Wahoo Fitness, the smartphone connected fitness devices and workout apps specialist, has an all new sales and marketing team for Germany, Switzerland & Austria (GSA). From 26 August, Ingo Urban will lead all sales and marketing related activities from Berlin. Bastian Dietz will support Urban in marketing communications, at a B2C & B2B level.
“We are pleased to work with well known cycling industry specialists for GSA to support our sales strategy focusing on brick and mortar cycling accounts,” explained Kevin Abt, Head of International Sales and Marketing at Wahoo in Atlanta, US.
He continued, “As a premium brand, we believe in building strong relationships with the best local shops in the market. Our new team will provide customer service, dealer training and marketing support – on the local shop, as well as wholesale level.”
“Wahoo’s approach is simple – we put the smartphone at the center of your workout. All of our devices connect wirelessly to your smartphone to provide a fully customizable experience while you ride, run or go to the gym. Our full line of products includes indoor bike trainers, heart rate and motion sensors, bike computers and speed/cadence sensors.
“All of our devices can connect directly to the top cycling and running apps, such as Strava, Runtastic, Nike+ Running and over 50 other third party apps. The German speaking market is catching up for wearable electronics, and Wahoo offers great solutions especially for cyclists.
“Our best-selling product, the KICKR indoor bike trainer, has been part of Team Sky’s training for the last 18 months, included during Chris Froome’s recent Tour de France victory. Thanks to the new team, we will be able to use this positive momentum to establish Wahoo in Germany.”
Ingo Urban, an ambitious athlete himself, with more than 20 years of bicycle industry background as a buyer for the Globetrotter retail chain, a manager of professional triathlon team TRIPEP with Wahoo sponsored and multiple IRONMAN winning athlete Diana Riesler and one of the heads behind Berliner Fahrradschau, is looking forward to his new opportunity.
“Wahoo is a super strong brand, whose products I have been training with a long time,” said Urban. “We will work hard on brand awareness on a B2B and B2C level in GSA, because until now, not too many know about the product advantages and training possibilities they offer. This will change. The official boost for Wahoo starts at Eurobike 2015 (booth FG-A5/9).”
Bastian Dietz will support Urban in brand and product communications. Dietz can look back on over 10 years of sports marketing experience. He was most recently responsible for international marketing at ION bikewear.
Dietz was signed as fa reelance agent by Wahoo’s PR firm TRUE Communications, based in San Francisco, California. His main duties include special interest media relations, media planning and B2B communications. Lifestyle and non-endemic media will be kept in the loop by Freedom & Enterprise PR Agency, under the lead of Bastian.
The communication department is based in Munich, including a showroom. The new Wahoo team will inherit all existing Wahoo dealer accounts from current distribution partner, NC17, on 26 August.
”NC17 has been a great help to Wahoo over the last four years. We thank their entire team for their hard work,” added Kevin Abt.
Located in Atlanta, Georgia, Wahoo Fitness has ‘created a full ecosystem of sensors and devices for the runner, cyclist or general fitness enthusiast’.
