Not only was Puma the dominant kit supplier with 12 teams showing the strongest brand visibility on the pitch, it used the World Cup as a platform for product introductions and the launch of charitable campaigns such as United For Africa.
Puma gained brand visibility throughout 56% of the tournament, making Puma the most prominent brand in terms of visibility - that being, in 36 out of the 64 games at least one Puma team was present, equating to 54 hours of on-pitch action.
Puma was also among the top three brands in terms of player presence on the field, with 18% of all players wearing the speed proposition product line v1.06, which has received an outstanding response from players and teams alike. Exceptional sell-through reports in all markets led to the football performance turnover rising by around 40%, compared to 2005.
"Not only have we reached, but by far surpassed our goals for our brand at the World Cup. We have significantly strengthened our strong position as one of the world's leading football brands and made unparalleled impact with our innovative performance products", comments Jochen Zeitz, CEO of Puma.
Off the field, Puma's activities during the World Cup have been centred in Berlin at its specially created Café Moskau headquarters. The venue offered public viewing for every match and a showcase of live entertainment, ranging from underground music acts to international stars such as Agon and Basement Jaxx.
United For Africa is an organisation that supports over 30 charities and 5000 projects. With a transparent amount of funds directly benefiting the African people, Puma launched an entire charity collection of clothing and lifestyle products and integrated the charity campaign in all German Concept Stores. The creation of an United For Africa charity tram entertained locals and visitors in Berlin with its entertainment and retail offering and cooperation with the Goethe Institute, which hosted an onboard African film festival.
Puma's partnership with German national airline DBA saw a total of 27 aeroplanes prominently display the brand message "willkommen zum fussball" and was visible in the airports of each of the twelve host cities. The Spree river in Berlin hosted the Puma boat, a floating football pitch and beach bar.
"We have once again proven that Puma is deeply embedded in the world of football. We intend to continue this course, [which started] on Sunday at the final with Italy, and carrying on through the European Cup in 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, both guest hosts being sponsored by Puma, pushing through until the World Cup 2010 in South Africa where we will once again be the most dominant brand in African Football", says Zeitz.
Puma previously announced that preparations are already underway for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. With an portfolio of more than ten Puma-sponsored African national teams, Puma is already the most visible football brand in Africa, according to the company.
