Will a bad boy image give Puma back its cred?

JWT New York’s ad, Calling All Troublemakers, is an unlikely way to kick off a campaign called Forever Faster. Sure, the voiceover message is be more daring and push boundaries to achieve “danger, risk and potential fugitive status”.

Visually, the ad is clearly saying, “be bad – get girls” (two at once, in a hot tub).

In a statement, the company said it wanted to be known as the fastest sports brand in the world. “Through our endless pursuit to push the sports world forward, we are Forever Faster. Not fast. Faster. Faster is more determined. It trusts its instincts, not the rules. It’s brave. It’s confident. Faster reminds the world what it means to play. Then wins it all, breaks records, breaks them again, and takes a victory lap.”

The ad stars Usain Bolt and footballer, Mario Balotelli, (both on the field and in hot tubs). Golfers, Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson, get cameo roles.

The new campaign is Puma’s biggest marketing push to date. The company spent the days prior to its August 7 launch, creating interest via Twitter’s “Flock to Unlock” ad tool, with Puma’s top athletes tweeting to a combined 19 million followers. Later this month, it will also release a digital athletes’ autographs activation.

The cleverest part of the campaign is its timing. Puma intentionally delayed its launch until after the World Cup to lock onto the back-to-school season and start of domestic football leagues across Europe. The ad has obvious appeal for male teens.

In Asia-Pacific region, the campaign is getting a major OOH boost with billboards and activations in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur. The ad will also run in cinemas, TV and specialist print media in some countries.