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Puma said in a statement that the multi-year deal starting in
January would involve Rihanna becoming the face of the women's
training category, joining celebrities like Olympic champion
sprinter Usain Bolt as brand ambassador.
Puma has been spending heavily on marketing - including a kit
deal with English soccer team Arsenal and a big advertising
drive - as it seeks to make up ground lost in recent years to
market leader Nike and German rival Adidas.
Puma Chief Executive Bjorn Gulden said finding a top name for
women's training was important to complement the brand's
strength in soccer, running and motorsport.
"Rihanna was a natural choice for us," Gulden said. "Her global
profile, her charisma and individuality, her ambition, all these
things make her a perfect ambassador for our brand."
Puma said Rihanna would directly influence product collections
from next year, and would be involved in consumer and retail
events as well as social media content.
The company, which did not give any financial details for the
deal, is seeking to tap into fast-growing sales of
sports-inspired fashion for women, which has helped drive the
rise of the likes of Canadian yogawear chain Lululemon Athletica
Inc.
Nike invited 27 of the world's top female athletes to a glitzy
event in New York in October to present its new collections for
women, while Under Armour signed a deal in September with
supermodel Gisele Buendchen.
Nike expects its women's business to grow faster than its other
divisions and to account for 19 percent of targeted group sales
of $36 billion by 2017, from under 18 percent now.
"(Running) tights are the new denim," wrote Nomura analysts as
they reiterated a "buy" rating on the Nike stock following the
women's event. "We remain excited about the growth drivers
behind this business's potential."
Adidas, which has a more fashion-inspired offering than Nike due
to its Originals and NEO streetwear brands, already makes an
estimated 30 percent of its sales from women's products, helped
by collaborations with celebrities such as Rita Ora, Stella
McCartney and Selena Gomez.
It has launched marketing campaigns targeted at women in key
markets like the United States and China in the last 18 months.
(Editing by Pravin Char)
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Puma
names Rihanna as women's creative director
