In 2007 the sports category was burrowing ever further into the dark worlds of war and technology. Nike championed the 'win at all costs' philosophy while Adidas used a barrage of technical product features. PUMA asked: 'Where is the joy?'So PUMA started speaking to a consumer who played their own kind of sports. This was a consumer raised on a diet of Super Mario and football. Their phones, TVs, computers and even college coursework had become a game. To them, life was a sport and they were playing it everywhere and everyday.

So PUMA demonstrated and celebrated the moments when life becomes a sport: from the spontaneous round of pool to the traffic cone slalom on the way home. PUMA provided the reverence, the arenas and the uniforms for their 'athletes' - who duly responded, significantly contributing to a reversal in PUMA’s fortunes.

PUMA launched the campaign globally, with greater emphasis in their key markets including North America, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan. In the key markets, PUMA deployed a multi-channel approach across Broadcast, Print, OOH, Digital (Content and Paid Media). Where the PUMA Social campaign truly came to life was in the activation of "Social Clubs" which were essentially pop-up venues (ranging from fully operated PUMA spaces to co-opted lounges/sports bars). These venues were programmed to encourage the spirit of competition amongst the After Hour Athletes, including ping pong, pool, darts, foosball and more.

PUMA had fragmented the communication on lifestyle portfolio to the extent that each had a separate story – these needed to be unified. Furthermore, the competitive space for casual sportswear was increasingly crowded with mainstream brands like H&M and Diesel taking market share in the sportswear arena.

PUMA Social is not only a campaign but a true expression of PUMA’s take on lifestyle – turning the joyful parts of life into sport. PUMA Social enabled PUMA to consolidate several ranges under a single campaign and retail experience. No longer were the shop floors fragmented with multiple stories in limited floor space. Also, the organization rallied behind the idea as an expression of the overall brand’s personality to be irreverent, joyful and most of all, grounded in sport. What began as a campaign evolved to an internal rally cry for PUMA and a unifying idea for half of their business.