The announcement last week that Bob Dylan was getting into the spirits game with a collection of premium whiskeys is just the latest in a raft of deals pairing musicians with wine, beer, and liquor marketers. More than a half dozen agreements announced this year so far illustrate the wide variety of music genres, business […]
Archive | Food/Beverage
Sweet Spot
Chocolate candy brands such as Hershey, M&Ms, and Godiva are known for their extensions (through licensing or ingredient sales) into compatible food categories such as coffee, ice cream, liqueurs, and the like. Meanwhile, candy-based properties outside the chocolate segment also have licensing programs that include complementary foods. In fact, the non-chocolate candy sector has been […]
Moveable Feasts
After a bit of a lull in activity, March 2018 has brought a number of new ventures involving licensed properties and meal kits: Marley Kitchen, a brand launched by the Bob Marley estate, paired with meal-delivery company Chef’d for a co-branded collection of Caribbean-inspired meals based on recipes provided by members of the family (three […]
Breaking New Ground
A handful of deals announced in the latter half of 2017—all focused on the food and beverage industry but involving different property types—illustrate some of the ways licensors and licensees can innovate, even in a very crowded landscape: Creating something brand new. In December, the Portland Trail Blazers paired with Brew Dr. for a special-edition […]
Bringing Culinary Content to Life
Much of the attention when it comes to brand-extension licensing in the food and beverage industry focuses on food, restaurant, chef-, and diet-related brands. Another active sector, albeit smaller, consists of culinary magazine titles. A number of cooking publications have expanded their names into retail food categories from frozen entrées to shelf-stable sauces. Two deals […]
Tasty Tie-Ups
Late last month, the car brand GMC announced it was pairing with L.A. ice cream shop Little Damage for a limited-edition Denali Ultimate Black ice cream to coincide with the launch of its new vehicle, the Yukon Denali Ultimate Black Edition. The news is a reminder of how limited-edition ice cream flavors have become a […]
Seeking White Space in the Supermarket
Owners of food and restaurant properties have recently been looking beyond the most common brand-extension categories within the grocery store. They are lending their names to product sectors that not only make sense for their flavor profiles, but also have not been heavily licensed to date, meaning there is room for new brand entrants. For […]
Food Prep-To-Food Licensing
Properties from the world of kitchen appliances and food preparation represent an area of growth for brand extension into the food and beverage category. Licensors of kitchen electrics, grills, and other cooking tools are lending their names to foods that constitute a close fit with their respective brands. For example: Last month, charcoal brand Kingsford […]
Sugar and Spice
Many licensors and licensees involved in the food and beverage category are trying to find ways to meet consumers’ stated desires for healthier foods. They also want to comply with industry and government initiatives that move them in a healthier direction, particularly when it comes to children. That said, if food-to-food licensing deals announced over […]
Meal Kit Moves
The meal kit industry has undergone a number of significant changes in the past two months. Although it’s still early days, these developments may signal trouble ahead for the start-ups that have dominated this sector, as big players increasingly enter the market, raising the level of competition. Meanwhile, the first IPO of a meal kit […]