How Puma approaches emerging technology like generative AI

Indeed, if there’s a buzzy update, it’s likely the company has launched some sort of beta with it. Puma launched a Roblox experience in 2022, it’s tested out NFTs and other Web3 programs and has dabbled in augmented reality. Most recently, the sports apparel brand launched a generative AI tool that allows anyone to design a kit for Manchester City.

According to the person leading the charge of these emerging technologies, the hope is to make sure the brand stays on the cutting edge. “A big part of this is just making sure that we are innovating,” said Ivan Dashkov, Puma’s head of emerging marketing tech. “And, as these technologies become a larger part of everybody’s day-to-day life, that we’re not straggling behind.”

Dashkov joined this week’s Modern Retail Podcast and dove into the company’s approach to new types of technology, as well as the way it analyzes the success of nascent campaigns.

Dashkov knows a thing or two about testing out new programs. His background was in social media before it was ubiquitous. “I was there for the early days of social at the NBA, and I kind of feel like it’s a very similar place now with these new emerging technologies,” he said. Now, social media is a dominant force — and Dashkov believes that’s going to happen with some of these programs.

The challenge for him is figuring out where to invest time and resources, as well as sussing out what the next big thing is. Some of that involves keeping an ear to the ground. “A crazy thing that was happening with a lot of the executives at the company [was]: they were asking their kids what they wanted for Christmas, and instead of saying like a toy or video game, they were actually asking for Robux to spend in Roblox,” he said. This is what led Puma to test out the Roblox platform.

Similarly, with generative AI, the company has seen people wanting to design their own kits for their beloved teams, but Puma has been unable to make a program at scale. “With AI, you can really scale that,” he said. “Like, anybody can kind of go in and use this tool.”

Here are a few highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.

Emerging tech is the new social media
“I was there for the early days of social at the NBA, and I kind of feel like it’s a very similar place now with these new emerging technologies — like AI, like VR and XR — where brands are kind of playing with them. There isn’t exactly a playbook out there of how you should do these things. So it’s a very similar time [compared] to the early 2000s of social media with where we are now with these new technologies. And it’s kind of funny looking at social. Social has now become the media — it’s really the traditional channel.”

How Puma evaluates new tech
“I feel like every technology is a little bit different and has different KPIs. I think, for us, a big part of this is just making sure that we are innovating. And as these technologies become a larger part of everybody’s day-to-day life, that we’re not straggling behind. We just want to make sure that we don’t kind of miss the boat on these technologies — that we understand them, we know how they work. And then, hopefully, we can be a leader. And I think we succeeded at that with Puma AI creator. I think we built something that was first to market, that is very innovative and it’s kind of pushing the envelope.”

Why Puma launches its generative AI tool
“I think we had two really big key learnings that helped us come up with the concept of the Puma AI Creator. The first is: People really care about their favorite team’s jersey or their favorite team’s kit. That is just such a big part of sports fandom and really who you are… When my favorite team releases their new kit for the season or their new jersey for the season, I have a lot of feelings about that. And when you go on social media — and you look on Twitter, you look at Reddit about how people feel about new jerseys and new kits — there are a lot of opinions out there. And usually, especially when Puma makes them, usually they’re very good. But sometimes, you get some negative feedback, too. But again, people are just really passionate. So that’s the first learning. The second learning is: We’ve done some of these smaller-scale activations with some of our streetwear brand partners, where we invite consumers to come in and co-create with that partner and Puma. We’ve done some of these that were open to the public, and you get a line out the door. People love coming in [and] creating their own custom gear. And again, they like to express themselves and who they are — and they do that through this customization. But the hard thing there is you can’t really scale that when you’re doing these like in-person events that have these little stickers or patches that you iron onto these garments. But with AI, you can really scale that. Like, anybody can kind of go in and use this tool. It doesn’t matter where you are. You don’t need to be near New York City or Paris.”