An EMEA Brand Ambassador Strategy for DRIV. A selected roster of sport legends and cultural icons engineered to make bold moves in France, Germany, Poland, Italy and beyond.
Football is the only sport that hits every priority market at scale. Within football, legendary goalkeepers carry the exact equity DRIV needs: trust, reliability, split-second decisions, the last line of defence. It is the aftermarket promise translated into human form, and it is where Bold Moves are made in a fraction of a second.
We extend the roster beyond the play field with a small, deliberate set of outfield icons whose stories translate the same values into different cultural registers: determination, longevity, humility, performance under pressure, and authentic proximity to the automotive world.
Five profiles, each anchoring a priority market or unlocking cross-market halo.
Note: talent has confirmed availability on category and budget, however please keep in mind the fee could vary slightly, depending on asked needs (such as visit events, shooting yes or no, amount of social posts, etc.).
Reinvented the position. The sweeper-keeper. Bold moves are literally his job description: reading the game, stepping out, changing the geometry of football. Captain of Germany, Bayern institution, and the dominant sports voice in DACH. A precision-engineered athlete for a precision-engineered brand.
The blueprint for longevity, trust and reliability. Exactly the language DRIV speaks in the aftermarket. 28 seasons at the top, a World Cup captain, a symbol of Italian craft. Bold moves define his career: leaving Juve at his peak, returning to lift a club from Serie B, retiring on his own terms.
The ultimate "Master Architect". The only manager in football history to win league titles across all five major European nations and a record five Champions League trophies, making him an iconic, trusted figure across every single priority DRIV market. He embodies calm leadership, resilience and proven longevity, offering a perfect B2B metaphor for DRIV: just as Ancelotti harmonizes elite individual stars into a winning team, DRIV unites world-class brands like Ferodo®, Monroe® and MOOG® into one powerful driving force. His commanding authority and universal respect resonate deeply with independent workshop owners and parts distributors, providing an unrivaled anchor for trade events, distributor keynotes and high-level brand credibility.
The precision mastermind and architect of masterplan. The definition of composed, decisive movement. The goal that won a nation a World Cup was one bold move. Global icon with unmatched credibility in Europe, and a cultural bridge into MENA through his commercial footprint. Humble, family-first, brand-safe.
Dual passport Argentine and Italian, which makes him a native voice in Italy (priority market) and an instant hero across LATAM and MENA diaspora audiences. World Champion in Qatar 2022, Copa América winner, current AS Roma talisman with a cult following in the Curva Sud. Deep automotive affinity: known petrolhead, personal garage regularly featured on his socials, established relationships with performance and lifestyle brands (adidas, Konami/PES cover star, Hublot, Budweiser). His signature La Joya mask is a ready made visual asset for co-branded creative, merch drops and in-store activation. Married to singer Oriana Sabatini, extending reach into music, fashion and Gen-Z lifestyle audiences well beyond football. Fluent in Spanish, Italian and English for content versatility across the EMEA roll out.
Talent contracts, brand-voice workshop, hero shoot in DRIV visual language.
Cross-platform launch film, 4-market OOH burst, paid social amplification.
Monthly content drops per talent, retailer co-branding, motorsport tie-ins.
Mid and post-campaign Blinkfire report vs KPIs, negotiate year-two extensions.
Base ambassador fee for talent selected.
Estimated spend across Germany, France, Italy and Poland.
Content creation, shoots, post-production, and agency execution.
Targeted performance amplification across social and digital trade channels.
Note · A 10% agency fee applies and is charged to & paid by talent management, not by the brand. Production and/or activation can be executed by Deporcinio and a precise quote can be delivered once the athlete is being contracted.
A worked example of how a signed ambassador shows up in market. We chose Manuel Neuer as the pilot: national captain, the sweeper-keeper who literally rewrote his position, and the dominant sports voice in DACH, DRIV's largest priority market.
0.15 seconds is the reaction time of Manuel Neuer. It's the difference between a game-changing save and a goal. On the road, that same split second depends on precision engineering. Ferodo® for stopping power, Monroe® for stability, MOOG® for control. When performance counts, every split second matters. Precision parts of DRIV provide this dedicated precision, required to perform on the highest level possible.
60s launch film intercutting Neuer's iconic sweeper runs with a night-drive first-person shot on the autobahn. Both stories collapse into the same beat: a split-second decision, a hand on the ball, a hand on the wheel. Precision and dedication, performing on the highest level possible. Content that is crafted in a way it can be split into social media capsules and launched on digital as well as TV.
A limited Neuer signature brake line: co-branded packaging, matte-black finish with a single accent-red caliper stripe, numbered 001 to 1904 (Bayern's founding year). Sold through DRIV's aftermarket channels and selected performance retailers. Built to be scarce, built to be photographed, built to perform when it matters.
At facilities or key distributors. A special moment to meet your all time hero, the sweeper keeper. To make bold moves together and create unforgettable moments. An absolute money can't buy experience.
Campaign title: 0.15. 0.15 seconds is Manuel Neuer's reaction time. Our components respond in even less. A single-number poster system for retailer window vinyls and airport dominations in MUC, FRA, DUS. Numbers do the talking. Fully localisable for FR / IT / PL launches in Q3.
A pop-up reaction-time cage travelling to your key events like Essen Motor Show and IAA Mobility. Fans face a rig calibrated to Neuer's own benchmark. Beat it and walk away with a numbered Neuer Series item or limited signed merch. Every attempt is a data capture and a shareable clip, while accessible for all fans.
A special gift box with limited signed merch for key B2B clients and distributors. Numbered signed Neuer ✕ DRIV jersey, certificate of authenticity, presented in a matte-black keepsake box. Built to open doors and close deals.
This six-touchpoint template is the playbook. Due to his global popularity (especially in EMEA), the concept is widely applicable across all territories of interest.
Every touchpoint has a Blinkfire tag, a UTM path or a Reaction Lab capture. KPIs set at signing, reported at Q2 and Q4, feeding directly into year-two extension decisions.
One line ("0.15 reaction time. - fraction of time, bold difference"), one visual system (chrome, black, accent red), one promise: the last line of defence, on the pitch and under the hood.
As we understand brand awareness is key, we also wanted to include an alternative option: a club-level partnership that unlocks access to players as brand ambassadors (always under the rule of 3, a minimum of three players activated per campaign), plus massive brand awareness across Italy, EMEA and beyond, thanks to the immense popularity of Serie A across the globe.
DRIV takes the entire pitch-side LED inventory for every Atalanta home match. Guaranteed on-screen exposure across every Serie A broadcast, in every priority market.
DRIV front-of-shirt on the first team and staff training kit. Every practice photo, every warm-up, every behind-the-scenes clip carries the logo, wired straight into performance.
International names across priority markets, wearing DRIV every match day and every training session. Built to make bold moves, together.
Presented as a strategic alternative: fewer individual ambassador stories, but a permanent, always-on brand presence across one of Serie A's most watched, most emotive clubs, and a natural gateway into player-level activations under the rule of 3.
Deporcinio brings full access to one of the biggest sports agencies in the world, SPORTFIVE, and its expansive talent portfolio, while keeping the independence of a boutique agency to look beyond any single roster when the brief demands it. That dual posture is how we protect the brand-first fit: the right talent for DRIV, sourced from wherever the best answer lives.
12+ years of partnerships & activation, leading major stakeholder projects with global brands like adidas, Turkish Airlines, Domino's Pizza, BKT and Armani. A brand-first approach, with dedication from beginning (finding talent) to middle (contracting, execution) to end (evaluation, future planning). A true 360° partner, beyond signing, all the way to KPI delivery.
