3D printing has a lower profile as a consumer-facing licensing trend than it did a few years ago. But the technology continues strong behind the scenes, as a means to personalize products, implement unique designs, and achieve other goals. In many cases, consumers may not realize a given product is being created through this technique, […]
Archive | Innovation
Fresh Foods
Licensors are always looking to innovate by capitalizing on opportunities to pair a property with a rising consumer trend. That process can be more involved in the food industry than in other categories. But a handful of current food and beverage trends—some of which have been around for a while—are starting to spur the development […]
Cashing in on Cryptocurrency
A handful of licensed properties are starting to enter the world of cryptocurrency, which consists of virtual “coins” enabled by blockchain technology. As with physical currency, consumers can utilize cryptocurrency to pay for things, or as an investment. Blockchain involves a decentralized digital ledger or database of transactions, ownership history, and/or other data associated with […]
Cultivating New Concepts
Licensors, licensees, and retailers have been launching incubator, accelerator, and crowdfunding-based innovation programs in an effort to find new ideas for properties and products that could succeed at retail and that they might not find through traditional means. The programs vary from one another in many ways. They begin at different stages of a property’s […]
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 […]
New and Different
The quest for a good fit between product and property—one of the most important criteria behind a successful licensing deal—can lead some licensors into untapped areas: Eclipse glasses. In time for this summer’s total solar eclipse, American Paper Optics, a maker of 3D glasses, partnered with Bill Nye the Science Guy for a limited-edition line […]
Sweet (?) Smell of Success
Long gone are the days when scented candles and home fragrances would fill a room solely with traditional aromas such as vanilla, lavender, strawberries, and sea breezes. Back in 2014, the distinct smell of foods, from a few rare instances of bacon to a wide range of baked goods, started taking hold in the industry, […]
Connected Clothing
At recent electronics and fashion trade shows such as the Consumer Electronics Show, Fashion Tech Berlin, and the Decoded Fashion Summit, smart clothing made its mark. Fabric featuring interwoven conductive wires or embedded nanotechnology allows jackets, intimates, or t–shirts to accommodate basic phone- or Internet-based communication and information access. It enables clothing to measure biometrics […]
Creative Thinking
Fashion designers are increasingly stepping outside of their traditional realms of apparel, accessories, footwear, beauty, fragrance, dinnerware, bed and bath, and home décor. Many have been testing categories such as pet products and electronic-device cases, for example. Some ventures are virtually one of a kind, as is the case with these unconventional limited editions: Karl […]
That’s a First
A handful of exhibitors at the recent Licensing International Expo launched licensing programs or signed deals that seemed to be firsts within the licensing business, or at least at the show. Each represents a trend that has become prominent in society in the last couple of years but is just starting to emerge within the […]