Puma History
Post by Alex Stone, Jun 25, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Puma History -At the age of 15, Rudolf Dassler started working in the same shoe factory as his father. He built his savings, until he was conscripted to fight in WWI. Upon his return, he was hired as a factory manager near Nuremberg. By 1924, Rudolf had grown tired of living away from his hometown, and partnered with his brother, Adolf. Adolf had been making shoes out of their mother’s laundry for several years. The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory started with few employees and unreliable electricity. However, in 1925, the company was already on the rise. The Herzogenaurach sports club ordered 10, 000 sport shoes from the brothers. By 1928, nearly half of the participants in the Amsterdam Olympics wore Dassler shoes. Finally the Dasslers secured renown in the general public in 1936. Adolf Dassler traveled to the Berlin Olympics and convinced Jesse Owens to wear Dassler shoes. The result was four gold medals for Owens.
The Second World War strained the relationship between the Dassler brothers. Although both had joined the Nazi Party, Rudolf was more devoted. The political disagreement between the two became suspicion when American troops, after the war, accused Rudolf of being a member of the SS. He immediately suspected his brother had passed them false information. In 1948, their working relationship was impossible and the company split. Adolf established adidas. Rudolf moved to the other side of town and opened Ruda. By the end of 1948, Rudolf renamed the company Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler. The split soon spread through Herzogenaurach as the town’s soccer teams choose either the Three Stripes or Puma. Businesses were soon known as loyal to either Puma or adidas. Workmen would arrive at Rudolf’s house wearing adidas, so that he would give them a pair of Pumas for free. The brothers were even buried at the opposite ends of the town’s cemetery. This rivalry infused the corporate cultures of adidas and Puma.
Upon its 1948 inception, Puma immediately released the Atom. The first West German goal was scored by Herbert Burdenski while wearing them. The relationship with soccer was reinforced with the release of the first screw-in soccer shoe in 1952, the Super Atom. In 1954, Hanover 96 won the German premiere league in Puma Brasils. In 1958, the Brazilian team won the World Cup in Pumas. The company launched an advertising campaign, unveiling its new logo and the Puma stripe. By 1960, Puma sales had fallen far behind adidas. In order to further their reputation in track, Puma pays Armin Hary to defect from adidas.
Throughout the 1960s, Puma continued to pursue prominent athletes and modernize the sports shoe. In 1960, they launched the first vulcanized shoe. The process was soon used to manufacture 80% of all soccer shoes. The two companies signed an agreement forbidding either from using Pelé as a spokesperson. Yet, in 1962, Pelé lead his team to victory in the World Cup wearing Pumas. In 1966, Puma added Eusebio to their line of superstar soccer players when he wore the Puma King to the World Cup in England. Puma released the Mexico 1968 for the Mexico City Olympics. The shoe featured miniature bristles at the front. A number of American athletes achieved world records prior to the games wearing the shoe, but the Olympic association ruled the shoe too dangerous for competition and revoked their times. Two American runners deliver the Black Panther salute on the podium after winning their medals in Puma shoes.
In 1970, at the opening whistle of the final World Cup match, Pelé stopped the referee to tie his shoe. As a result, millions of television viewers get a close-up of the Puma King. In 1974, Johan Crujiff was named Player of Tournament in the German World Cup. He and two teammates, the Kerkhof-twins, refused to wear the Dutch team jersey provided by adidas and opted for a tailored two stripe jersey. In the mid 1970s, the company revealed its S.P.A. technology, the shoe’s higher heel was meant to reduce injury by revealing ankle strain. In 1974, Rudolf Dassler died and left the company to his son Armin.
In the 1980s, Puma experienced some success in the U.S. by focusing on endorsements from top athletes. Marcus Allen, Jim Rice, Roger Clemens and Evelyn Ashford all signed on. In the mid 1980s, two Puma tennis players won Wimbledon victories, Martina Navratilova and Boris Becker. In 1986, the company went public. Also in this year, Diego Armando Maradona scored the famous “Hand of God” goal at the World Cup while wearing a pair of Puma shoes.
In spite of the company’s high profile, a change of management is required by the early 1990s. In 1991, Proventus acquired controlling interest in Puma. For the past decade, Puma has lost market share to Nike and Reebok as well as its rival adidas. While Puma has high brand loyalty, a recognizable name and the release of the Puma Disc System was a success the company was in the red. The management changes several times, until the 30 year old Jochen Zietz takes the reins. Within a year, Puma is once again profitable. By the late 1990s, the company has repositioned to combine sports and fashion culminating in the Mostro. Madonna wore the Mostro throughout her 2002 world tour.
In the new century, Puma picked up markets long neglected by other shoe manufacturers. In 2001, Puma released the fire-resistant Speed Cat for Formula One racing. In 2004, Puma outfits the Cameroon soccer team with UniQT jerseys. FIFA declaims the shirt and strips Cameroon of points in the World Cup qualification. In response, Puma sues and the two come to a settlement that results in development projects in Cameroon. In 2006, a Puma team won the World Cup for the first time when Italy beat France. In 2008, Puma launches the Il yacht to compete in the Volvo Ocean. With the ship, Puma launches a line to support sailing sports.
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