WildBrain CPLG, a world-leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agency, has rebranded its rapidly growing Lifestyle division under the new name “ASPIRE”, with an expanded mandate to accelerate growth of the agency’s Corporate & Lifestyle brands portfolio. The dedicated ASPIRE group and new brand, flying under the WildBrain CPLG banner, reflect the agency’s commitment to growing meaningful opportunities for existing and new partners in the Corporate & Lifestyle space. ASPIRE will focus on building long-term strategic partnerships for leading global brands across such categories as art and heritage institutions, FMCG, fashion and lifestyle, hardware, and automotive. As part of the rebrand, the agency today unveiled a dedicated logo for the ASPIRE division.
Under the continued leadership of Victoria Whellans, who takes on a new role as Commercial Director for ASPIRE (previously Group Brands Director, Lifestyle), the rebranded division will develop innovative, relevant and authentic brand extensions, creating new consumer touch points and opening incremental revenue streams for partners. Whellans will work closely with Jasen Wright, VP North America, to drive the global strategy for ASPIRE, with a focus on North America as a key territory of initial expansion.
ASPIRE group will grow with new hires in key locations worldwide, including New York, Europe and APAC, supported by international and local sales teams.
Whellans said: “The launch of ASPIRE underlines our commitment to delivering dedicated, best-in-class global partnerships to harness the huge opportunities we see in the growing Corporate and Lifestyle sector. Since we launched our Lifestyle division two years ago, we have generated new revenue streams for multiple licensor brands, extending them into new areas through our global reach and leading capabilities in licensing and brand management. We look forward now to building on this strong foundation with the ASPIRE brand.”
Wright added: “The licensing of Corporate and Lifestyle brands continues to see meaningful growth as brands explore new paths outside of their core use to reach consumers at retail. We see significant opportunity to expand this part of our business and look forward to opening up new avenues for our partners to help build their brands for the future.”
ASPIRE’s diverse Corporate & Lifestyle brand portfolio includes recently signed partners such as Sauber Motorsports and its Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen, The Master Lock Company, the University of Southern California and internationally renowned artist Romero Britto. Its partners also continue to launch innovative collections, with recent highlights from OSPREY LONDON X Sitting Spiritually, who have launched a premium garden furniture range this month; a new OSPREY LONDON Spring-Summer footwear collection from 33 Joints; a Karcher role play toy range in development from Simba Dickie Group; and a Yale University apparel and accessories collection launching at Reliance Fashion Lifestyle, India’s largest fashion retailer.
Additional new deals across the portfolio include University of Southern California and Truecare Kids in India for apparel and accessories, and Kikkoman and Park Agencies for apparel, nightwear, accessories and home gifting for UK, Eire, Germany, Poland, Denmark and France.
Victoria Whellans – Commercial Director for ASPIRE