retail

Puma Enlists Actress For 'Project Pink'

Puma-Project-Pink-

"Vampire Diaries" actress Nina Dobrev is joining sports brand Puma in kicking off its second year of "Project Pink."

The brand calls it a "more-than-just-October initiative." (Many brands reserve their "fight against breast cancer" efforts for that month.) Puma's year-round effort was launched in 2010 in response to a group of female soccer athletes who were looking to support breast cancer awareness and research.

Dobrev joins Puma soccer athletes and Project Pink spokeswomen Amy Rodriguez, Leslie Osborne, Karina LeBlanc, Alex Scott, Tasha Kai, and Marta Vieira da Silva, plus Puma Women's Soccer Ambassador Julie Foudy. Dobrev appears in the program's video spot and will act as a media spokesperson, make appearances in support of the initiative, and engage with fans throughout the season via her Twitter handle, @ninadobrev.

advertisement

advertisement

The brand donated more than $60,000 to the Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund at Magee-Womens Foundation in 2010.

The project is expanding this year, according to Tara McRae, Puma's North America vice president of marketing. It will include a more robust product offering, as well as more fund-raising activities and events.

Puma is promoting the effort via a plethora of social media, including a video on YouTube at http://youtube/hbzUwJ_BcVM.

This year's effort includes a dedicated website, puma.com/projectpink, which currently contains a pre-launch message urging consumers to check back on July 17. The Web site will allow consumers to tell the company through Sept. 22 which charitable organization needs cash the most.

Consumers can vote Sept. 26-Oct. 7 on the organizations that are initially submitted. The group with the most votes will receive 100% of profits from the sale of Puma Project Pink merchandise, as well as additional funds raised via initiatives throughout the season, at the culmination of the program in October.

The brand has pledged to donate 100% off the profits from the sale of its Project Pink gear at Puma Stores, online at Shop.Puma.com, and at partner retailers across the country, including Eurosport and Soccer.com/PumaWomen, as well as Niky's Sports and Soccer West locations.

Puma is bringing back its Twitter hashtag, #projectpink. Consumers can tweet #projectpink through Oct. 31, and, counting one tweet per user per day, Puma will donate an additional $1, up to $25,000. In addition to soccer, Puma's other sporting divisions are also involved. Puma Running is hosting a five-mile race in August beginning and ending at the brand's North American Headquarters in Westford, Mass., with all proceeds going to benefit Project Pink's ultimate beneficiary.

Next story loading loading..