21 October saw the launch of Puma’s new Hybrid range of apparel and footwear in Australia through a new campaign built around a new hybrid athlete called ‘Astro’.
The campaign, developed by creative agency M&C Saatchi Melbourne and Current Studios, introduces what Puma describes as the perfect ambassador for its Hybrid range – Astro.
Astro is an artificially intelligent athlete: a product of a technology platform developed via artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess and understand people’s movements.
The project saw Puma athletes – including Scott Pendlebury, Renae Ingles, Sydney Stack and Katie Brennan – involved in Astro’s development through paired training programmes to help it learn from their various athletic skills and training exercises to evolve its movements.
Some of these athletes and Puma endorsers trained with Astro and with members of the public as part of live brand events and activities at Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Astro, which is also now ‘trainable’ via the Puma Hybrid website, also teamed up with Puma ambassadors for the launch of a Hybrid range campaign which includes an out-of-home strand, online creative, in-store work and social content.
Puma Hybrid Astro Activation from Puma Astro on Vimeo.
“The Puma Hybrid is a cross-trainer for people who don’t train one way. They’re unexpected in where and how they work out. We wanted to create an unexpected idea that celebrated that. So we made ASTRO,” explained M&C Saatchi Melbourne Executive Creative Director Emma Robbins.
“As he grows and evolves, so does the idea. He looks pretty sharp in the shoes too.”
Current Studios VP Of Creative Technology Steve Martel added: “ASTRO represents the most complicated physical AI experience ever produced. Users can train ASTRO in a variety of disciplines including power, agility and strength. The more people who train ASTRO, and the better their form, the better ASTRO will become.”
Puma Head Of Marketing (Oceania) Neysa Goh said: “Puma has always had a strong focus on training and the Hybrid product has been specifically designed for a generation that wants to train, however, wherever and whenever they want. ASTRO brilliantly brings this proposition to life.”
The campaign was created for Puma Head of Marketing (Oceania) Neysa Goh and Marketing Manager (Sport) Simon Hall by an agency team at M&C Saatchi which included CCO Cam Blackley, ECD Emma Robbins, CD Russel Fox, Head of Integrated Production Gene Kingi, Designers Jessica Ramsey and Richard Sellies, Account Director Josh Eaton, Account Manager Kara Blair, Producer Tony Le and Strategist Ryan Smith.
The production agencies were Current Studios and Positive Ape
Comment:
An interesting initiative which continues the trend for Puma to put avatars at the core of other local market ‘Hybrid’ promotional and trialling initiatives in various parts of the world – including Shanghai’s ‘Run My Way’ (see case study) and Singapore’s #PUMANSOFSG (see case study).
Links:
Puma
https://www.instagram.com/puma/
https://www.youtube.com/user/puma
M&C Saatchi Melbourne
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