The Dassler brothers didn’t just make shoes — they reinvented how sports brands could tell stories. Adi Dassler believed that performance came first; he worked closely with athletes, tweaking designs for every sport, from sprinting spikes to football boots. His hands-on approach meant Adidas products were backed not just by marketing slogans, but by results on the field. Rudi Dassler, on the other hand, mastered the art of visibility. Puma was among the first to turn athletes into brand ambassadors long before it was common. When Pelé tied his Puma cleats in front of the cameras during the 1970 World Cup, it wasn’t an accident; it was a masterstroke of product placement.
