. In this way, we will resist the unfair treatment of black people in the United States.

And what about Hummer Suede? It has been at his feet. "Tough, humble and dark" This is Tommie Smith's evaluation of Hummer Suede. As a result, PUMA Suede is also closely linked to the struggle for black equality, and its special status in American culture has been established.

06 “PUMA Clyde” sword refers to the NBA

In the NBA of the 1970s, commercial development was not very mature, far from the scene of the sponsorship of the shoes. At the time, Adidas and Converse were already offering free shoes to NBA players. But when giving players shoes, give them a sponsorship fee? It was still a new thing at the time.

PUMA, determined to break into the NBA market, is determined to be the first in history and step out of this milestone. They first targeted the Knicks star guard Walter Frazier.

Fraser was a superstar in the league at the time, both on and off the court. On the court, the New York Knicks in the 1970s was a real dream team. They won the championships in 70 and 73 years respectively. Under the scene, the shape is similar to the shape of the leading character Clyde in the classic movie "Bonnie and Clyde". Fraser also got the nickname of "Grandfather Clyde".

At first, Hummer had no idea how to design shoes for Fraser. Their existing shoes were too heavy for basketball players to play on the court, so PUMA invited Fraser to develop new shoes. Fraser said he wanted a lighter and more flexible shoe. It happened that shortly after the launch of the lightweight Suede series, PUMA created Fraser's custom-made sneakers and added Fraser's autograph to the shoes.

In this way, the first pair of signature shoes "PUMA Clyde" in NBA history was born.

In this era when the world is crazy for Air Jordan, we should not forget who made the first move of signature shoes. As Frazer himself said, "After the birth of Air Jordan, Puma Clyde opened the way for it."

07 “Bailey Treaty”

In 1970, there was a big event in the history of sports marketing: On the occasion of the 1970 World Cup, Armin Dassler (son of Rudolf Dassler) and Horst Dassler (son of Adolf Dassler) reached a gentleman agreement called Bailey. treaty".

The Bailey Treaty stipulates that neither PUMA nor Adidas can sign a contract with Bailey. Because the two sides feel that each other will fall into a price war, which will greatly increase the cost.

However, a man named Hans Henningsen changed everything.

Hans Henningsen is a representative of the PUMA company who used to track the Brazilian national team. During the team, he quickly became a good friend with Bailey. But at the time, Bailey himself did not know the existence of the "Pelé Treaty." Therefore, during the conversation, he repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the rejection of PUMA by Hans Henningsen.

After listening, Hans Henningsen decided to go out and change the scene. Without PUMA's knowledge, Hans was the owner of the law, giving Bailey a $25,000 sponsorship fee, plus a super-big contract for the next four years of $100,000.

After that, he brought the proposal to the boss Armin Dassler. Armin Dassler saw the business opportunities and finally did not seduce the temptation to agree to the business. Thus, from the moment when PUMA signed a contract with the Brazilian ball king, the "Belle Treaty" of the two gentlemen's agreement ceased to exist, and only the owner of the Adidas, Horst Dassler himself, was kept in the dark.

It is particularly worth mentioning that there is a provision in the contract signed by both parties that Bailey must deliberately apply for a suspension in the final. In this way, the camera will shoot him, so that everyone can see the PUMA shoes on his feet.

In this way, in the strong dialogue between Brazil and Peru in the 1970 World Cup finals, there was such a classic picture: when the referee was preparing to blow the opening whistle, Bailey asked the referee to indicate that the game needs to be temporarily suspended, and then he Bend down and started to tie the laces.

At this time, the camera was fixed at the Brazilian ball. In front of the TV, hundreds of millions of viewers saw the big close-up of PUMA football shoes in the World Cup finals.

Of course, it also includes the Adidas boss Horst Dassler who is kept in the dark.

A gentleman's agreement made the relationship between PUMA and Adidas down to the historical freezing point, but a great marketing case in the history of sports was born.

08 “RiRi to the Rescue”

In December 2014, PUMA announced that Rihanna, the popular queen, will become the company's creative director and global ambassador.

This "destroyed" move, which seemed almost desperate at the time, became the biggest contributor to the re-emergence of PUMA.

In 2014, PUMA is in the stage of rebranding, and it is in urgent need of new products and new images. Compared to Nike and Adidas, which are cross-border fashion circles, PUMA is significantly slower and has been looked down on the market. Therefore, the PUMA who realized this problem turned its attention to the endorsement of the entertainment industry. The first person they thought of was Rihanna.

"We knew from the beginning that Rihanna is the person we are looking for, and her taste and perfectionist spirit are very much in line with the values ​​we hold." The joy of PUMA's marketing director is beyond words.

