Two months ago, in July, we wrote about a group of influencers who had been called out for racist comments or actions. Bad behavior on the part of influencers has continued and even intensified since then, as a number of social media celebrities around the world have been arrested or investigated by the authorities in […]
Archive | Celebrity
Universal Skincare
By Karen Raugust on August 24, 2020 in Celebrity, Diversity/Inclusion, Health/beauty, Licensing, Wellness
One trend we’ve been watching for the past couple of years is the proliferation of celebrity cosmetics collaborations aimed at a diverse spectrum of colors and ethnicities. A more recent twist on the trend has consisted of skincare collaborations. Rather than a rainbow of different hues to appeal to the entire spectrum of skin color, […]
I, Robot
Virtual influencers have been proliferating over the past three to four years, with examples springing up all around the world and some garnering millions of followers. While they still are relatively few in number and are just starting to gain mainstream awareness, several have been in the news in the past couple of months. Sometimes […]
Viva el Maquillaje
Latina singers have been in high demand for makeup collaborations of late, with at least three deals signed this year after several introductions in 2018 and 2019. These celebrities have an advantage in that they tend to attract a mainstream audience that includes ethnically and racially diverse consumers, something that increasingly appeals to cosmetics marketers […]
Influencer Accountability
Several high-profile influencers involved in licensing and collaborations have faced a backlash—in most cases with negative ramifications for their businesses—in the last month, due to past or present racist content: Shane Dawson posted a 20-minute video apologizing for using racist language and stereotypes, as well as blackface, along with other content such as jokes about […]
Going to the Dogs
The famed cats and dogs of the Internet can generate significant retail sales of licensed and collaborative merchandise. As a result, more and more “petfluencers” are signing with agents and/or launching licensing efforts. Dogs have been in the spotlight of late, with at least three notable examples having signed with agents to expand their merchandise […]
Piece of Cake
By Karen Raugust on June 1, 2020 in Celebrity, Food/Beverage, House and home, International, Licensing
U.K.-based celebrity chefs, cooking show presenters, and especially bakers have been at the center of a number of licensing, collaboration, and representation deals, and/or new products or promotions, over the past few weeks: Jane Devonshire, a past MasterChef winner who is known for her gluten-free cooking and cookbooks, retained Start Licensing as her agent for […]
Kid Stuff
At Toy Fair New York in February, one of the trends was the large number of influencers signing toy deals. Most of the celebrities associated with the products on display there were young adults whose content appealed to children or collectors. More recently, a raft of agency representation and toy-centric licensing agreements have been focused […]
Sketches and Scribbles
Last week, Firefly Brand Management announced that it had signed on to represent professional doodler Todd Goldman for licensing representation. That follows on the heels of Striker Entertainment being retained by the Doodle Boy. It turns out that a long list of professional doodle artists from around the world promote their hand-drawn patterns and characters […]
Influencing Playtime
Influencers with large social media followings, especially on YouTube, have had a noticeable and growing presence at Toy Fair New York over the past few years. With some important exceptions, their role has been more about endorsements than products. Recently, however, there has been a spike in signature toy lines tied to influencers and their […]