Puma is Making Moves

The running shoe industry is a complex one.  Believe it or not, Nike is not the number one shoe company in the industry, Asics is.  Other shoe companies have had growing (Brooks) and shrinking (adidas) percentages over the past few years, with the industry being one of the most profitable in all of sports business.  

While they haven't been a big player in the running market, especially the U.S. running market, Puma is starting to ramp up their marketing strategies.  The success the company saw with Usain Bolt at the Beijing Olympics, as well as the rest of the Jamaican national squad, seems to have propelled the company to invest more in the running side of their business.

Puma is one of the most creative marketing companies out there.  They've defined what it means to merge fashion and sport into a clothing & shoe brand.  Well, they've unleashed two huge promotions over the past week.  The first is a street meet that will take place in Boston on April 26, which will see an appearance from Usain Bolt.  The second is the Puma unattached mile, which has Puma offering a contract to the winner of the mile race at the Mt. SAC Invitational.

Both of these ideas are creative, will capture large amount of media exposure and are great for the sport.  It's nice to see a company invest in creating memorable experiences for the running community rather than stick with the status quo that's taken place for 30 years.  Hopefully both these events go well and other companies start to create unique opportunities for those passionate about the sport.