PUMA Redworld

PUMA is a brand known for making innovative products that push performance while not taking themselves to seriously. Their athletes (like Usain Bolt & Rickie Fowler) win gold medals, but then go out afterwards and DJ the party. In world where wholesalers and online sites have the same product at better prices, company-owned retail stores were PUMA's opportunity to introduce customers to the quirky brand. To do so they  revamped their retail prescense and create the consumer-experience focused Redworld stores. We worked with them and their creative agency GBH to create three interactive experiences that would bring their brand to life in stores.

We brought two visions that GBH had to life with the Un-smart phone and Peepshow.  Un-smart phone is a red no-dial phone that sits amongst the merchandise in stores and rings as people pass by.  When users pick it up, they listen to a short funny message.  Messages include a voicemail from your German psychiatrist, a PUMA tip-of-the-day, the inside of a seashell, or a reggae party. Peepshow is the visual version of Un-smart phone. It's a sleek metal cabinet that sits enticingly on the walls of a dressing room. Emblazoned with the simple text Peepshow, it invites users to step in, close the curtain, and be transported into the world of PUMA. Each time the user opens the door they see a different video; a scuba diver underwater, a disco ball, a wall safe, etc. The videos and messages each add a subtle dose of the PUMA brand for the shopper. 

The third installation we created is the iPad wall. The iPad Wall is a networked system of 32 iPads that work together through custom controller software (called Evil Empire) to create a large multi-touch display. The iPad Wall plays games, displays art, and creates interactive videos in the PUMA stores. This video explains it all.

For each of the installations I worked to create the initial prototypes and design. After our first installation in Paris, I worked to develop new versions of the products for subsequent versions.  I was involved in all aspects of the build from construction, installation, design, electrical engineering, coding for the hardware products (iPad wall coding was done by an iOS developer), and vendor management for the metal fabrication. Once we received orders for 100's of phones and Peepshows, I worked to help develop a supply chain of US manufacturers to supply parts, assembly, and circuit boards for the devices. 

The iPad Wall was a finalist for the One Show Interactive awards and was the cornerstone upon with the hardware practice was built out at KBS+.

Check out the iPad Wall Video below.