Cesar W. Lüthi (6 September 1930 – 18 July 2002) was a Swiss international

sports marketing Sports marketing as a concept has established itself as a branch of marketing over the past few decades, however, a generally accepted definition does not exist. Academicians Kaser and Oelkers (2005, p. 9) define sports marketing as 'using spor ...

businessman. He was the founder of CWL Telesport and Marketing, and was involved with advertising for the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...

, the

German Football Association The German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund ; DFB ) is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of t ...

, and the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. He was inducted into the

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

in 1998, and received the

Olympic Order The Olympic Order, established in 1975, is the highest award of the Olympic Movement. It is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. Traditi ...

Career

Lüthi was born on 6 September 1930, in

Wohlen, Aargau Wohlen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History The earliest known settlements in Wohlen date from the late Hallstatt era (600-500 BC). This settlement left two clusters of burial moun ...

, Switzerland. He began in the

business during the

1966 World Rowing Championships The 1966 World Rowing Championships was the second time that world championships in rowing were held. The regatta was held from 8 to 11 September at Lake Bled in Bled, Slovenia, Yugoslavia. There were 613 rowers from 32 countries who competed ...

. He was a pioneer in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

with the use of revolving

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s. He later became a managing director at Gloria, then formed his own company in 1972 in

Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22,000. ...

, known as Cesar W. Lüthi Marketing and Sales Promotion (CWL Marketing and Sales Promotion). His first contract with the

was in 1972 at the

Olympiahalle Olympiahalle is a multi-purpose arena located in Am Riesenfeld in Munich, Germany, part of Olympiapark. The arena is used for concerts, sporting events, exhibitions or trade fairs. The seating capacity for the arena varies from 12,150 up to 14,0 ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. His company was later renamed CWL Telesport and Marketing, and began a partnership with the

(IIHF) in 1978 to oversee its media, sponsorship, advertising, and merchandising for IIHF tournaments. In 1980, he purchased the advertising rights for the

, and hired German footballer

Günter Netzer Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944) is a German former professional football player, executive and pundit. He achieved great success in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the early 1970s and, after moving to Spain in 1973, wit ...

four years later. Lüthi's original IIHF contract was later extended to television rights in 1981 after the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

. He hired Harald Griebel to oversee work at the World Championships. Lüthi was inducted into the

as a builder in 1998. He was also made an honorary member of the IIHF, and received the

. In 2000, he sold CWL Telesport and Marketing to

Leo Kirch Leo Kirch (21 October 1926 – 14 July 2011) was a German media entrepreneur who founded the Kirch Group. Life Kirch was born in Volkach, Bavaria, but shortly afterward his family moved to the nearby town of Würzburg. After completing high s ...

, who incorporated the company into the

Kirch Group KirchGruppe (KirchGroup) was a German media group founded by Leo Kirch (1926–2011) in the 1960s. By 2000, it controlled a 52.5 percent stake in what would become the country's biggest broadcaster. The group collapsed in 2002 largely due to the ...

. Lüthi was once one of the 300 richest Swiss people. The same year, Lüthi moved into his

Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen (district), Kreuzlingen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The Stone Age Westerfeld and Büge shoreline settlements w ...

villa, custom-built for approximately 20 million

Swiss franc The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...

s, which was described as a "pearl on

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

". He died at home on the morning of 18 July 2002 after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luthi, Cesar 1930 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Swiss businesspeople Businesspeople in advertising Ice hockey people from Switzerland IIHF Hall of Fame inductees People from Bremgarten, Aargau People from Kreuzlingen Recipients of the Olympic Order Sports businesspeople Swiss company founders Swiss mass media owners