While the spread of the COVID-19 virus has created a long list of challenges and uncertainties for the licensing community, it has also given rise to some untapped opportunities for properties that are a good fit and can capitalize in a way that makes sense. One is to help fill the void for high school […]
Archive | Branding/marketing
To Promote, or Not To Promote
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, many companies put their plans on hold for product launches, marketing and media campaigns, publicity, and the like. But some have decided that an uninterrupted presence in consumers’ minds will help position them for success, or at least survival, once the peak of the crisis has passed. They have therefore […]
Brands Practice Self-Distancing
By Karen Raugust on March 26, 2020 in Branding/marketing, Corporate brands, Design and content themes, Licensing
A number of brands—many of which are involved in licensing in some way—have gotten creative with their logos as a means of stressing the critical importance of self-distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. These tweaks simultaneously engage the brands’ fans and boost awareness during a difficult time for most businesses. Examples include: Mercado Libre. […]
Space Age
Saturday is the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. In the days and weeks leading up to the milestone, licensors, retailers, and licensees have been announcing space-themed content, promotions, and products, especially in the realms of entertainment, toys, and fashion. The initiatives, most of which incorporate […]
The People’s Choice
Licensees, and some licensors, turn to crowdfunding as a way to raise awareness for new products among their most loyal fans, test new products and features, and/or generate funding for new initiatives. Most recent campaigns have taken one of the following directions: • Using crowdfunding as an ongoing strategy for launching new products under an […]
Acknowledging ASMR
By Karen Raugust on March 28, 2019 in Branding/marketing, Content, Design and content themes, Wellness
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos have become a big trend online, especially among viewers 18-24. ASMR is the scientifically unproven but increasingly popular idea that certain soft, slow, and/or repetitive sounds tend to make users happy and relaxed, sometimes to the point that they feel a tingling sensation starting at the back of the […]
Corporate Culture
During and after the global recession that began in 2007, the trend in corporate licensing was for branded products to serve as key complements to the core business—true brand extension—rather than falling under the heading of awareness-generation. But the pendulum definitely seems to be swinging back these days, as marketers create merchandise that is primarily […]
Revisiting the ‘90s
By Karen Raugust on December 3, 2018 in Branding/marketing, Demographic groups, Design and content themes, Licensing
Licensing initiatives targeting the millennial market frequently highlight styles and themes from the 1990s. The strategy makes sense when you consider that millennials, born from 1981 to 1996 and currently between 22 and 37 years old, spent their childhood and/or teen years in that decade and often have fond memories. It follows that marketers’ inclination […]
A Branded Property Paints a Thousand Words
Rather than doing business under their own names, as is traditional, a growing number of artists are creating separate brand names to identify their work and serve as the centerpoint for their licensing activities: Mexican artist Juan de Lascurain, represented by RJM Licensing, uses the Dream Big World brand as the umbrella for his colorful […]
Personal Identity
Celebrities take different approaches when it comes to labeling their licensed product arrays, as they try to reach a balance between capitalizing on their fame and establishing a merchandise program that can thrive on its own merits. The first option is for fan-favorite personalities to conduct their licensing and collaboration activities under their own names, […]