Turning Olympic Moments into Cultural Movements

Dynamite Events: London 2012 Olympics, Puma Yard

Puma Yard Brand Activation Case Study

During the London 2012 Olympics, I was part of the Puma Yard activation, an award-winning cultural space that brought the energy of Jamaica to East London. The goal was to blur the lines between sport, lifestyle, and community while authentically celebrating Jamaican identity on a global stage. I helped shape the cultural narrative across multiple touchpoints, from interviewing Olympic icons like Usain Bolt and Tommie Smith, to helping amplify Cedella Marley’s Olympic apparel line for Team Jamaica. The space itself was a hybrid—part social club, part bar, part retail store—designed to immerse fans in a world that felt unmistakably Puma, yet deeply rooted in Jamaican culture. Through curated experiences like rooftop DJ sets, jerk chicken stalls, sprint challenges, and live Olympic screenings, we shifted the brand’s presence from product-led to emotionally resonant. The result was that Puma Yard became one of Campaign’s “Top 5 Brand Houses” for London 2012 and a benchmark for culturally immersive fan engagement. For me, as a proud Jamaican, it was more than an activation, it was a career-defining moment where I helped transform a sporting event into a cultural movement.