Every four years the world stops for the FIFA World Cup and it has become a major marketing event for many companies. The 2010 tournament in South Africa presented a huge opportunity for the PUMA brand, which sponsors 13 African national teams. These relationships opened the door for PUMA to overshadow a main competitor and 2010 World Cup sponsor Adidas. Plus, with the economy presenting travel obstacles for many media, there was an opportunity to create an alternative U.S. “destination” for experiencing the World Cup.PUMA took over New York City’s South Street Seaport for a month-long soccer extravaganza that provided the public an unforgettable soccer experience and re-directed the media spotlight from the company’s competitors. Integral to this effort was PUMA City NY, an immersive pop-up soccer experience that consisted of viewing stations, a nightlife venue, gaming area, a mini-pitch, artist stations, gear test-it areas, and retail components. To create a buzz leading up to the tournament, PUMA-sponsored African players also were made available to target media ― reinforcing the African connection to PUMA.The campaign resulted in 2.6 billion global media impressions. And as a result of the coverage, consumers rated PUMA as number 1 in soccer gear.

PUMA City, an integral part of the execution, consisted of viewing stations, a nightlife venue, gaming area (for foosball and ping pong), a mini-pitch for “human foosball” games and youth soccer clinics, artist stations, gear test-it areas, and retail components. It was positioned as a unique “destination” to experience the World Cup as well as a fun, high-energy atmosphere for on-site, day-long media broadcasts. An out-of-home advertising campaign complemented the initiative. It included wrapped double-decker buses, bus shelters, and local media support. To legitimize PUMA City as the ultimate source of everything soccer and PUMA as a World Cup media resource, timely alerts with the latest in tournament standings and player performance updates were provided regularly.Finally, PUMA’s African players were made available for interviews and pre-tournament gear stories/round-ups ― placing the brand at the epicentre of World Cup fashion and sports coverage nationally and creating buzz for PUMA City.

• Secured 2.6 billion global media impressions and 258 positive PUMA/World Cup stories, ranging from local city coverage to a June feature on MensHealth.com, rating PUMA soccer gear as No.1 for fans.

• Placed PUMA Africa player Samuel Eto’o on ESPN Magazine’s cover, solidifying the brand’s larger-than-life World Cup presence. The cover featured Eto’o wearing PUMA’s Africa Unity Kit, which was displayed at PUMA City.• Secured broadcast segments with all major networks plus coverage from NYTimes.com, Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health, NY Magazine, Vanity Fair, Time, Forbes, Bloomberg, Sports Illustrated, among others ― positioning PUMA City as THE place to enjoy the tournament.