Puma and PJ; The Partnership to Pinpoint
Saquon Barkley and Hulu. Dave Dobrik and Chipotle. John Legend and Bai. There are so many examples of extremely effective influencer-brand partnerships, and it’s a wonder that there are still many successful brands that have under-utilize influencer marketing tactics. In the era of social media and the ever-increasing influence sphere for the average consumer, influencer partnerships are crucial to pushing past the competition. The brand that I have chosen to strategize for, Puma, is all about pushing past their competition. In fact, their brand mission statement is “Forever Faster.”, a nod to their goal of being the fastest-growing athleticwear company on the planet. While Puma is, of course, a very successful sportswear company, they have fallen behind Nike and Adidas in great strides over the last decade. Therefore, I’ll be focusing on how Puma can use an influencer relationship to rebrand themselves a bit given the current competitive trajectory of their company.
PJ Walker is a professional quarterback in the NFL, but that wasn’t always a clear path for the former Temple quarterback. He set about every record a quarterback could set at Temple University, but went undrafted after college and could only muster a spot on the Colts practice squad. He got no on-field experience for two years in Indianapolis and it seemed like his NFL future was in jeopardy, but Walker got a second opportunity to start as a part of the XFL, which is an alternate professional football league in the United States. Walker shined in the XFL for the Houston Roughnecks, and would’ve won the league’s MVP award if the season had not been cut short by the COVID-19 crisis.
But Walker had done enough, and the Carolina Panthers signed him to be the backup quarterback behind Teddy Bridgewater. This Sunday, Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out for the game against the Detroit Lions, and PJ Walker was given his first NFL start. As I write this article, he is leading his team to a win in the fourth quarter.
PJ Walker can help Puma rebrand itself in the face of their declining competitive success against Nike and Adidas. It’s no secret that Puma is the youngest brother of these three brands, and by using a comeback story like PJ Walker they can position themselves as a company ready to reinvent themselves and push forward once again. PJ Walker might not be the biggest name in the sport, but he plays in the most popular sports league in the biggest sports market in the world and with his first official start being successful it won’t be long before he is an oft-mentioned star of the sport. Moreover, PJ isn’t currently attached to any other major sportwear sponsorship, so by securing his influencer services early Puma can position itself for success in the future with a possible exclusive contract with the dynamic quarterback. PJ Walker is also decently popular on Instagram despite his relative anonymity outside of the football fandom, having over 78 thousand followers on the site. And, if it wasn’t obvious already, PJ’s status as a professional athlete makes him a perfect fit for a global sportwear company.
PJ Walker might not seem like the perfect fit for Puma at first, but when looking at the amount of star athletes that are already committed to either Nike or Adidas his partnership looks more and more enticing. Walker is destined to be a football star, and by securing his services now Puma can position itself for an epic market comeback in the near future. Puma needs to make some moves to rise and compete at the highest level again, and PJ Walker would be an amazing influencer to have leading the charge both on social media and many ad campaigns to come.