Jay-Z’s New Title At Puma Basketball Changed From President To Creative Director

Jay-Z’s New Title At Puma Basketball Changed From President To Creative Director

Jay-Z has a new gig, but there seems to be a bit of clarification about his new title. Earlier this week, it was reported that the music mogul would be Puma Basketball’s president. However, it is now reported that he will be Creative Director. Adam Petrick, global director of marketing and brand for Puma, stated,

I can confirm that according to his deal with Puma, Jay-Z’s official designation is Creative Director. I referred to him (earlier) today by an informal designation.

Nonetheless, the move seems to be a great win for Puma and Jay-Z alike. With Nike running over 50 percent of the U.S. athletic footwear market and Adidas coming in a close second, Puma is making sure they are separating themselves from the rest by partnering up with top NBA players and top music moguls. The goal is to combine music with basketball to help create an elite cultural movement that not only attracts athletes but attracts a whole urban market.

One major point that attracts NBA players to Puma is the fact that they’ll be able to get a signature line rather easily compared to that of Nike and Adidas, but the goal is to attract players who can sell sneaker confidence both on and off the court. With Puma also partnering with Jay-Z it allows them to market their brand on a much broader scale that not only markets to basketball but also markets to the “music of basketball.”

Petrick also added that Puma’s past collaborations with music moguls such as Rihanna has taught them exactly how to understand and work with celebrity collaborators. Petrick stated,

She [Rhianna] was the one that kind of pioneered a lot of the ways we work. It was so focused on her, what she wanted to do and listening to her. Her ideas were so strong.

Now with Jay-Z officially being named as Creative Director for the brand, Puma Basketball feels that Jay-Z will be able to help create a cultural marketing strategy that will attract both athletes and entertainers that can be signed to the brand. Global director of brand and marketing, Petrick added,

We’re making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused.

It’s clear that we’re looking at basketball through the lens of culture, and thinking about the fashion of basketball, the music of basketball — all the aspects of culture around basketball, all the aspects of culture around basketball as much as the on-court presence that we will have.

By: Jeanine Cruz