The Puma brand is in celebration mode since sharing their quarterly report. The company can say that they’ve experienced a 7.3 percent increase in sales. What is the reason the brand has made such gains the past quarter? It was the help of Kylie Jenner and singer/songwriter-turned-Creative Director Rihanna.
Since she was born @KylieJenner ‘s been #ForeverFierce . Fierce now @ PUMA & select Cross Trainer stores for R1699 pic.twitter.com/5RTQLCG4l4
— PUMA South Africa (@PUMASouthAfrica) April 23, 2016
Jenner joined the Puma brand by appearing in several of the ads for the sportswear line. Rihanna, as noted, took on the role of Creative Director and designed an original collection for the brand, which was unveiled at New York Fashion Week this past February.
Although Rihanna was a part of the creative development of the collection, Kylie’s selling point is simply linking her name to the brand. The teen has a massive following across all social media platforms, which means anything the reality star and beauty enthusiast stands behind is sure to experience success. Teen Vogue relays Kylie’s recent impact on the Puma brand.
“It’s no secret that Kylie’s social media is a marketing force like no other. Just take, for example, her lip kits that sold out in seconds. When she teased the ‘Puma Fierce’ campaign photoshoot on Snapchat last month, her legions of fans went crazy wanting to know when and where they can shop the items.”
The publication also relays the brand has experienced the most growth in footwear, which is the area that Rihanna has given most of her focus since taking on the position as Creative Director. Fans are reportedly overly antsy to get their hands on the latest designs by the singer, including the “creeper to the furry shower slides. ” Rihanna has revealed clothing line for the brand Fenty by Puma was also met with rave reviews when first shown at NY Fashion Week.
BREAKING— @Stylebop is restocking the SOLD OUT @rihanna Fenty x @PUMA slides today: https://t.co/sSBamdVKOU pic.twitter.com/AooIHMir6V
— The Zoe Report (@thezoereport) April 27, 2016
The Puma brand has clearly made the right decision in bringing on such powerhouses from the entertainment and social media world. They’ll likely continue to see growth. However, as the publication relays, other brands are catching on to the strategy of the athletic brand and will likely attempt to pull in their own celebrity ambassadors and talents to up revenue and popularity. It seems fairly certain that Puma is prepared for a little competition.
Unfortunately, Kylie signing on to be a part of ad campaigns with Puma ruffled some feathers within her famous family. Brother-in-law rapper Kanye West was not a fan of the news that Jenner would be representing a brand that is in direct competition with the sportswear line he is affiliated with, Adidas.
When news first broke and rumors were rampant about Kylie’s new contract earlier this year, Kanye was in disbelief and took to Twitter to hush the rumors. US Weekly reminds as to Kanye’s response to the news.
“Kanye West — who works with competitor Adidas — tweeted that there would ‘1000%’ never be a ‘Kylie Puma anything!’”
How wrong West was. Kylie made the deal and immediately began posting to her social media accounts wearing gear from the brand. The teen posted a pic to Instagram of herself in an expensive car while ensuring to show the Puma brand on her clothing. Later on, a separate post cleverly pictured Kylie in Puma gear coming face-to-face with a real puma. The publication shares the fact of the matter, that Jenner is not backing down on her ties to the brand.
“Of course, Kanye is just going to have to get used to it. Since Kylie is the face of Puma now, she’ll be wearing a lot more of their swag. Besides, at around $50, Puma’s sweats are a lot cheaper than the latest season of Yeezy — for now, at least.”
[Photo by Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for A-OK Collective, LLC.]