trigema Advertising
Admittedly, the best-known face to have shaped our company trigema like no other is probably that of our long-standing managing director Wolfgang Grupp.
But can you think of another face that became particularly well known through our advertising and still enjoys great popularity today? Of course – our trigema monkey Charly!
Whether as a giant inflatable figure on our Test Stores, in the iconic television commercial shown in the minute before the Tagesschau news programme, as a playful motif on trigema products or, since 2024, as a fashion influencer on our social media channels – the friendly chimpanzee still has a firm place in the hearts of customers young and old and has represented our company values for more than 30 years.
But the trigema monkey is by no means the only advertising ambassador that has helped trigema become known far beyond the region.
trigema Advertising in Tennis
In 1967, we signed the then tennis star Wilhelm Bungert. Our first polo shirt was also introduced as part of our first trigema tennis collection. As part of the trigema-Original-Bungert-Tress and trigema-Weekend leisurewear ranges, it laid the foundation for the sports and leisurewear that you know and appreciate from trigema today.
trigema Advertising in the Football Bundesliga
To this day, trigema is the only company to have advertised as shirt sponsor for more than five Bundesliga clubs. In 1988, this even included three clubs at the same time: 1. FC Kaiserslautern (1987-1989), SV Waldhof Mannheim (1986-1988, 1991/92) and VfL Bochum (1988-1992), which remains a record.
Over a period of 18 years, from 1979 to 1997, the trigema logo appeared on the shirts of a total of 11 clubs in the first and second Bundesliga. In addition to those already mentioned, these included 1. FC Nürnberg (1993/94), Borussia Mönchengladbach (1992-1994), Karlsruher SC (1989-1991), KFC Uerdingen (1994-1997), Hertha BSC Berlin (1990-1993, 1994-1997), FC Schalke 04 (1979-1983, 1986/87), SV Werder Bremen (1984-1986) and VfB Oldenburg (1991/92).
trigema Advertising in Motorsport
On 23 July 1983, another highlight in trigema advertising made its debut – more precisely at the 24th ADAC Bilstein Cup in the Veedol Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring. A Porsche 928 S in distinctive trigema design took to the track there – and was successful straight away. With Hans Clausecker and Günther Steckkönig behind the wheel, the trigema Porsche won three out of five races.
After the award-winning racing car spent around 30 years in storage at the Porsche Museum, it can now once again be admired in its former glory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen following an extensive restoration project carried out by former Porsche employees and young apprentices.
Large-Scale Advertising on Aircraft and Motorways
Alongside record-breaking campaigns, trigema has also played a pioneering role in advertising technology. In 1997, we became the first company to feature large-scale advertising on commercial aircraft.
Speaking of large-scale advertising: have you ever been driving along a motorway and suddenly seen a huge trigema logo in front of you? If so, you have come across one of our large-format billboards. Since 2008, these have promoted our company at various locations directly beside motorways, each covering an area of 224 square metres.
trigema Advertising in Polo and at Cultural Events
Since 2011, trigema has also supported polo and provides the polo shirts for the annual Fürstenberg Polo Cup in Donaueschingen. In the Wagner anniversary year of 2013, marking the 200th birthday of Richard Wagner, trigema was the main sponsor of the Bayreuth Early Festival.
The trigema Monkey Reaches New Heights
If you look a little further up into the sky, you may be lucky enough to spot another of our advertising activities. Since 2016, our own trigema airship has been flying over major events and cities throughout Germany. For us, the airship is not only an effective advertising medium – it also represents innovation, a positive attitude to life and a vision for the future. Naturally, our guiding principle of 100% Made in Germany applies here too!
Once completed, the trigema airship, also often referred to as the trigema Zeppelin, made its maiden flight on 21 May 2016. Since then, it has travelled through every German federal state and was appropriately named Charly by Wolfgang Grupp at the world's largest Montgolfiade in Warstein as a tribute to our trigema monkey.
The History of the Airship
Strictly speaking, Charly is neither a trigema Zeppelin nor simply a trigema airship, but a hot-air airship, which we will refer to below as an HA airship. Hot-air airships were developed from hot-air balloon technology. However, a hot-air balloon has the disadvantage that it cannot be steered and does not have an engine. Thanks to its engine and steering capability, the HA airship has a decisive advantage when flying over major events. The history of airship travel dates back to the 19th century.
When Can an HA Airship Fly?
A flight with the HA airship depends on several factors. Wind strength must always be taken into account because, at 900 kg, the HA airship is very light in relation to its size and therefore presents a large surface area to the wind. Due to thermal conditions, flights can also only take place early in the morning and shortly before sunset. Only during the colder winter months, from November to March, when there are no thermals, can the HA airship be operated throughout the day.
Facts about the trigema Airship:
- with a total length of around 41 metres, our HA airship is about the size of a passenger aircraft
- the maximum speed is 40 km/h
- the envelope is made from nylon fabric, requiring around 2,800 m² of material
- three million litres of cold air are pumped into the envelope and heated to 100° C using a twin propane gas burner
- our HA airship can fly at altitudes between 150 m and 600 m for a maximum of three hours
- the gondola has space for the pilot and three additional passengers
- the maximum weight is 900 kg including fuel and crew
- on 21 May 2016, our HA airship took to the skies for the first time at the DFB Cup Final in Berlin
trigema on Social Media
Without social media, regularly looking behind the scenes at trigema would hardly be possible. We have been active on social media with our Facebook account since 2010, followed by our Instagram account in 2014. We have also been sharing content tailored to our audiences on Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube for many years.
Most recently, we joined TikTok in 2022, where we share humorous insights into everyday life at the company with our fans and followers. We are also active on LinkedIn, where we provide information about corporate fashion and our business customer sector (B2B).
trigema recognised the advantages of social media early on. It allows us to maintain close contact with our fans and contribute to greater awareness and transparency in the textile industry. This also has an impact on the development of trigema collections, as communication with the manufacturer can now take place quickly and directly.
Naturally, all content on our social media channels is publicly accessible. This not only helps to increase awareness and reach for the brand, but also encourages skilled professionals to become interested in the textile industry.