Agency’s lifestyle portfolio further expands with addition of globally renowned Swiss motorsport brand and its Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN
London, UK – 1 February 2022 – WildBrain CPLG, one of the world’s leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agencies, has further expanded its Lifestyle portfolio with the signing of global representation rights for the internationally renowned Swiss motorsport company, Sauber Motorsport AG. Under the deal, WildBrain CPLG will handle all Sauber brands, including Sauber Motorsports, which owns and operates the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, as well as Sauber Technologies and Sauber Esports. The initial focus will be on the UK, EMEA, China, India and North America markets.
WildBrain CPLG will assemble a strategic cross-category merchandise range for Sauber’s Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN brand across multiple categories, including apparel, accessories, footwear, gifting, automotive accessories, toys and collectibles, and official team products to further engage Formula One fans of all ages.
For Sauber Technologies and Sauber Esports, WildBrain CPLG will utilise the expertise of the Sauber Engineering and Technology teams, which includes 3D printing, aerodynamics and Formula One technology, and leverage the precision, efficiency, innovation and performance attributes of these properties to extend them into everyday categories. WildBrain CPLG will initially focus on household and lifestyle products for Sauber Technologies, while for Sauber Esports, target categories will include fashion apparel, toys, collectibles and gaming accessories as well as digital products and partnerships.
Victoria Whellans, Group Brands Director at WildBrain CPLG Lifestyle, said: “As we continue strengthening our lifestyle roster, it’s fantastic to welcome a brand of Sauber’s calibre to our line-up. Sauber’s portfolio brings many fantastic opportunities, whether that’s connecting fans to the Alfa Romeo Formula One team, tapping into the rapidly growing world of Esports licensing with Sauber Esports, or capturing the company’s extensive experience in engineering through the Sauber Technologies brand. We look forward to working closely with Sauber to develop a carefully curated product range with best-in-class partners to drive long-term brand engagement and growth on a global scale.”
Yan Lefort, Commercial Director at Sauber Group, said: “This deal with WildBrain CPLG is a huge step for Sauber as it allows us to further develop our licensing strategy and operations across all Sauber brands. It’s a multi-year and 360-degree package, including licensing services, a programme strategy development and business management deal, which will help grow our brand. WildBrain CPLG will support us with finding the right partners, those who align with our core values, and help us access their global network to drive revenue and boost our brand’s stature.”
Christian Dautenheimer, Head of Brand Management at Sauber Group, added: “The Sauber brand is a hugely valuable one and our deal with WildBrain CPLG will help us grow its profile. It’s a brand that embodies Swiss excellence and encapsulates a huge history at the highest levels of motorsport – our team is the fourth most experienced one in F1, with 30 years in the sport, which is a huge achievement. There’s multiple avenues in which our work with WildBrain CPLG can help us reach our fans and customers, and we’re excited to explore them in the months and years to come.”
Sauber is globally renowned as one of the world’s leading high-tech brands. The pioneering and innovative company was founded in 1970, making its Formula One debut in 1993. Over the past few decades of activity in the motorsport industry, Sauber has developed exceptional skills and expertise in the construction and deployment of Formula One vehicles – Sauber Motorsport’s core business – which is applied in each of the Sauber Group’s third-party services. These services are provided by Sauber Aerodynamics, which offers full- and model-scale testing, CFD and vehicle development, including access to the state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility, and Sauber Technology, which focuses on additive manufacturing services including 3D metal printing, laser sintering and stereolithography.
The 2022 Formula One championship season will see Zhou Guanyu make history as the first Chinese driver to race full-time in Formula One as he joins Sauber’s Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN alongside ex-Mercedes Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas.
Sauber Motorsport is the latest addition to WildBrain CPLG’s varied portfolio of Lifestyle and Corporate brands, which also features Kärcher, Motul, Kikkoman, Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, Chupa Chups, Yale and Harvard universities, and the University of Southern California.
For more information, please contact:
Aimée Norman at The DDA Group
aimee.norman@ddapr.com
+44 (0) 7957 564 050
About WildBrain CPLG
WildBrain CPLG is one of the world’s leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agencies, with offices in the UK, Benelux, Nordics, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Greece & Turkey, Russia, India, the Middle East and the US. With 50 years of experience in the licensing industry, WildBrain CPLG provides its clients with dedicated licensing and marketing professionals and fully integrated product development, legal and accounting services. WildBrain CPLG believes that collaboration is about clarity, openness and trust, and is widely known for its no-nonsense, straightforward approach. WildBrain CPLG is part of WildBrain Ltd., a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment. Please contact us or visit the WildBrain CPLG website for more information: www.cplg.com.
About Sauber Group of Companies
The Sauber Group of Companies is composed of two operational entities: Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates and manages the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN; and Sauber Technologies AG, which focuses on third-party business in the areas of advanced engineering, prototype development and additive manufacturing, in addition to full and model-scale testing in the factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel and ground-breaking innovation in the field of aerodynamics. The companies collaborate closely and share know-how to apply the expertise of more than 500 dedicated individuals at the headquarter in Hinwil, Switzerland, to all internal and external projects. Since its founding in 1970, the passion for racing has been at the heart of Sauber.
For more than 50 years, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. The company launched a long-term partnership with Alfa Romeo in 2018 and, as it celebrates 30 years of competition in Formula One, it enters the 2022 championship under the team name Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.