China has taken several steps recently to reign in the influence of its celebrities, as well as consumers’ ability to follow them. This could have an impact on licensing, collaborations, and endorsements tied to celebrities in China, and even limit Chinese celebrities’ marketability abroad. Celebrity tie-ins, especially with luxury, fashion, and cosmetics brands, have become […]
Archive | Licensing
Design on Demand
The increasingly important role of print on demand in art licensing was one of the topics discussed in the “Spotlight: Art Licensing” session at Licensing University in late August. Licensing U was produced by Licensing International and took place alongside Licensing Expo Virtual. Print-on-demand platforms have had an ever greater impact as the technology has […]
Kids in the Kitchen
By Karen Raugust on September 20, 2021 in Character/Entertainment, Content, Design and content themes, Food/Beverage, Licensing
Kids’ cooking- and food-themed content continues to proliferate, including in the form of TV shows, social media content, cooking and baking competition shows, and spin-offs of existing children’s IP. Several of these properties have dipped their toes into licensing, consumer products, and promotions, to various degrees. Here’s a sampling of some of the properties and […]
Consequences of Commercialization
A Licensing University session called “Spotlight: Sports Licensing,” produced by Licensing International and held as part of Licensing Expo in late August, hit on a number of current trends impacting the sports licensing landscape. One interesting topic that came up in the presentation, moderated by the late Bill Burke, senior VP marketing strategy and communications […]
Museums Mark Mid-Autumn
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration of the Harvest Moon that takes place in China and other parts of Asia, this year on September 21. In the lead-up to this big holiday, designers and fashion labels, chefs, hotels, corporate brands, characters, and video game properties have increasingly partnered for gift sets containing mooncakes, a delicacy […]
Augmenting Activism Through Product Alignments
Celebrities are increasingly taking roles as activists, from supporting Black Lives Matter, to promoting women’s rights in light of the Me-Too movement, to highlighting sustainability. Meanwhile, activists working toward various causes are more often becoming celebrities in their own right. Members of both groups are looking at fashion and other product collaborations and brand ambassadorships […]
Full Circle
The apparel and retail industries’ embrace of circular fashion—the reduction of waste by using materials for as long as possible, such as through reuse, recycling, and/or upcycling—has been a hot topic in the last couple of years. As time goes on, it seems more and more certain that these techniques are here to stay, one […]
Football Kits Hit the Right Notes
Musicans and football (soccer) organizations have come together in the past for a variety of commercial ventures. In some cases, singers and bands have offered clubs the rights to their songs, while in others the partners have jointly created one-of-a-kind kits for use on the field and for sale to fans. When it comes to […]
Déjà Vu All Over Again
By Karen Raugust on August 19, 2021 in Diversity/Inclusion, Interactive gaming, Licensing, Politics/social movements
Activision Blizzard, the video game maker behind Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, is being sued by the state of California for its culture of sexual harassment. This is just the latest such news in a two-plus-year period of Me-Too moments in the interactive gaming industry. Consumer, sponsor, and employee backlash to this […]
Stretching Out
Sales of activewear in the U.S. in the first six months of 2021 increased 40% compared to the same period in 2020 and 25%-plus compared to 2019, according to the NPD Group. As social activities start to open back up, consumers are going out with an increasingly casual sense of style, leading the fashion world […]