K-pop group NCT 127 joins the PUMA family as Asia Pacific ambassador
Global sports brand, PUMA announces the signing of boy group NCT 127 (SM Entertainment)’ as the ambassador for APAC.
NCT 127 will become PUMA’s ambassador in APAC and will be active in fifteen different Asian and Oceanian countries. The selection of NCT 127 as PUMA’s APAC ambassador to represent the brand is a significant move, especially with the Korean group’s popularity and contribution to the spread of the Korean Wave, centered on the rising trend of K-POP worldwide.
Regarding the background of the partnership, a PUMA official said,
“NCT 127 is a renowned K-POP boy group that has gained great popularity with the younger generation across APAC, including Japan, China, Singapore, and Thailand. ‘NCT 127’ was selected as the ambassador in consideration of the rapidly emerging status of K-CULTURE around the world.”
They also added,
“Based on the strong influence, passion, and creativity of ‘NCT 127’, we plan to conduct various campaigns and communicate with fans and consumers all across APAC, overall, increasing our brand value.”
An SM Entertainment official said,
“Collaborating with the world-famous sports brand PUMA is very meaningful to ‘NCT 127’, and through this great opportunity, we will reflect a more diverse side of ourselves, along with PUMA.”
NCT 127’'s group name combines the acronym for Neo Culture Technology with the number ‘127’, the longitude coordinate of Seoul. ‘NCT 127’ is a Korean group based in the home of K-POP, and they are active on the global and international stage across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and other regions.
The group has released a number of hit songs, including ‘Hero (英雄; Kick It),’ ‘Sticker,’ ‘Regular,’ ‘Cherry Bomb’ and ‘Highway to Heaven,’ gaining global popularity for their unique music and overwhelming performances. With their third full-length album released in 2021, the group sold over 3.64 million copies, becoming a ‘triple million seller’, and entering third place on the US Billboard’s main album chart, charting for seventeen consecutive weeks. This is the highest ranking and longest-lasting chart entry among K-POP albums released in 2021, highlighting the global popularity of ‘NCT 127’. In addition to the US Billboard chart, ‘NCT 127’ also entered the ‘Official Albums Chart Top 100’, the main official music chart in the United Kingdom, as well as various global music charts in countries such as Germany, Australia, Japan, and China.
Currently on their second world tour, ‘NCT 127’ is meeting fans all around the globe. The tour started last year, beginning in Korea before moving onto a dome tour in Japan with an audience of 220,000. The concert tickets in Singapore were all sold-out. ‘NCT 127’ also has plans for a fan meeting in Japan on August 2nd and 3rd and an appearance at the ‘SMTOWN LIVE 2022’ concert on August 20, 2022.
In the meantime, ‘NCT 127’ will begin its activities as PUMA’s APAC Ambassador, starting with the SLIPSTREAM campaign on July 29. Launched in 1987, the PUMA SLIPSTREAM is an iconic sneaker that best represents the brand’s heritage, featuring a classic basketball silhouette redefined with modern sensibilities, mixing leather and suede materials to suggest a premium look.
Source: Mercury
