PUMA il Mostro Ocean Racing — Mumbai Announcement & Kochi Stopover

(Volvo Ocean Race 2008–09)

In August 2008, ahead of the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race, PUMA — a brand known for bold product and daring communications — planned a high-impact outreach across India. While the race’s official India stopover later that year took place in Kochi, the campaign needed a strong Mumbai announcement to seed national media interest, set partner expectations, and deliver a clear story to lifestyle, sport, and business press.

As account lead at Actimedia, I managed the Mumbai press conference on 8 August 2008, launching PUMA’s Ocean Racing programme to Indian media. This event laid the foundation for the brand’s visibility during the Kochi stopover later in December.

Objective

  • Announce PUMA’s involvement in the Volvo Ocean Race to Indian media, influencers, and stakeholders
  • Provide compelling visuals and spokespeople so lifestyle and sport reporters could tell a memorable story
  • Build a media narrative around il Mostro — the yacht with the daring leather-stitched “floating shoe” design
  • Prime national media ahead of the Kochi stopover to ensure wide coverage when the race reached India

Idea
Stage an exclusive Mumbai press conference as the first Indian media moment for PUMA Ocean Racing. Using a bold branded backdrop, pre-prepared press kits, and rich storytelling angles, the event would:

  • Showcase the yacht’s unique design and PUMA’s creative vision
  • Provide interview opportunities with brand representatives
  • Position Kochi as the official Indian stopover, ensuring media were already invested before December
  • Pre-event: Coordinated with PUMA’s regional and global teams, confirmed messaging, and built a targeted invite list across national dailies, sports desks, lifestyle magazines, and TV
  • Creative staging: Designed a branded backdrop (as in the event photo), distributed press kits with il Mostro’s design story, race route details, and high-res visuals
  • Press day (8 Aug 2008): Hosted the briefing in Mumbai with brand spokespeople. Reporters captured strong visual assets against the branded wall, conducted interviews, and received story packs for immediate coverage
  • Follow-up: Issued an electronic release and distributed imagery to those unable to attend, securing feature angles on design, lifestyle, and sport

Results

  • Immediate impact: Generated strong visual assets for media, ensuring PUMA’s branding was front and centre
  • Media readiness: When the race reached Kochi in December, national outlets were primed, and coverage was amplified
  • Expanded storytelling: Il Mostro’s unusual design moved coverage beyond sports pages into lifestyle and design features
  • Agency value: Actimedia successfully bridged international brand storytelling with India’s media ecosystem, delivering impact both at announcement stage (Mumbai) and activation stage (Kochi)

Context

  • The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was the 10th edition of the event, covering 37,000 nautical miles with 11 ports worldwide
  • PUMA’s yacht il Mostro (Italian for “the monster”) was skippered by Ken Read and designed with a striking leather-stitched look by Antonio Bertone and GBH
  • The official India stopover was Kochi, 3rd – 13th December 2008, marking the first time the race came to the subcontinent
  • Il Mostro went on to finish 2nd overall in the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race