Wilkinson Sword and Atlassian Williams F1 Team have partnered together to launch a new fan first brand platform.

Titled ‘Partners in Smooth’ the marketing drive introduces Wilkinson Sword’s Blade Master as Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s “first-ever” Director of Smooth.

The ‘Blade Master’ teams up with Atlassian Williams’ team principal James Vowles to support the teams drivers Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Luke Browning become race ready.

It features a fan experience at the Atlassian Williams F1 Team Fan Zone during British Grand Prix week in central London. Audiences will also be inviting audiences to show how they get race ready using the hashtags #GetRaceReady and #PartnersInSmooth.

The campaign will run throughout the 2026 F1 season and spans social, digital, creator content, PR, fan experiences, retail activations and key race moments.

Retail Gazette sat down with Jonathan Norman, senior director of marketing at Edgewell Personal Care.

Wilkinson Sword is at the forefront of Edgewell’s journey to transform its marketing and modernise its brands. He explains that the firm wants to create a “more contemporary expression of the brand”. However, in order to do that they have to be mindful of what the brand stands for and how it behaves.

He says: “We can’t simply stop what was happening before and reinvent it for today. It’s a build up of hundreds of years. We need to be mindful and respectful of that.”

And, the brand felt that by partnering with a “cultural phenomenon” like Formula One, they could become “more culturally relevant” – while staying true to the brands roots.

He notes: “It is our biggest partnership to date as a business, it’s quite an important moment for us. It really demonstrates the belief, commitment and confidence we have in our brands as we go forward.”

He adds: “We wanted to make sure that we avoided simply treating it as a traditional sports sponsorship. Those elements are very important, but we wanted to go beyond that, and express it in a much more engaging way.”

According to Norman, Formula One’s journey over the past few years has seen “nothing but phenomenal” growth. He explains: “I think it’s captured people’s minds, it’s been pretty inspiring. That growth in the audience has been phenomenal, but that growth has brought in a new audience, a younger audience and a more diverse audience, which is important for any brand.”

He adds: “Formula One, in and of itself, has moved from from being something purely about motorsport to almost being sort of a cultural platform in and of itself, where art, music, style and fashion start to come together. That’s where that audience has really grown. For us, it felt right that we should step into it, simply because of the scale, the change, the diversity that now exists.”

“It was less about simply following the masses, and more about asking ourselves- what can we bring to the conversation as we grow? How do we operate within that world with credibility, with authenticity, in a way that’s going to connect with more consumers?.”

Norman explains that audiences are engaging with Formula One through social and digital channels, which enables brands to “contribute greater value”.  Wilkinson Sword wanted to make sure that it communicated to audiences everything it was known for such as its precision performance and align them with Williams values.

The two brands are very similar,  both being British heritage brands- the Williams F1 one team having been founded in 1977 and Wilkinson Sword in 1772- which was important when they were searching for a team to partner with.

Williams is also one of the oldest teams on the grid. The only two which predate them are Ferrari and McLaren.

He adds it was important they found a team that shared similar ambitions and the Atlassian Williams F1 Team is an ambitious team.

Norman highlights that their Blade Master creative asset has performed well for Wilkinson Sword since its introduction two years ago, so they believed that if they wanted to stay true to the brand’s identity, they should bring that world into Formula One.

He believes that the Blade Master offers F1 fans something “different but engaging”. Something that is entertaining and showcases British wit and humour.

Norman says: “Its brought in a younger, more diverse group who may not be as familiar with the brand. Using platforms such as Formula One or the partnership with Williams enables us to actually talk to connect with them on a more meaningful way. We can talk to them in a space they’re interested in, so it brings the brand to life.

“It’s growing our audience and strengthening that consideration for the brand as they go on to potentially to choose the brand when it comes to purchase. It’s important for us as well that we don’t just stop with content and campaigns.”

Norman also believes its key that the brand delivers a campaign that runs right the way through to point of purchase. It is crucial that Wilkinson Sword turns up in store the same way it turns up in other channels such as digital and social.

Real world events have become a cornerstone of the brand: “The job of marketeers today is to understand actually what and where are the most important places to communicate with your potential consumers.  Experiences play a really important role within that. We all love experiences, we all search for experiences, and that is never going to go away, frankly.

“Whilst, we’re providing an experience and entertainment within digital and content, we’re keen to ensure that actually that manifests itself within the real world as well. Be that through our retail environment and our opportunity to deliver greater experience  within the store environment, or in other real life events, such as within fan zones.

“Otherwise, it’s about making the choices across your mix to ensure that actually you can make the biggest impact with the campaign. Real world experience remains incredibly important for us all.”

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