German sportswear giant PUMA again teamed up with bespoke design house Noah for a tennis led collaboration collection promoted through a cheeky, comic campaign playing on the sporting streaker tradition titled ‘Winning Streak’.
The collection itself was inspired by the intersections of sport and style and PUMA products in the 1970s – the heyday of the sports streaker.
The Puma x Noah collection dropped on 1 July 1 and its integrated, irreverent promotional campaign called ‘Dare To Unbare’ was conceived by agency Chandelier Creative premiered on 26 June across both brands’ digital and social channels.
The campaign features playful and irreverent video and visuals following a would-be streaker who finds himself fully clothed in front of an entirely nude audience whilst interrupting a crucial match moment in the comeback of a tennis superstar and causing a full-on tennis tantrum.
The campaign was first teased socially from 15 June.
The hero spot, which was helmed by O Positive Director Brian Billow, turns the time-honoured tradition of streaking on its head. It showcased the retro chic apparel line against the backdrop of a tennis match disrupted by a streaker.
The anchor ad was supported by a set of stills for in-store and social content by photographer Francesco Nazardo.
The launch campaign kicked off with Noah hosting a special, in-person event at the brand’s SoHo flagship in New York on 29 June. The launch party gave visitors an opportunity to face off against professional ping pong player Wally Green playing with the PUMA x Noah Star sneaker as his bat. Winners have a chance of scooping a limited edition, friends-and-family pair of the PUMA x Noah Star.
The first drop primarily features a limited edition PUMA Star court sneaker revamp with Noah adding a premium leather take on the classic 1970 silhouette which featured during that year’s Wimbledon. The accompanying apparel leans in to Noah’s signature East Coast sports-prep aesthetic illustrated in items such as a cotton twill painter cap and velour vest, as well as a pair of crew sweaters are made from recycled French Terry. While Super PUMA graphics also add a sense of nostalgic fun to the partner collective.
Noah’s PUMA Star collaboration debuts on June 29th, with a global release taking place on July 1st ???? pic.twitter.com/4qXhubln01
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) June 20, 2023
“This work beautifully challenges the way we see the world, and with this film we wanted to be a bit poetic yet irreverent,” commented Chandelier Creative’s Chief Creative Officer Michael Scanlon. “Definitely with the intention to make people think and smile.”
“It was awesome working with a creative team who embraced being disruptive,” said Director Brian Billow. “Turning the streaker trope on its head was a blast. Also shooting with a hundred naked people wasn’t too bad.”
“Noah are true masters of the craft when it comes to reinterpreting classics. Working with the team to reimagine pieces from PUMA’s sporting archive has been a rare opportunity to create something fresh, a real creative synergy between the two brands – the same can be said for the campaign”, commented PUMA Sportstyle Senior Head Of Marketing Alexandra Weiland.
“We would like people to smile and remember that clothing and footwear choices should be fun,” added Noah Co-Founder Brendon Babenzien.
The agency which conceived the campaign was Chandelier Creative where the team included Chief Creative Officer Michael Scanlon, Creative Director Eva Jane Hogan, Strategy Director Spencer Gervasoni, Art Director Silas Helm, Copywriter Emily Bernstein, Production Manager Katie Knab Oslen, Managing Director Eileen Eastburn, Account Managers Justin Signore, Elizabeth Trousdale and Chris Stewart.
The production company was O Positive where the group working on the campaign included Director Brian Billow, Executive Producer Ralph Laucella, Executive Producer Marc Grill, Producer Eric Liney, Director Of Photography Kenji Katori and Wardrobe Managers Paola Alfaro and Estelle Bailey Babenzien.
Production services were handled by The Lift, while editorial was run through MackCut NYC.
Comment
This cheeky collaboration campaign celebrates the power of everyday rebellion and certainly cuts through much of the usual, more traditional tennis marketing clutter.
It was in March 2023, that PUMA and Noah last released three made-in-Japan ‘PUMA Clydes’ which were crafted in partnership with a Japanese tannery renowned for its expertise in suede leather. Then, building on that first release, PUMA and Noah also gifted friends and family with a limited run of 200 PUMA Star pairs in a special green and white colourway, marking the first time that the archival style has been brought back as a retro release.
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