For a global licensing program, the goal is always to find a balance between maintaining a consistent brand image that crosses borders and satisfying tastes in individual territories through localization. Several recent anniversary programs tailored to the Australian market, all based on global character/entertainment properties, illustrate: This year, several local licensees are honoring the 80th […]
Archive | Character/Entertainment
Kickstarting New Content
Some of the most successful crowdfunding programs to date have been those supporting the creation of new content based on classic characters: Aardman Animations ran a campaign to relaunch Morph, a stop-motion-animated character that had not appeared on television for 15 years. It generated £110,000 ($158,390) to fund 15 one-minute episodes for YouTube; U.K. children’s […]
The Evolution of Preschool Licensing
From 2012 to 2014, the TV-driven preschool portion of the character/entertainment licensing market was thriving, even as properties for many other demographics at the time faced continued challenges. Disney dominated store shelves with products tied to its Disney Junior shows (especially Doc McStuffins and later Sofia the First). Properties from other big players such as […]
Spinning Some Tunes
Wherever there is a consumer trend, licensing will follow. The presence of licensed examples among the exclusive vinyl releases for Record Store Day, the 2016 edition of which took place on Saturday (April 17), illustrates this truism. Record Store Day was launched as a way to support independent stores that continue to offer new and […]
Designer Collaborations Down Under
Like designers all over the world, Australian fashion labels are collaborating with global character properties for limited editions and/or capsule collections. In the last six months, several such deals have been announced, crossing a variety of categories: Apparel. Leroy Nguyen launched a capsule collection of five items, from sweat tops to dresses, featuring Hello Kitty, […]
Heading for the Finnish
By Karen Raugust on March 14, 2016 in Art, Character/Entertainment, Digital, International, Licensing
Properties from Finland, especially from the worlds of design, digital entertainment, and publishing, are expanding their activities on the global market this year. Many are classics, or at least well established, but their profiles are on the upswing, each for its own reasons. On the design side, Marimekko, which has been known for its brightly […]
It’s a Mystery
Live-action TV mysteries for adults have seen a bit of a boost in licensing activity—albeit narrow in scope—in their home countries over the past year. The properties in question hail from the U.K. and Australia, and all air on public television stations in some or all U.S. markets. Winning Moves UK announced in January that […]
Code Ed: Characters Teach Computer Programming
Computer coding has been a theme of several recent deals marrying licensed entertainment/character properties with educational digital content focused on basic programming skills. Since November 2015: Disney and Lucasfilm partnered with Code.org for a Star Wars tutorial that educates kids on writing code; Code.org has previously worked with Disney on similar programs involving Frozen and […]
Fostering Acceptance
By Karen Raugust on January 25, 2016 in Branding/marketing, Character/Entertainment, Content, Licensing
Over the past few years, a handful of catalogs and marketing campaigns have featured models with special needs, such as Down’s syndrome or physical disabilities. In general, the intent is not to call attention to these conditions, but simply to better represent the diversity of the marketers’ customer base. Examples have ranged from a Target […]
Some Thoughts on Star Wars
Visits to a wide range of retail stores in New York and the Twin Cities in December confirmed the degree to which Star Wars is dominating shelf and floor space this holiday season. Not surprisingly, Star Wars products prevail at mass chains, including storewide at Target and in Walmart’s toy department (with Star Wars and […]