Protein powders have been a very active category for licensing of late. While a variety of properties are represented, from celebrities and characters to sports IPs and videogames, food-related brands have dominated the sector. And most have been of the sweet sort, encompassing candy, cookies, cereal, restaurant offerings like pancakes and fountain drinks, and more. […]
Archive | Corporate brands
Candy Kisses
With the current popularity of food brands, especially those of the sweet variety, across all consumer products, and the current power of the beauty category as a center of collaboration activity, it is no wonder that partnerships pairing candy, cookies, and other sweets with color cosmetics, lip balms, skincare, and the like have been a […]
Food Brands Explore Fresh Categories
The announcement of Newman’s Own packaged salad kits from Fresh Del Monte earlier this month is a reminder of the role food and beverage brand licensing plays in the fresh produce industry. The new product line is one of a few agreements that have been announced in this space over the last couple of years: […]
Clothing Confections
Candy brands have long been participants in fashion collaborations, but they seem to be experiencing a particularly active period in this space these days. Designs tend to go all-in on prominently featuring the shapes, colors, mascots, and packaging associated with the IP, and the focus is largely—but not entirely—on accessories categories, in part because consumers […]
Hoping for Happily Ever After
Earlier this year, two licensors reworked their deals with important licensees, granting them perpetual licenses within their categories. This is a relatively uncommon deal structure where a significant upfront payment, typically in lieu of an ongoing royalty, gives the licensee ownership of their category indefinitely, with the IP owner retaining rights to the underlying brand. […]
QSRs Scare Up Some Halloween Fun
As the days count down to Halloween, a deal between Chipotle and Spirit Halloween for novelty costumes has added to the options consumers have had at their disposal to dress up as their favorite fast-food dishes come October, whether for trick-or-treating or holiday parties. In fact, quick-service restaurant chains offering costumes depicting fan-favorite foods has […]
Considering ‘Condiment Couture’
The ongoing foodie fashion trend, in which luxury and other fashion designers integrate fast food, snack, and any number of food-related brands into capsule collections of apparel, accessories, and footwear, shows no signs of waning. One subset of this trend recently benefited from a spike in interest: namely, “condiment couture.” This mini-trend has typically taken […]
Enjoy Your Stay
High-end hotels are entering the home furnishings realm, creating collections positioned as allowing consumers to treat themselves to the feeling of being in a fine hotel while remaining in the comfort of their own bedrooms and bathrooms. Most often, hotels sell the furniture and home textiles they feature in their guest rooms through their own […]
Luxury Autos Drive Limited Sneaker Designs
News recently came to light about two limited-edition sneaker collaborations, namely Alfa Romeo pairing with Greats and Porsche teaming with Puma. These new initiatives are a reminder of how car brands, especially on the luxury end of the scale, have been common and high-profile players in the crowded sneaker-collaboration space for years, with the frequency […]
A Flurry of Food-Brand Agency Agreements
Food and beverage brands have represented one of the most active sectors in licensing for quite some time, and the trend shows no sign of waning. As one illustration, in the 15 weeks since January 1, 2024, more than a half dozen food and beverage brands have retained new licensing agents to expand their outbound […]