On this Earth Day 2021, it seems like a good time to take a look at the rising popularity of mushrooms as a focal point of sustainability initiatives. Mushrooms and mycelium, the vegetative branching filaments (akin to a root system) of a fungus, are viable not only as eco-friendly food ingredients but as materials to […]
Archive | Innovation
First Impressions
Every once in a while, we shine a spotlight on recent deals involving products and categories that have rarely been a focus for licensing and may offer white space for licensors with relevant IP. Our first post of 2021 seems like a good time to take stock of some of the new and unusual licensed […]
Looking Beyond Face Coverings
Properties of all types have gotten into the face covering game in a big way since just after the start of the pandemic, with cloth masks, gaiters, balaclavas, and other protective facewear quickly becoming a standard category for licensing. Meanwhile, the pandemic has also given rise to other new opportunities related to avoiding the COVID-19 […]
The Rise of Anti-COVID Soft Goods
Since April, when it started to become evident that the coronavirus would likely stay around for a while, technology companies, fabric suppliers, and research institutions, as well as soft goods brands, began introducing anti-viral fabrics to repel SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—for use in apparel and home textiles. Anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal fabrics have been […]
Pandemic Products with Partnership Potential
The COVID-19 crisis, for all the disruption and challenges it has brought to the licensing business, has also given rise to some wholly new opportunities. Face coverings are a notable example, of course, with the category going from zero to ubiquitous almost instantaneously. As the pandemic has worn on, additional brand-new categories are springing up […]
Clothing for the COVID Era
Populations around the world are slowly starting to test a post-COVID daily routine that involves some form of work, school, shopping, and leisure. But the reopening of society has shown that the coronavirus is still a threat, as illustrated by the recent spikes in the number of cases in the U.S. and some other countries. […]
Data-Driven Decision-Making
Licensing has become more data-driven over time, as the tools used to analyze sales and other information at a granular level improve, giving licensors and licensees insights into what is working and not working and enhancing the ability to tweak strategies quickly. Licensing executives have also increasingly been enhancing sales history with other more forward-looking […]
The People’s Choice
Licensees, and some licensors, turn to crowdfunding as a way to raise awareness for new products among their most loyal fans, test new products and features, and/or generate funding for new initiatives. Most recent campaigns have taken one of the following directions: • Using crowdfunding as an ongoing strategy for launching new products under an […]
New Dimensions in Footwear
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, […]
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 […]