Before the COVID-19 pandemic put the travel industry on ice, the practice of pairing licenses with vacation travel services, cruise lines, and other travel-related businesses had been on a long upward trajectory. One sector within that broader trend, illustrated by a recently announced deal between Thrillest and Academic Travel Abroad, consists of packages that put […]
Archive | Licensing
Taking Cereal in a New Direction
Since about 2018, cereal companies have been frequently forging inbound licensing deals or other forms of partnership with marketers of sweet snacks, from candy to cookies to ice cream. The result has been a proliferation of breakfast foods such as Nestlé Drumstick cereal from General Mills, Peeps cereal from Kellogg’s, and Hostess Twinkies cereal from […]
Brands Practice Self-Distancing
By Karen Raugust on March 26, 2020 in Branding/marketing, Corporate brands, Design and content themes, Licensing
A number of brands—many of which are involved in licensing in some way—have gotten creative with their logos as a means of stressing the critical importance of self-distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. These tweaks simultaneously engage the brands’ fans and boost awareness during a difficult time for most businesses. Examples include: Mercado Libre. […]
There’s No Place Like Home
As most of us are currently self-isolating at home, it seems like a good time to take a look at licensing and brand extension opportunities in the housing space. Occasionally over the years, licensors have focused not just on the traditional home goods categories, such as furniture, dishes, and décor, but have also lent their […]
Hooked on Knitting and Crochet
The knitting and crocheting space represents one of the niche opportunities whose rise can be attributed to the Maker and Urban Craft movements over the past 15 years. Interest in knitting and crocheting has grown among all age groups, particularly millennials and Gen Zs. As a result, a number of properties—from pop culture icons to […]
More Visibility for Disability
By Karen Raugust on March 16, 2020 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Licensing, Toys/Games
Over the past several years there has been a focus on diversity and inclusion of all types in advertising, content, and consumer products. The introduction of characters with physical and mental disabilities has been a recent manifestation of this trend, with more and more examples in the toy and children’s entertainment industries, especially in the […]
Locked In
When we last covered the escape room phenomenon, in June of 2017, the industry was well established, but licensing was still relatively new to the sector. Things have changed since then, with a wide variety of entertainment/character licensing now in the mix and new examples still joining the fray on a regular basis. Some of […]
Baby Bump
By Karen Raugust on March 5, 2020 in Character/Entertainment, Corporate brands, Demographic groups, Licensing, Toys/Games
Branded video platforms for preschoolers have been active in the licensing business of late, especially in the toy segment: Treasure Studio signed Jazwares for a toy line based on the YouTube channel CoComelon. Founded in 2006, the channel has more than 72 million subscribers and 2.5 billion monthly views. The stories and characters seen in […]
Animal Attractions
By Karen Raugust on March 2, 2020 in Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Pet products
A handful of licensors are looking to the pet industry for new experiential opportunities. The moves make sense: Consumers’ love of and willingness to spend on their pets is well documented. And there is plenty of white space to fill in the experiential pet sector, which is relatively new territory for licensed properties. Some examples: […]
North Stars
Nordic design always plays an important role in the global lifestyle landscape. Like all evergreen design themes, however, the trend waxes and wanes over time. At the moment, Nordic design and lifestyle properties—especially those hailing from Finland—certainly seem to be on the upswing, especially when it comes to licensing and collaboration: Marimekko has been putting […]