Recent deals for frozen and packaged foods have centered on chefs who hail from Africa, or have African roots, and are known for the African influences in their cooking and/or for promoting African flavors and recipes. Chefs of West African heritage have been particularly active. Such celebrity chefs, recognized from their TV appearances, cookbooks, and/or […]
Archive | Celebrity
Celebrities As Licensees
Celebrities are well known to be active property owners, extending their personal and brand names in a variety of ways. One of those is to launch their own companies to market their products, in lieu of signing licensees, which gives them more control over their signature or branded merchandise. And, as they become product marketers […]
Taking Shape
Fashion designers, artists, and especially celebrities have been entering the shapewear category at a slightly accelerated pace of late. Sales in the segment as a whole dropped significantly early in the pandemic, but have returned to near-2019 levels as of the end of 2021, according to players in the market. In North America, sales were […]
Slam-Dunk Combinations
The major athletic footwear/sportswear companies involved in pro sports-related licensing are increasingly pairing individuals from their portfolios of U.S. pro athlete-endorsers—especially NBA players—with properties from outside the realm of sports. The examples have been piling up slowly since 2019 (a few were released even before that), with the pace of new products picking up in […]
Male Celebrities Prioritize Skin Care
The men’s and gender-neutral sectors of the beauty industry have both been growing fast over the past decade, especially since 2019, with the expansion expected to continue and even intensify in the foreseeable future. In addition, since at least 2020, the industry has been focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in both product offerings and […]
A Sense of Direction
Last month, the Stanley Kubrick Film Archives and its global licensing agent Caroline Mickler announced that Surge Licensing would represent six of the director’s films for consumer products activities in North America. The movies include A Clockwork Orange, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes […]
A Golden Age for the Golden Years
There was a time not long ago when it was rare to see licensing or collaboration agreements featuring celebrities aged 50-plus. When they have occurred, they have typically been geared toward consumers in the same age cohort. But things are changing. Recent partnerships have involved older celebrities who have become popular with young adult fans […]
A Month for Mocktails
Each year, more consumers give “Dry January” a try, pledging to avoid alcoholic beverages for the month. Their reasons are varied: to start the new year on the right foot from a wellness perspective, to see how they feel when they drink less, or to cut calories as they begin a new diet. Many sober-curious […]
Celebrities Try On Compression Gear
High-performance compression apparel is a relatively narrow, but increasingly mainstream, slice of the health and wellness space that has been the focus of a handful of collaborations and endorsement deals involving athletes and other celebrities over the past eight years. Compression garments made from a variety of materials—including many infused with copper—are purported to help […]
Taking a Shot at Pot
Athletes associated with the NBA have been active in the cannabis sector in the past few months. Sports properties have had a strong presence since partnerships with licensed IP began in this industry in earnest around 2015. The difference with these recent deals is that they focus on marijuana strains and related products rather than […]