#3: BIG BRAND VS. SMALL BRAND COLLAB CLASH
Showcasing the converging and competing interests of brand collaborations in sport through the lens of Puma and Represent 247. What does HYROX have to do with it??
On December 18th, 2024, Puma and Represent 247 released a collaborative shoe (and some apparel pieces). Puma is a relatively household name in performance sportswear. Represent 247 is the performance offshoot of the UK-based lifestyle luxury brand, Represent Clo.
The Collaboration Formula…please excuse the oversimplification
Large Brand works with Small Brand
Large Brand takes a desired silhouette(s) and employs the design language/graphics/colors/creative from Small Brand
Small Brand gains exposure to larger audience and access to materials/engineering, etc. at a cost much cheaper to themselves (and maybe a big swanky creative budget they couldn’t normally afford too!)
Large Brand gains legitimacy within a niche audience, expands the bounds of their creative expression/voice, and creates scarcity.
PUMA’s Deviate Nitro deviating from its roots?
However, this gets a bit interesting when we view the positioning of the Deviate Nitro series. Puma has used this silhouette as a collaborative canvas for the likes of Tracksmith, Brooklyn Circus, Ciele, and Celebrity Trainer Alex Toussaint to name a few. One of its most recent diverted use cases and recent collaborations across this silhouette was HYROX. HYROX may not be new, but it’s the hot functional fitness craze sweeping through mainly Europe and the Americas at this time. It can be identified as a continuous competition featuring functional fitness movements, like sled pushes and and dumbbell lunges, alternating with one kilometer reps between. It has largely been adopted by the “hybrid athlete” community that seeks out lifting heavy and intensely while stacking the miles.
Puma inked their deal with HYROX in June of 2024, which will run through 2027 and they wasted no time in producing apparel and footwear to outfit the masses. HYROXers were quick to employ carbon-plated shoes previously held captive by the running community and the Deviate Nitro became an independent favorite. The beloved PUMA offering became a collaborative shoe in 2024…and yes HYROX is emblazoned on it.
PUMA x Represent 247 x HYROX?
Why does this matter? Well, as they say, context is everything.
George Heaton, Represent’s co-founder and creative director said “At 247, we’ve always sought to push the boundaries of athletic performance, and collaborating with PUMA on this project represents a key milestone in our journey. Our aim was to learn from one of the best in the industry and elevate our product line, starting with the creation of an elite performance running shoe. PUMA, already known for developing the number one shoe in HYROX—a sport with which we’re authentically connected—was the perfect partner to help us achieve this goal.”
247 leans into the Deviate Nitro’s identity and validation in HYROX, although it is still known in the running world to be a solution for more than kilometer repeats...Molly Seidel medaled in the Olympic Marathon and PUMA placed 2 women on the podium of the 2024 U.S. Marathon Trials in the shoe too.
Enter: The 247 Arc-1 Runner and Arc-2 Trainer
Fast forward a month from the PUMA collab and you’ll find a headline championing 247’s newest innovation: the Arc-1 Runner and the Arc-2 Trainer. It’s no small feat for an emerging brand to produce performance footwear — it is expensive, it is time consuming, and the forecasting and inventory liability is WILD. It’s a huge accomplishment! According to George Heaton, this project was in the works for two years while it has been an ambition of theirs since starting the 247 line in 2020.
No need to balk at the price point, but let’s look at the details: the shoe is marketed for 5k-10k runs with its high cushion EVA midsole that seemingly shares DNA with trend-worthy HOKAs.
The TOUGH Questions
Timeline and Communication — given that 247’s Arc-1 development conceivably started before the PUMA relationship, do we think they disclosed this project to a future competitor — especially as the release was planned a mere month later??
Product Differentiation — In the running world, we think of the Deviate Nitro as a fast, carbon-plated, PEBA-powered tool for your long sustained efforts. Do we think that this alone can differentiate this high performance staple of PUMA’s from the daily trainer and lifestyle offering of 247’s entry to the running shoe world?
Confusion around the future of Deviate — As PUMA has continued to iterate collaboratively with the Deviate in conjunction with a variety of activewear, lifestyle, and fitness collaborators, will it’s use case and proposition be muddied? If HYROX, its army of participants, and its content engine can shout louder about the Deviate’s use in the HYROX arena, does that change the public’s relationship to PUMA’s previously SINGULAR bet on a high performance racing shoe in distance?
Prediction Time
In reality, PUMA has experienced the reality of a Deviate Nitro collaborator releasing their own shoe when Tracksmith did this years ago…but Represent 247 had, by far, the quickest turnaround. PUMA seems very confident in the Deviate Nitro series to be a very strong representation of the brand’s innovation and value proposition and that is why we see them use it as a collaboration tool. To oversimplify the strategy, it seems like they know the shoe is great and want to use this with collaborators to get a great shoe on more feet through the lens of new colors/design language from their collaborators.
Will we see Represent 247 customers stock their shelves with an regular, unbranded PUMA Deviate Nitro next to a pair of ARC-1s or stock their shelves with additional PUMA apparel and accessories? We may never know!
However, what seems a bit more challenging is the HYROX positioning and identity. When reviewing both product pages for the “running version” and “HYROX version,” they are identical outside of a small note around the HYROX version having additional structure in the upper with PWRTAPE overlays. While emblazoning HYROX in massive letters is an effective way of signaling use case, there is virtually no other functional benefit or design language to differentiate. There is no change[that is obvious from product descriptions] to foam density, weight of the shoe, stability of plate geometry, etc. You could use any model of the shoe for each purpose. Accordingly, it seems like PUMA’s challenge from this day forward to maintain the narrative around Deviate (if they have no intention of changing design/features) is to shout loudly enough with their marketing lens about the Deviate’s identity and use case in RUNNING to counterbalance the hype JUGGERNAUT of HYROX.
HOW DO YOU THINK PUMA CAN MAINTAIN THEIR NARRATIVE IN RUNNING?
SMALL BRAND MENTALITY SLINGSHOT
I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of connecting with individuals who aspire to build their careers in the outdoor industry and to flourish within it. In this segment, get to know and connect with them to slingshot their personal development and see what they’re up to!
Meet Dakota Zubeck
Dakota is based in Chicago and recently transitioned to full-time freelance work. He is focused on graphic design and brand consulting, helping brands deliver impactful design solutions while collaborating on marketing campaigns—everything from SEO to email marketing—primarily in the sports, wellness, and fashion spaces, which he finds both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
Off the clock, he spends most of my time exploring the city, sharpening his street photography skills, searching for the best pour over and cooking at home with his girlfriend and their two cats.
Amid all these changes, his drive to learn and grow has only deepened. He’s always looking for opportunities to connect—whether that’s finding a mentor, exploring collaborations, or simply fostering a stronger sense of community.
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