Julien Alfred turned pro last year after an amazing career at Texas. She signed with Puma and the relationship is already paying off, but Puma needs to capitalize. Alfred is known for her calm, stoic demeanor, but she showed an unusual range of emotion as the sprinter allowed herself a moment of self-appreciation after accomplishing one of the most amazing feats in track. Her breakdown into tears, not featured in the video below, was a moment filled with gratitude and happiness.
The event began in a dramatic fashion as adidas sponsored Aleia Hobbs showed how quickly things can turn. Before the event began, she sat at the blocks and began holding her leg. The athlete was in such distress she had to be wheelchaired from the track. It was a stark reminder of how quickly things happen in track and field. Leaving a lane open next to the incomparable, difficult to defeat Puma sponsored Ewa Swoboda an injury typically creates trepidation in the field.
Swoboda and Alfred and many of the athletes in the field were rocking the Puma EvoSpeed spike. Alfred, who at Texas was trained by Coach Floreal, called on her training and utilized a strategy discussed in a FloTrack training video where Coach told her countless times to be patient in coming out of her start so that she could explode once she was tall in her strides. Swoboda seemed to be on the way to another indoor championship. Alfred used her long stride and perfect form to snatch and win the first medal ever for St. Lucia. The accomplishment was also Julien’s first championship as a pro.
Currently Puma is projecting a slow year for revenue, but the brand has on its roster an amazing lineup of track and field athletes which could provide the type of storytelling which builds a long-term strategy as “The Fastest Sports Brand in the World”.
At this moment the marketing team at Puma should be on the way to St. Lucia to do a discussion and video on Alfred’s accomplishment. A woman just won the first global gold medal in the history of the island. In a year leading up to the Paris Olympics, revenue will be pressured because of the expense of marketing and a slow sneaker market, but the indoor season has already been special for the Cat. The brand should begin highlighting and splashing banners of Alfred’s accomplishment everywhere.
