In a major step towards its commitment to back women in the sports ecosystem,
Sports brand Puma India has announced the roping in of Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur as its latest brand ambassador.
As per the brand, Kaur was onboarded as the result of a social experiment that uncovered the country’s overall mindset towards gender perception in sports.
On Saturday, the brand had posted a cryptic teaser video of a player taking position at the stumps and quizzed the audience to guess Puma’s next brand ambassador. The brand tracked comments of consumers on Instagram and Twitter, native shopping platform Puma.com and retail stores.
According to the 5000 responses collected over 36 hours, 80% of the consumers surprisingly assumed the brand ambassador to be a male cricketer.
This was followed by the brand releasing a video that revealed Kaur as its new brand ambassador, thereby breaking moulds, busting archetypes and creating a strong culture for women in cricket and overall sport.
With this, Kaur joins Puma’s roster, which consists of names such as batting legend Virat Kohli, champion sprinter Usain Bolt, football stars Neymar Jr and Sunil Chhetri, celebrated boxer MC Mary Kom, cricketer Harleen Deol and Para-Shooter Avani Lekhara.
“We are delighted to welcome skipper Harmanpreet Kaur into the Puma family. The way she plays — bold and fierce cricket - she is the perfect fit for our brand which embodies the same qualities and ethos. As a brand, Puma has always stayed ahead of the times and committed to support, celebrate and empower women in sports. This association is a massive step in that direction. Harmanpreet is a sporting icon and, with this partnership, we hope to inspire younger generations and help Indian women’s cricket reach greater heights,” said Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, Puma India and Southeast Asia.
As part of the partnership terms, Kaur will endorse the brand’s footwear, apparel and accessories through multiple activities and campaigns throughout the year.
“Not many know that I hit my first ODI century in 2013 in a pair of Puma boots that I received as a token of support in my early years by the brand. Exactly a decade now and I have been roped in as the face of Puma. I am thrilled to join the biggest sports brand in the country with a star-studded roster. It’s heartening to see a brand such as Puma support the growth of Indian women’s cricket; it’s crucial for bolstering the progress. This is just the beginning and I am sure this association will encourage a lot of women who dream to make a career in cricket. I look forward to an exciting journey ahead,” Kaur said.