Puma on Thursday (March 20) unveiled its largest global campaign to date and one that sees the sportswear company evolving its brand identity with an eye on long-term, sustainable growth, per details shared with Marketing Dive.

The effort envisions sport as a fount of self-expression, enjoyment and social connection, rather than the “performance at any cost” mindset embraced in recent campaigns by industry leader Nike. The campaign goes live today across digital, out-of-home (OOH), PR, social, TV, retail and other channels.

“We truly believe by being your true self, listening to yourself, listening to your own belief and who you are leads to excellence and greatness,” said Richard Teyssier, global vice president of brand and marketing for Puma. “Everything we do now in communication is based on this belief.”

At the center of “Go Wild” is a humorous 60-second spot that shows a diverse array of runners, including a marathoner, a mom with a jogging stroller, a man walking his dog and a person at the top of a mountain, running despite or because of a variety of circumstances. The ad is set to a reworking of Afroman’s 2000 comedy rap classic “Because I Got High,” with new lyrics about what people were going to do instead of getting a runner’s high (not a weed-induced one, as in the original song).

“The story is very universal and the insight is very unique,” Teyssier said of the creative. “These stories are the same for every consumer.”

Research-driven creative

Puma began work on what would become “Go Wild” more than a year ago, researching more than 10,000 consumers around the globe and redefining its approach to segmentation. The company identified four key segments and five consumer targets, the latter of which include “convivial belongers” and “inspiring self-expressers.” Those two groups made up 42% of the overall market for performance and leisure and became the new target for the brand.

“We have a great segment which is in sync with our DNA, which is the biggest segment of the market, so we have decided to play 100% in it,” Teyssier said. “When [Gen Z] think about the way they see the world, they say that these insights are resonating with them at a very high level, more than performance at any cost.”

To reach these consumers, Puma tied running to self-expression, both in the way that Gen Z interacts with social media and in examples from top athletes like Usain Bolt and Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç, who went viral in 2024 for a his calm, no-nonsense approach at the Olympics.

“Even if it is hard when you start, you know that you will never regret a run because of the happy chemicals and the feeling you have during and after the run, so that’s exactly what the campaign is about,” Teyssier said. “Creatively, we made it fun, because at its essence, Puma is joyful.”

The campaign was created with agency Adam&eveDDB, which took on the brand’s global creative work last year. The Puma account is led by teams from the shop’s London and Berlin offices. At the time of the appointment, Puma executives spoke of the agency’s ability to build deeper, more emotionally charged connections with consumers.

Early results encourage investment

“Go Wild” is launching today but has already seen success in pre-tests conducted by System1. The campaign ranked in the top 5% of the most effective sales-driven ads and in the top 1% for long-term ratings in the U.S., China and Germany. It also ranked in the top 25% of the most successful campaigns in other markets, and has been tested in Mexico, India and Saudi Arabia.

Rather than adapt the video creative to the local culture of each country or territory, the campaign is being run as-is, underscoring the power of universal stories that share unique insights. However, Puma will create specific communication assets with local teams to amplify the global message. Overall, Puma will increase its campaign investment by 40% over 2024 levels, with the media mix — including TV, OOH and social — depending on country and region. 

The launch of the new campaign comes days after Puma shared its latest earnings report. The company saw currency-adjusted sales increase by 9.8% in Q4 2024 and by 4.4% in the entire fiscal year, but has forecast 2025 growth in the low- to mid-single digital range amid a volatile global economic environment. Still, establishing a distinctive brand identity remains a key part of the marketer’s strategy.

“It’s a very big moment for us at Puma because this brand DNA work we have done in the last year is super important for us to shape the future,” Teyssier said. “This new way of looking at the market… we believe it is disruptive.”