Puma used NBA All-Star Weekend to showcase its latest collaborations with athletes as it mixes fun and fashion to connect with pop culture.Puma
NBA All-Star Weekend is the hub that celebrates the league’s stars and unites its spectrum of fans, but for Puma, the event provided an opportunity to further highlight the game’s intersection with pop culture in the footwear and apparel maker’s unique collaborations.
Puma partnered with Cheetos this month to create the latest colorway for the Scoot Zeros, the signature shoe line for Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson. The iconic Chester Cheetah spots are combined with fiery reds, oranges and yellows to give the sneaker a “Flamin’ Hot” touch.
During All-Star Weekend, Puma — with the help of Nowadays Creative and SGK — brought to life a 3D Cheetos bag that led fans through a corresponding-themed maze to a basketball court, merchandise, snacks and prizes. Its presence continued as part of Foot Locker’s Home Court activation in Indianapolis. Puma stationed a Cheetos bodega-themed pop-up shop where Henderson also made an appearance.
“Puma does an incredible job of bringing creativity to their basketball assets, connecting with fans, sneakerheads and athletes,” said Frank Bracken, Foot Locker chief commercial officer and executive vice president. He said Puma “brought this fun collaboration to life in our retail space in an exceptionally unique way, which quickly became the talk of the town.”
Max Staiger, Puma global head of basketball, said the brand wanted to “connect something that was not only authentic to the NBA basketball culture, but also something that would fit into the playful creative that makes Puma Hoops unique.” He added, “Cheetos being both a snack regularly seen around the NBA and a brand with a playful and fun vibe made it the perfect partner.”
Puma also brought Porsche into the mix as a partner. The two released a capsule collection this month to pay tribute to the Porsche 911 Turbo and Indiana’s storied automotive history. Charlotte Hornet LaMelo Ball’s MB.03 sneaker was featured in that capsule.
The latest efforts are part of Puma’s vision to emphasize the culture of basketball. With the WNBA and NBA as global vehicles, Staiger noted the brand “will surely keep challenging ourselves on how to best activate within that platform, both through our brand voice and, more importantly, through the voice of our athletes.”
From the products to marketing, heavy involvement from its athletes is vital to Puma’s design process. “At the end of the day, the more input the athlete has on the design, the more natural and organic the story will come across,” said Staiger. Henderson is within his first six months in the NBA and Staiger valued the Cheetos collaboration as the “perfect platform to also uniquely highlight the great accomplishments Scoot has had.”
Collaborations continue the long tradition of brands using sports to embed themselves into pop culture. Puma previously has released special collections with luxury brands Balmain and MCM, which featured NBA players Kyle Kuzma and Marcus Smart, respectively. In addition, they have illustrated popular cartoons “Rick and Morty” and “Dexter’s Laboratory” into colorways for Ball’s signature shoes.
Staiger said, “If it provides a new way to connect to basketball culture in an unexpected, but authentic way, we will always consider it.”
