PUMA - Play the city

In Dubai, cricket is played against the odds. Against the heat. Against the law. Against the judgement of people who see car parks, sandlots and empty lots instead of pitches. So we helped PUMA celebrate the players who make the city their pitch anyway. We found real street cricket teams, told their stories, designed custom jerseys inspired by their neighbourhoods, and mapped their unofficial grounds on Google Street View, giving makeshift pitches the kind of recognition usually reserved for the big leagues. The goal for PUMA was simple: put street cricket on the map. Literally.

The Jerseys

The jerseys were the first step in making them stand out in Dubai’s concrete jungle, giving them visibility and pride in their game.

The Brand Identity

Play The City was a masterclass in adaptive design. Rather than imposing a brand-led aesthetic, Puma let the streets themselves dictate the art direction.

The challenge was creating a unified yet hyper-local design system, one that felt as organic as the game itself. Every piece was contextual, raw, and embedded in the environment. The result? A brand identity shaped by the game, not the other way around.

The Documentary: Play the City- Dubai

In this two-episode series, we follow two passionate cricketers, Saheer and Jaseem, residents of Dubai who share a deep love for the sport. They stand out as leaders in their community, organizing matches and tournaments while navigating the many challenges of playing the city

Episode 1 - The players

Episode 2 - The Passion

The Activation: Claim the pitch - Google maps

Every team has its own pitch, a space they proudly claim as their own. In Dubai, these places are often empty lots destined to become buildings, parking areas, or tucked-away corners and alleys. For these cricketers, these spaces are more than just patches of land; they are their pitches, their gathering places to play and connect.

Puma wanted to celebrate this pride and make these spots truly theirs by marking them on the map. With the help of Google Maps, these locations are no longer just empty lots in the middle of Dubai; they became "The Dubai Commandos Ground" or "United Pro XI's Ground." Even if a skyscraper rises there tomorrow, these grounds will always belong to the players who claimed them first.

CCO: Ryan Reed

ECD: Sandy McIntosh
Creative directors: Camila Venegas, Silvia Carreno Vera

Design: Noor Husain
Production team M&C: Chloe Collins-Cole Saad Shehzad

Special thanks to Tomorrow FIlms and Antonio Sabatella
Director and DOP: Toby Plummer
Photography: Katarina Preforms

Client: Puma
Ricardo Amaral

Thanks!

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