PUMA opens the doors to its latest new flagship store in New York on 5th Avenue. The unique store spanning across 2 floors, features an industry-first multi-sport, multi-sensory Skill Cube, designed and developed by human experience design studio Green Room. Green Room’s creative platform ‘idols brought to earth’, integrates global PUMA brand ambassadors into an immersive experience, positioning them as virtual training buddies, as opposed to elite and inaccessible celebrities – an approach, established through behavioural research, as key to better engaging the lifestyle traits of PUMA’s target audience; Gen Z.

Respected for their training regimes and prowess, athletes Lewis Hamilton, Antoine Griezmann and Romelu Lukaku host coaching sessions that transport customers either to a virtual football stadium, or a disused warehouse; an experience specifically designed to deliver the best authentic footwear trial whilst still in store.

Jason Isenberg, Global Head of Commercial Marketing at PUMA, said “Facilitating unique and immersive experiences is central to our long-term commercial strategy and the Skill Cube New York delivers on this in every way. This is truly a one of a kind experience and we are confident that our shoppers in the NYC Store will find it extremely engaging and compelling.”  

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Once inside the Skill Cube, visitors are immersed in a multi-sensory environment incorporating 270° floor to ceiling LCD content screens, graphic projection, motion sensing devices, dynamic lighting and surround sound. The floor covering is a high-quality, multi-sport, synthetic turf, designed to bring the footwear benefits to the fore by simulating authentic trial conditions, that further enhance a life-like experience.

Converging analogue and digital worlds, the Teamsport experience kicks off in a virtual PUMA locker room with footballers Griezmann or Lukaku; trialists are transported to a CGI replica of a capacity-filled San Siro Stadium. Reconstructed to a superior level of detail and adaptability – featuring an impressive 5 million individual blades of grass – the virtual environment offers full flexibility and control over 152 lights, independent movement of all 80 thousand football fans in the crowd and updatable sponsorship boards, TV screens and pitch patterns.

Visitors are scored on their performance and at the end of the experience, the stadium comes alive with confetti canons, fireworks, and a cheering crowd. The Training experience transports participants into a warehouse to train with Lewis Hamilton, who takes them through three trials; ladder, jab and jump, going head-to-head with their idols to develop their skills to be forever faster.

Martyn Palmer, Digital Experience Director, added “Our approach was to encourage engagement and disrupt ‘autopilot customer’ browsing, by introducing a highly curated approach to the experience zone, we have succeeded in creating a harmonious customer journey that mixes physical and digital interactions to elevate a positive product experience.” 

In both experiences, the data captured, pulls their position through to a digital leader-board housed on a large screen within the waiting area. Post-experience, everyone who takes part in the trial will receive a personalised email and SMS message for social sharing.