Puma’s running, cricket, baseball, and motorsport sites may smack of bread and butter, but each has plenty to offer in the way of product information, and they all stay in tune with Puma’s web strategy. The Golf site is a particularly good example of the case in point, as with its subtle animation and focus on fashion, it acts as both a snapshot of the current catalogue and a poignant little cameo of a brand that’s got its act together.

The Football section goes even further with the whistles and bells and depicts a carnival-like celebration of Puma’s sponsorship of African football, complete with an iPod downloadable video of the company’s “Leon” advert and an online “Beat the Goalie,” featuring Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon.

By far the weakest area of Puma online is the somewhat characterless content on offer at Pumaville.com. Designed to be something of a lifestyle offering, the lack of imagination and elements of engagement make a visit to this area of the site both lackluster and boring. Indeed, the only saving grace is a link to Puma’s brand presence in the video game “True Crime,” which once again underpins Puma’s talent for innovation.

With Puma’s market share on the rise and adidas getting a slap in the face with recent results at the newly acquired Reebok, the battle lines are drawn for a Germanic confrontation in the summer. Puma will doubtless persist with its terrier-like pursuit of adidas’ market share, while the big dog will see out its heavyweight World Cup sponsorship deals throughout June and July before nervously evaluating the returns.

If it all gets too much for adidas, however, it could just say balls to Puma. After all, adidas’ massive commitment to the tournament sponsor, FIFA, ensures that it’s paying for those too.