Puma Senior Team Head for Digital Marketing Ann Unger (@PumaHoops) has been with the brand for more than six years after spending five years with the Red Sox. The brand has seen an increased time in the spotlight because it has returned to basketball and has musicians such as Jay-Z, Rihanna and Selena Gomez serving as brand ambassadors. Unger said, “The nice thing about our portfolio of social media accounts is we have accounts for different audiences. We can find a path, handles, that speak to the different audiences and resonate across the board.” Puma's basketball roster includes WNBA Wings G Skylar Diggins-Smith, Celtics G Terry Rozier, Spurs F Rudy Gay and NBA draftees Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Zhaire Smith and Michael Porter Jr.
SOCIAL SNAPSHOT
Must-follows: Brands like Netflix, they are doing awesome things in a different area than us, but we like to look at what brands like that are doing and how we can use those ideas.
Favorite app: Instagram or Spotify.
Average time per day on social media: Way too much. I kind of want to go on a social media detox, but I don’t know how that will fly with my boss.
Puma’s social media philosophy:
It’s about creating a strategy that facilitates change. We try to be nimble and adaptive and we are seeing it’s no longer just about what brands are saying. It’s about the broader social ecosystem -- what are celebrities, athletes, influencers, publishers, consumers -- what are they saying and tailoring what we are doing as a brand to that. How can we support our athletes and celebrities? How we can work with influencers in a meaningful way. We are trying to look at it a little more holistically rather than just using social media as a microphone.
Returning to basketball:
What is great about our brand is we have always been rooted in sports and we always will be a sports brand. A few years ago we established ourselves with the forever faster mantra that is all about rooting our brand in sports. Sport is culture, so we can touch on all pieces of culture because we have that authenticity in sports. Getting back into basketball is great because we were in basketball and have a heritage and a history, and now to be back in a different and exciting way is awesome. It seems to be a good fit for the brand.
Change in metrics since return to basketball:
We’ve actually found a really good place in the feed with Puma Hoops since relaunching basketball. We’re a little bit unconventional, a little risky, super authentic. We’re spending a little less time curating the perfect post and more time listening to our fans, participating in the conversation, trying to be collaborative. We are trying to be a little more relatable. We’ve seen an uptick in conversation volume and interest based on it.
Fan takeaway from Puma’s social media accounts:
We want people to know we make awesome products and they can buy them. It’s also important for consumers to see us as a relatable brand and that we partner and support some really great partners. In social, we have an opportunity to communicate issues that are important to consumers and get behind causes that are authentic. Without social, we couldn’t be part of these conversations.
Being different than other similar brands on social media:
Being able to be authentic and relate to some of the issues important to consumers and our partners is an angel we are trying to take. Through Puma Hoops, we are trying to pull back the curtain a little more, give people a taste of what’s going on behind the scenes.
Pushback from fans:
There are always going to be people who want to comment negatively on any brand no matter what. That’s fine. That’s the nature of social media. We are confident in our heritage and what we have establish. As far as social goes, we can embrace that, make fun of ourselves sometimes, create a conversation because at the end of the day, what happens on the court or with the shoes will speak for itself.
If you know anyone who should be featured for their use of social media, send their name to us at jperez@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
