PUMA Wins Gold by adding Mutaz Essa Barshim with Gianmarco Tamberi | Why the Niche is More Important Than Ever

Herzogenaurach, Germany, August 26, 2022

Source: PUMA signs Mutaz Essa Barshim, one of the most successful high jumpers of all time

Puma recently ran a profile on Gianmarco Tamberi as he won the European championship this season. Source: PUMA SE Tamberi is one of those athletes made for the promotional aspects of the sports industry. While most Americans are only familiar with Gianmarco because of the amazing finish at the Olympics where he shared the Gold medal with Mutaz Barshim, watching high jump events where he is involved is some of the most engaging track and field presented in a competition.

In the video above Puma interviews Tamberi about his process in overcoming a devastating ankle injury in 2016 to grab a share of the Gold in the Olympics and to capture this year’s European championship against adidas sponsored Andriy Protsenko. Mutaz, who is an incredibly personable athlete who could inspire an entire generation of High Jump athletes, definitely saw the amazing marketing prior to the World Championships which highlighted Puma’s signing of Elaine Thompson-Herah and American sprinter Abby Steiner.

PUMA’s Nabs Rising Star Abby Steiner and the Fastest Woman in the World Elaine Thompson-Herah, but will it matter?

Adding Barshim to their sponsored athletes is like forming a track and field version of the Avengers. Mutaz is even more of a highlight reel than Tamberi. His recent World Championship title added to an incredible legacy in High Jump, but Nike failed to make any announcement for the superstar athlete. Meanwhile, Puma created an entire campaign around Tamberi, Herah and their other sponsored athletes.

Puma’s recent growth has allowed the brand to continue a push in endorsements which began with a return to basketball. While athlete endorsements are taking a backseat to entertainers and collabs with stores and streetwear designers for other brands, Puma is looking like the Swoosh in acquiring athletes. They may be focusing heavily on the niche, but this is equally as important as nabbing a cool superstar entertainer, especially for Puma.

A few years ago, the company had rapper Meek Mill on their roster, singer The Weeknd and Young Thug. None of these partnerships created brand heat like their Rihanna partnership. When Puma landed LaMelo Ball, their fortunes in basketball changed. They had highlighted J.Cole in basketball over their roster of athletes like Deandre Ayton, RJ Barrett and Marcus Smart, but as Ayton and Smart both made it to NBA Finals it appeared Puma had landed on a combination of quirky, cool design and successful athletes (Ball won Rookie of the Year), to add energy to their sportswear.

The addition of Barshim to this roster may not seem to be important, but I recently did an article during the World Championships to highlight the reach of track and field on YouTube. The article was an analysis of Nike’s tarnished track and field legacy and the fact that the Championships took place in the U.S. for the first time, in Oregon.

The Irony of the 2022 World Track and Field Championships Landing in Oregon | Nike’s Tarnished Legacy on Display

In that post I delivered this data:

US Track and Field Team Trials 

I used the 400 as an example, but when comparing sports media television and highlights from the major sporting events, track and field performs very well on the platform. Media has changed. High Jump is a difficult sport to watch because of the amount of time taken between adjusting the bar and because of the rules which allow an athlete three opportunities to clear a specific height. That doesn’t mean that the sport doesn’t have an opportunity to grow if it is highlighted more. I recently discussed adidas’ endorsement of two of the fastest and most entertaining men in track and field:

adidas Sponsors Two of the Fastest, Most Popular Male Sprinters in the World, Do You Know Their Names?

I’m now writing to express that Puma has a similar opportunity to create some amazing campaigns around Barshim and Tamberi. This could be a coup if handled correctly.

Note:

As a track dad with a daughter who high jumps (middle school champ last year!), I’ve contemplated raising money to create a high jump facility to host sponsored events. I have a very difficult time helping to train my daughter during the offseason because there isn’t anywhere in this area with an indoor jump pit. I have a difficult time finding the jump spikes from Puma for my daughter. (Puma holla at me and help me out with this!) Track and field isn’t given enough support in the States and it’s frustrating, but there is considerable opportunity here digitally and not just on IG for the momentary likes.