Welcome to the 135th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we break down Puma’s controversial marketing strategy for Atlanta’s summer Olympics, joined by track star Linford Christie.
In 1996, Linford Christie was a returning gold medal finalist, with hopes of defending his championship title. Winning gold just two years prior in the 100m sprint, he would be a world’s first in breaking the event’s 10-second barrier, amassing widespread anticipation for his next appearance. Travelling from Britain to Atlanta, Christie was set to compete on Thursday, July 24th, following a press conference and interview.
That year, the games were sponsored by Reebok, and with the opening ceremonies’ viewership of 40 million, (the second most in Olympic history) stakes were high. Now, as the event’s official partner, Reebok held exclusive rights for all marketing-intensive purposes, meaning Linford Christie, a Puma-endorsed athlete, was put in an awkward position. It was bad enough the sprinter had to cover his Puma tattoo, but now he was unable to sport any of his personal gear.
While most would accept these restrictive measures, Christie and his team had other things in mind. Nike, a Reebok rival, had been buying out every available billboard in the city, plaguing the streets with Swoosh banners, and building a massive centre that overlooked the stadium. As if Reebok hadn’t been diminished enough, Puma set out to get their piece of the pie, circumventing the I-O-C’s strict, unfair policies.
Holding a private press conference for Christie, the athlete would walk on stage in a pair of dark tint sunglasses. Lifting the microphone, he began, "Well. They banned the tattoo and I mean we had to sign a declaration to say no tattoos, but now this time I've got something even better". Lifting his shades, Christie would reveal custom navy blue Puma logo contact lenses, which would later influence an array of iconic marketing campaigns among the likes of Hood by Air, Playstation and Nike.
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