Brit F1 champ Lewis Hamilton signs to Tommy Hilfiger

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 15, 2018

As changes of marketing direction go, Tommy Hilfiger couldn’t get more different, having unveiled its latest brand ambassador signing. Step forward Lewis Hamilton, the British Formula One champion who will now be the face (and body) of all the brand’s menswear labels.

Given that its previous biggest signing was Gigi Hadid (whose multi-year deal ends soon), it marks a major diversion.

But it’s not one that’s really a shock as the British racing driver has one of the highest profiles in global sport. And of course, Hilfiger’s already-announced link-up with the Mercedes team of which Hamilton is the leading light perhaps made the signing inevitable. In fact, there had been rumours for some time that Hamilton would sign for Hilfiger and these increased when Mercedes and Hugo Boss ended their previous partnership last autumn.

So what does the deal involve? Hamilton is global brand ambassador and will be the face of Tommy Hilfiger men’s, which includes the Collection and Tailored lines as well as underwear and swimwear.

The appointment is “aimed at driving the growth of Hilfiger men’s worldwide and bringing the next generation of fans to the brand.”

And that generation of fans is certainly interested in Hamilton. His career achievements have put him in an elite group of global athletes and also made him the UK’s richest active sportsman (with an estimated net worth of over £130 million). He also has 17 million fans via his social media accounts.

The new integrated men's campaign for spring has just been released with the racing driver as its star. It was photographed by Mikael Jansson at the Pocono Raceway, also known as the Tricky Triangle, in Pennsylvania and will break globally. 

It features exclusive video teasers, print, online, and out of home media placements, and will be supported by consumer activations “that continue to bring the brand's unique perspective on pop culture to life around the world.”

It will be run alongside the brand's dedicated women's advertising, still featuring Gigi Hadid, and the interaction between the two stars can be seen in a dash cam-shot video when Hamilton and Hadid took the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT S car at the Pocono Raceway. This recorded their first drive together around the track with the end video directed by Matt Baron showing their reactions to each other's driving skills.