Puma sticks to its knitting, wins

Why do I like this commercial? Well, it’s not a new theme.

We’ve seen many many iterations of the passage of time told through the eyes of a sexy young couple. Often, it’s for a fashion related product. This classic for Levi’s, for example. Directed by an up and coming young director (at the time) named Michael Bay.



And a different way in, and surprise, again, for Levi’s.




So it’s been done before. Benjamin Button kind of does it in reverse (and three hours and forty five minutes) and was, oddly enough, directed by another former commercial wunderkind in David Fincher.

So here, Puma gives it a shot. And I like it. Extremely fresh telling of the story. Everything is just so different. In a good way.

A story told through modern dance, done by two dancers who aren’t the archetypical gorgeous, model bodied Broadway hoofers. He’s skinny and lanky, she’s muscular and sexy.

A wonderfully odd music track with the lyrics “A pretty girl/boy in his/her underwear...”

The mix of post effects and real staging to create many different fantasy worlds that combine with the dancers’ movements to tell the story.

And a great ending with the tag “light injected airness” and the product featured in an understated way that one-ups Nike, by showing the trademark jumping Puma as well as a pretty cool looking shoe.

And that’s what they’re selling, right? Coolness. Cool track, story, movements, backdrop. Not performance. Not show features. Have you ever worn Pumas? They're not real big on support. I think “light injected airness” is a cooler way of saying “Fashion over function.” A smarter way.

Puma isn’t trying to be anything but exactly who they are: a fashion brand for hipsters. Sell the shoe to them and the rest of the world will follow, from the time you meet til the day you die. Or at least until you need better arch support.