PUMA taps rising creative, Raymond Smith, to execute LaMelo Ball’s product launches
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Raymond Smith grew up surrounded by creatives and ambitious peers. Smith, founder and CEO of The Digital Footprint, started his company in 2016 and the success has been unparalleled. The Digital Footprint is a Black-owned marketing agency that specializes in ideation, creative rollouts, design, strategy, IRL activations and content. Smith has produced bespoke marketing campaigns for an impressive collection of brands such as the MLB, Nike, Capital One, HBO, Universal, Ethika, and D’USSÉ to name a few. His agency has received honors from The United States Black Chambers and Apple Music for his team’s work servicing over 1,000+ brands and influencers.
As of late, Smith was tapped to execute a series of creative campaigns throughout 2023 for PUMA and their latest collaboration with NBA star, LaMelo Ball. The rollout includes strategically hand-picking influencers & creators of color to drive organic awareness towards Ball’s PUMA MB.02 sneakers. The young executive curated in-real-life experiences for talent to build a community around sports, lifestyle and fashion that felt authentic to the brands’ identities. From gifitng suites at Hornets games… to elegant dinners inside art galleries… Smith was able to highlight the anticipated product drops for PUMA and Ball’s collection.
360 Magazine sat down with Smith to talk about his favorite campaign of the year.
“It’s really hard to choose because each campaign hit a different piece of my brain. I’m an artist so I’m sensitive about my shit. It’s almost like making someone choose between their favorite kid. I want to represent for everyone in my community, so I have no choice but to win.”
One thing Raymond wanted to highlight was his passion for the culture. He mentioned a handful of activations he crafted included an interactive exhibit on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a breakfast themed photoshoot with custom LaMelo Ball coffee, and a custom limited-edition cereal box for A-List recipients.
A true marketeer can see why it’d be hard to choose one of these campaigns as a favorite. Not to mention that each product drop sold out within seconds of launch reinforcing their were two different types of ROI. Return on Investment and Return on Influence. 360 Magazine’s looking forward to seeing how Smith and The Digital Footprint will shake up the culture in 2024.
