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 […]
Archive | Licensing
Nurturing Nature Knowledge
Science, maker, and activity kits—some with licenses attached—are a big trend within the toy business, from STEM packs centered on coding and circuitry to chemistry sets focused on slime or cosmetics. A mini-trend within the category, notable at this year’s New York Toy Fair, was the pairing of licensed properties with plant- and nature-related science […]
Toy Testers, Mommy Bloggers, and More
The impact of social media influencers in the toy industry—from toy testers and mommy bloggers to comedians, singers, and pranksters—was evident at this year’s New York Toy Fair. Ryan of Ryan ToysReview, which has accumulated 19.5 billion video views and 12 million subscribers, has a new deal with Bonkers Toys for a line of branded […]
Gender-Blind Basics
Licensing deals involving unisex lines of apparel, which are designed in such a way that they fit and appeal to both genders, have been on the rise for some time, and the trend seems to be accelerating. Agreements typically focus on t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, and other basic items, although they can extend beyond that. Some […]
Pop Stars
With their bright colors and pop-culture references, painters identified as pop artists, from Roy Lichtenstein to Damien Hirst, have been attractive as licensing and collaboration partners almost since they first came on the scene in the 1950s. The past year is no exception as pop artists, both current and classic, have been expanding their licensing […]
Prom Dates
Last month Discovery Consumer Products and Macy’s announced they were extending their licensing agreement for Discovery’s Say Yes to the Prom, creating a new line of dozens of prom dresses and accessories for high school girls. Say Yes to the Prom is a community-outreach spin-off of the Discovery series Say Yes to the Dress that […]
Shopping the Super Bowl
American football fans are gearing up for the Super Bowl this weekend. Not surprisingly, the NFL, the local organizing committee, and retailers across the Twin Cities—this year’s host site, U.S. Bank Stadium, is located in Minneapolis—are highlighting Super Bowl LII merchandise. Their activities provide a good illustration of what big-event licensing programs look like. The […]
Personal Identity
Celebrities take different approaches when it comes to labeling their licensed product arrays, as they try to reach a balance between capitalizing on their fame and establishing a merchandise program that can thrive on its own merits. The first option is for fan-favorite personalities to conduct their licensing and collaboration activities under their own names, […]
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 […]
Bollywood and Beyond
Celebrity brand extension through licensing and other means has been on the rise in India of late, as famous faces from a variety of sectors introduce merchandise programs. The personalities’ efforts often (but not always) revolve around brands they have developed, rather than their names alone. Some key segments include: Cricket players. Virat Kohli, captain […]