Planning & Execution

SPRG Malaysia was involved in spearheading the regional campaign and developed an integrated communications plan aimed at expanding brand visibility and generating consistent media buzz around PUMA Cali’s relaunch.

The campaign was kicked off with the announcement of K-pop star, Hyolyn as the regional brand ambassador of PUMA Cali and her existing prominence in the region among Kpop fans helped the campaign to draw media attention in its initial stages.

A social media contest using hashtag #CaliTravelog was then launched with the grand prize of an all-expense-paid trip to California. In-store activations and purchase-driven contests were also carried out concurrently across all three markets with promotional materials predominantly featuring Hyolyn being at the forefront of PR outreach and publicity.

Media interest for the PUMA Cali surged post-Hyolyn’s announcement as the ambassador and full-page articles of Hyolyn wearing PUMA Cali were featured across mainstream newspapers, magazines and online media.

As the announcement news was quickly gaining widespread media attention, an intentional leak about Hyolyn making her first solo appearance in Malaysia at a ‘secret concert’ was released. This news elevated levels of interest among the regional media with fans of the K-pop icon wanting to know more about her visit to Malaysia.

In the lead-up to Hyolyn’s appearance in Malaysia, proactive media engagement efforts such as media deskside visits, securing of media partnerships, pitching of exclusive media interviews and magazine cover shoots were conducted.

The PUMA #CaliTravelog campaign concluded with a finale party in Malaysia with Hyolyn making her first-ever solo appearance in the country. The #CaliTravelog social media and in-store activations were used to establish momentum for the campaign finale, giving fans of Hyolyn a chance to win passes to the exclusive party. Over 150 members of the media from around the region were present at the event and the PUMA Cali finale party was also featured in global Kpop fansites and forums.

Effectiveness / Results

The idea of building up and releasing key campaign-related information at different stages of the campaign really helped to establish hype and anticipation among the consumers.

Working with a diverse range of media publications, desks and titles also helped the campaign capture over 38 million impressions consisting of unique page views, publication readership and online site eyeballs.

The PUMA Cali sneakers went on to sell out regionally within weeks of its release and helped PUMA expand its market share in the women’s footwear and apparel sector. Significant increases in footfalls to physical stores were also noted throughout the duration of the campaign.

The PUMA #CaliTravelog campaign was recognised at the Marketing Events Awards 2019 in the ‘Best Use of Multi-Channel Marketing’ and ‘Best Use of Influencers’ categories.