Selena Gomez is the ultimate inspiration for any daring woman out there. Unlike many other celebrities her age, she manages to continue defying society by cutting its noise out entirely. Puma celebrates its 70th anniversary by collaborating with Gomez to revive its brand through the pop star’s message rather than her fame.
She wants to foster a community of self-empowered ‘strong girls,’ through her ability to influence rather than her celebrity status. And in times like today, we could use more of these kinds of women.
Gomez explains that to DEFY is to be brave. It’s about pushing the envelope and not obeying any ‘expectations’ placed on you by society. PUMA has captured this feeling perfectly with their new DEFY training shoe. She reminds herself daily about the importance of defying the outside noise and being true to herself.
Selena Gomez Is A Force To Be Reckoned With
Her new training shoe collection with Puma is far more than that. It’s about having the courage to embrace our uniqueness and using it to defy what we, as women, may have been led to believe about ourselves. Almost all of us have received some kind of negative criticism or ‘you can’t do that’ commentary. These comments try to break you down of your confidence and instead fill your mind up with self-doubt and limiting beliefs.
Gomez has taken action. She made a pilgrimage to Puma’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Here, she spoke in front of nearly 1,000 employees from around the world for its annual conference showcasing new products and direction. Very quickly after her presentation, she opened up about how she’s leading Puma in a new direction while catapulting the brand’s awareness in the United States.
Selena Gomez is a highly influential and outgoing personality on social media. She is also an incredible singer and fashion lover, Therefore, she makes the perfect spokeswoman for all female millennial consumers.
Defy the Norms
Selena Gomez believes that the best way any woman can live is by living a life that serves their best interests. And not in a selfish context either. She says that it’s more about focusing on yourself because the only way to truly be you is to do you first. I couldn’t agree more. Living your life to meet ridiculous expectations becomes incredibly exhausting,
Opportunities are endless with a campaign like this. Although the letters in the shoes share her initials, the interpretation has a much greater depth. Gomez says the whole point is to take the focus away from her. Rather hone in on what she believes in and what she chooses to do with the platform she’s given. The concept is a lot bigger than Selena and Puma itself. The entire collection is about how you feel.
Because people responded so well to Selena Gomez and her Puma collaboration, she was made an ambassador. The company’s strategy for Gomez is similar to its successful partnerships with Rihanna and The Weeknd. The label’s team of young talent also includes Big Sean and Cara Delevingne.
Gomez says she likes to think there’s room at the table for everybody. She thinks that the relationship that Puma creates is most important. Puma always crafts unique stories that build upon each ambassador’s individuality. What’s great about this is that everything you create comes from a place of how you would personally do something. In Gomez’s case, it shows exactly how she would perceive athletic wear and how she would want it to feel. This is vital because many girls are very specific about wearing certain things.
Selena Gomez Uses Her Intuition As Inspiration
I think gut feelings and intuition are familiar concepts to most women. We all seem to have immense power when it comes to this. Gomez uses it as the primary tool for her creative process. She says most of her inspiration stems from the mood she is in and what happens around her.
According to Loretta Brady, professor of psychology, this kind of creative thinking resonates well with the new female consumer. Today women are now seen and presented as active, balanced, engaged, and encouraging of each other. Puma is promoting this reality about today’s women. Brady says being active is just part of keeping oneself ready to lead or serve. This empowering message is attractive to women. It is especially so in the context of a cultural and political climate that is at times pretty disempowering, particularly for young women.
Following Gomez’s first shoe with Puma, there is an elevated focus on a more feminine silhouette and aesthetic. The Defy x SGis set to be released on September 18th this year, followed by Defy Mid x SG and SG Runner in December. You can expect to see more luxe, feminine touches, such as rose gold hardware on a silhouette that’s built for day-to-night athleisure lifestyles.
Empowering Women Forever
Selena Gomez has already created something special with Puma and is now going to make it sophisticated. However, it truly expresses strength. Everything about the collection will be strong. The whole point of her line is to make a woman wearing athletic wear feel strong and beautiful.
In addition, Gomez spoke openly about battling depression, anxiety, and lupus. She was diagnosed with this autoimmune disease in 2015. The world of fashion and the outside criticisms that come with being famous is intimidating. Gomez says it can diminish body confidence. However, it’s not only felt in the world of fame. Young girls experience it worldwide as well and Gomez knows this.
At the end of the day, it’s all about how you feel. And not how others feel about you. The whole point of her collection is to show women that it’s OK to not be accepted. It’s OK to be different. And it’s this ethos that Puma taps into by using her as the face of new campaigns.
Adam Petrick, the global director of brand and marketing, says the relationship between the brand and the ambassador is based on a strong set of shared values. Selena Gomez is brave and confident in the choices she makes. She is also caring, thoughtful, and respectful to her fans.
Compared to Puma, Gomez’s Instagram posts have three times more engagement. This means that some of Selena’s posts equate to nearly $3.5 million in Media Impact Value per post. Puma’s highest-performing Instagram post with Gomez announced that she “joined the family” last year. It received 398,365 likes.
Fighting Against Lupus
Selena Gomez doesn’t know what is going to happen in the future. However, she is using her time here to do what she can to make our future more meaningful and purposeful.
She has created events where she allows people to purchase branded socks and apparel where some of the proceeds are donated to Lupus Research Foundation. She says she believes everything she touches can have a charitable component. When she met with Puma, they saw who she was as a person and knew what they wanted to highlight.
She wouldn’t work with someone who wouldn’t work with her charity of choice and that was meaningful. Gomez is passionate about finding a cure or working with people who don’t have the resources to find out what kind of lupus they have. Because it can be very scary if you don’t know.
Remember that you are strong enough and brave enough to make a difference in your own lives.
