If you hear engines revving in the Needham Crossing office park, maybe the sound is coming from SharkNinja HQ.
Race cars are now on the minds of SharkNinja employees, alongside the usual mix of household appliances such as blenders and vacuums, thanks to the new Brad Pitt movie, "F1." The company has a small but important role as a key sponsor of the fictional APXGP racing team, the one that Pitt races on. The SharkNinja logo is featured prominently on the uniforms, helmets and cars, and some of its products make brief cameos in the film.
It's been all F1, all the time, over at SharkNinja, with a brief break to celebrate its inclusion on the Time magazine's latest list of the 100 most influential companies in the world. The consumer products company held a showing for local employees at Legacy Place in Dedham; several of its international offices hosted screenings and other activities around the film's opening. SharkNinja even created a mock trailer of sorts, in which the narrator intones: "SharkNinja is now racing into a new arena."
SharkNinja hosted a "consumer activation" in New York's Times Square ahead of the city's official premiere, with product demo stations, where passersby could try a Ninja Slushi or a Shark FlexStyle hair styler.
The company hopes to show its ethos around "design, speed and performance" is reflected in the movie's storyline. For example, chief executive Mark Barrocas said that like "the characters in the film, we're always pushing to do more, do better, and defy expectations."
Spokesman Brandon Hart declined to say how much the company is spending on the movie appearances. Also unclear: how that amount compares with what the company would have to spend to sponsor a real F1 team.
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
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