Puma is a sports lifestyle company that originally started as a German shoe factory that specialized on football shoes and running spikes in the late 40´s. In more than sixty years of existence, Puma has experienced the highest highs as well as the lowest lows. During this time, Puma maintained its expertise in the field of football shoes and now belongs to a small leading group of brands, developing and selling the best football shoes worldwide. This paper focuses on analyzing Puma´s position on the market in the field of football shoes, examining its strengths and weaknesses, while also describing the market in general by using Porter´s Five Forces as well as exploring the influences on the market by doing a PEST-Analysis. Taking this into consideration, the paper discusses where Puma Football might achieve a unique selling proposition and how their marketing objective and strategy looks like.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Puma – The Sports Lifestyle Company
2.1 History of Puma
2.2 Product Portfolio of Puma
3. Marketing Analysis
3.1 Puma´s Strengths and Weaknesses
3.2 The Micro Environment of Puma in the View of Porter´s Five Forces
3.3 The Macro Environment of Puma under Evaluation
4. The Unique Selling Proposition of Puma
5. Marketing Objective and Strategy of Puma Football
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines Puma's market position within the football footwear segment by evaluating its strengths and weaknesses through internal assessment and external market analysis. It further investigates how the company leverages its marketing strategy and unique selling proposition to maintain a competitive advantage against major industry rivals.
- Analysis of Puma's corporate history and product portfolio diversification.
- Evaluation of market competition using Porter's Five Forces framework.
- Assessment of the macro-environmental factors influencing Puma's global operations.
- Examination of Puma's Unique Selling Proposition (U.S.P.) and differentiation strategy.
- Review of marketing campaigns and strategies specifically aimed at the football sector.
Extract from the Book
3.1 Puma´s Strengths and Weaknesses
In order to find out about potential competitive advantages of Puma, an examination of their company is necessary. Such an assessment/interior view of Puma as part of the marketing analysis has the goal to point out competences and skills as well as weaknesses and potential for improvement. In the following, the results of a performed “Strength and Weaknesses Audit” will serve as indicators for how good Puma football is able to position itself in the market.
Puma is known to make a great effort in becoming an environmentally sound and sustainable company. Long-term climate protection activities and Puma´s CO2-neutral headquarters, which is unique in the sportswear industry, reinforces what the brand of Puma stands for: innovation, uniqueness and visions. This puts the company ahead of competitors in terms of having a “clean” image, which is becoming more important for customers.
Over the course of their existence, Puma was able to endorse famous and successful athletes. Their latest success came in 2009 at the Athletics World Championships were Usain Bolt, perhaps the biggest current sports star, broke world records and won several gold medals. The achievements of Puma´s athletes increase the brand visibility as well as strengthen the long-term growth potential of the brand.
Being the company of the first hour, Puma has gained an extensive expertise developing and designing football shoes and cooperating with football professionals for over 60 years. The great deal of experience and competences have led to a knowledge advantage over new competitors and enables Puma to continuously create new state-of-the-art football shoes and be successful on the sales market . Therefore, Puma is one of the three most famous football brands in the five big European football markets as the Sport + Markt Report „European Football Brands Top 20 2009/10“ shows.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of Puma's development from a German shoe factory to a global sports lifestyle brand, outlining the focus on analyzing its market position in football.
2. Puma – The Sports Lifestyle Company: This section details the historical background of the company under Rudolf Dassler and Jochen Zeitz and categorizes its diverse product portfolio across various sports.
3. Marketing Analysis: This chapter conducts a comprehensive audit of Puma's internal strengths and weaknesses and applies Porter's Five Forces and macro-environmental assessments to understand its competitive landscape.
4. The Unique Selling Proposition of Puma: This section identifies how Puma differentiates itself through style, innovation, and quality to establish a unique market position against competitors like Nike and Adidas.
5. Marketing Objective and Strategy of Puma Football: This chapter highlights the specific marketing efforts, sponsorship deals, and product launches, such as the V-Series and African Cup campaigns, used to strengthen the brand.
6. Conclusion: This chapter summarizes Puma's strategic success in combining fashion and sports, emphasizing the need for continued coordination between marketing and product development.
Keywords
Puma, Football, Marketing Strategy, Sports Lifestyle, Unique Selling Proposition, Porter's Five Forces, Brand Image, Product Portfolio, Sustainability, Competitive Advantage, Sportswear Industry, Market Analysis, Athlete Endorsement, Innovation, Global Branding
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The paper focuses on analyzing Puma's market position, specifically within the football footwear industry, by evaluating its internal strengths, weaknesses, and overall marketing strategies.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The work covers sports management, marketing analysis (including Porter’s Five Forces and PEST-Analysis), brand strategy, corporate history, and the development of unique selling propositions.
What is the core objective of the research?
The primary objective is to determine how Puma achieves a unique selling proposition and to illustrate how its marketing strategy maintains a competitive edge in a saturated global market.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author utilizes an internal "Strength and Weaknesses Audit," Porter's Five Forces framework for industry structure analysis, and a PEST-analysis to evaluate macro-environmental factors.
What is discussed in the main body of the text?
The main body discusses the historical evolution of Puma, its product portfolio, an in-depth marketing analysis, the formulation of its U.S.P., and a review of specific marketing campaigns like those surrounding the World Cup.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Puma, Marketing Strategy, Sports Lifestyle, U.S.P., Competitive Advantage, Brand Image, and Football Industry.
How does Puma differentiate itself from competitors like Nike and Adidas?
Puma differentiates itself by pursuing a strategy that combines high-performance sports technology with a strong "sports lifestyle" focus, emphasizing style, colorful design, and cultural engagement.
Why did the author highlight the relationship between Puma and African football teams?
The author highlights this because these sponsorships are central to Puma's marketing strategy, utilizing the passion and vibrant culture of these teams to align with the brand’s image and global marketing campaigns.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Diplom-Pädagoge und Master of Business Administration Sean Miller (Autor:in), 2010, Marketinganalyse von Puma, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/162798