Signing Rihanna finally gave PUMA the opportunity to socialize on the line, with Nike and Adidas. In 2015, the first pair of shoes "Creeper" released after the cooperation between the two parties, namely the platform shoes, was quickly sold out within 3 hours. After that, the platform shoes became the "net red explosion" in the eyes of people. Every time the new color is introduced, it will attract everyone's rush. Other PUMA items that she wore also caused trend people to scramble to follow suit.

In this way, PUMA, who tasted the sweetness, continued to "sports + entertainment" and was on the verge of bankruptcy, and it was a little bit better. Two years after signing Rihanna, Hummer’s third-quarter earnings report showed that the company’s net profit increased 98% year-on-year to 39.5 million euros, far exceeding the industry analysts’ growth estimates.

Later, in the entertainment circle, PUMA has successively signed international stars such as Selena Gomez and Jay-Z. In the sports circle, PUMA, which has recovered its vitality, has also returned to the NBA and signed the 2018 draft champion De Andre. Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers star Kuzma and many other potential stars.

Under the joint efforts of "sports + entertainment", PUMA completed the brand remodeling step by step. All this, without the help of Rihanna, PUMA wants to make a comeback, I am afraid it will take a lot of energy and time.

09 “Jamaica Lightning”

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in the men's 100-meter sprint competition, Yushen Bolt from Jamaica turned out to win the world record with 9.69 seconds. A year later in the World Championships in Berlin, Bolt ran a staggering 9.58 seconds, winning the record and refreshing the public's awareness of the limits of human running speed.

On Bolt, in addition to a pair of extra-slim legs, the PUMA Logo on the running shoes of Jamaica Lightning is also particularly eye-catching.

At the beginning of the creation of PUMA, in the mind of founder Rudolf, the brand concept of PUMA has been established as Foever Faster (forever faster). So, in this world, who else can represent PUMA's pursuit of "speed" better than Bolt?

PUMA, who knows the eye, knows that when Bolt was only 16 years old in 2002, he began to cooperate with him. At the time, Bolt was even a glass man who didn't love training.

"After his disaster performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics, we have considered stopping cooperation with him. Although he is very young, he has not been training so hard, he has had several injuries and his body has hidden dangers." Former PUMA CEO Jochen Zeitz, speaking to NBC in an interview.

Fortunately, Bolt and PUMA did not give up. Everyone knows the story. Bolt ruled the world sprint project, and every time he stood with him under the global focus lights, there are PUMA running shoes.

In an interview in 2016, PUMA's current CEO Bjoern Gulden told reporters that "Bolter is the best investment in PUMA history, no one."

10 2006 "Summer of the Horse"

The FIFA World Cup is a feast for the fans. This is especially true for PUMA, the old name of this sports circle, striving to leave its own mark on every World Cup stage.

In the 2006 World Cup, after Pele in 1970, PUMA once again ushered in a World Cup of its own: in this World Cup, PUMA signed 12 teams, pressured Adidas and Nike to become the most sponsored team in the World Cup. The brand, this is the first time in the company's history.

In addition, PUMA released a pair of boots called "SPEED BOOT V1.06" before the 2006 World Cup. These pair of shoes weighing only 200g are the lightest shoes in the world at the time.

More competitively, the Italian team sponsored by PUMA, under the leadership of "Silver Fox" Lippi, defeated the strong enemy France in the final penalty shootout in the final and added a fourth star to the jersey.

The 2006 World Cup is undoubtedly a gorgeous turnaround for PUMA, which is lagging behind Adidas and Nike. But the Hummer at that time would not have thought of it. This is the last glory moment in the World Cup.

In 2007, Gucci's parent company, Kaiyun Group, acquired PUMA at a price of 330 euros per share. However, shortly after the acquisition, PUMA's share price continued to fall due to poor operating conditions, and the company began to fluctuate internally. The company ushered in a long dark moment.

This decline has not gradually eased until the PUMA business transformation in 2015. Affected by this, PUMA's presence in the World Cup is getting lower and lower, and the sponsoring team has dropped from 12 in 2006 to 7 in 2010. By the 2018 World Cup, the number of PUMA sponsored teams has dropped to only two (Switzerland and Uruguay). While the deadly enemies are constantly increasing their sponsorship fees and advertising investment, PUMA is caught in the double dilemma of "sponsored teams have no results, and teams with achievements can't afford it."

The FIFA World Cup was originally the most proud battlefield of PUMA, but now it has become their frustrated sadness. How many legendary superstars have made history on the stage of the World Cup under the blessing of PUMA. This change is embarrassing.

Nowadays, PUMA, who is trying to regain control of the power in the international football stadium, once again returns with ambition. Whether they can reproduce the glory of the past is still unknown, but those legends buried in the past may bring them new courage, inspiration and hope.