Contemporary-plus-vintage lifestyle and home goods labels have recently been expanding their names into adjacent categories. Often, these brands have roots as interior design and/or retail businesses that highlight current trends paired with antiques, vintage pieces, shabby-chic items, and flea market finds. Brand-extension efforts focus on home décor and other categories, with a look and feel […]
Archive | Licensing
Characters on the Runway
One indication of the ongoing importance of pairings between high-fashion labels and licensed properties from outside the world of fashion is the strong presence of such collaborations at the spring and fall Fashion Weeks and Design Weeks in the world’s capitals of high fashion. These have become key moments to debut joint collections on the […]
Quick-Service Clothing
In the last few months, several quick-service and coffee shop brands have announced promotional initiatives involving limited-edition apparel and accessories, typically handled through their advertising agency or marketing department rather than through a licensing rep: Taco Bell partnered with Forever 21 to design an apparel collection including hoodies, bodysuits, tops, and anoraks that feature the […]
Food Prep-To-Food Licensing
Properties from the world of kitchen appliances and food preparation represent an area of growth for brand extension into the food and beverage category. Licensors of kitchen electrics, grills, and other cooking tools are lending their names to foods that constitute a close fit with their respective brands. For example: Last month, charcoal brand Kingsford […]
A Meditation on Mergers & Acquisitions
Last month came news that Learfield and its competitor IMG College were in late negotiations to merge. If the plans go through, this move would bring together the two major agents in the collegiate licensing business, not to mention their vast sponsorship and multimedia operations, marking a big change for the collegiate licensing business. It […]
Singers Take a Chance On Slots
Licensors of all sorts continue to try their luck in the slots category, with musicians being a particularly vibrant property type in this arena. Musical acts typically enter the category in one (or more) of the following ways: Branded games for casinos. Madonna and her agent Epic Rights licensed Aristocrat for a line of casino […]
Cosplay Beyond the Cons
Cosplay—dressing up as a favorite anime, videogame, television, or book character, in a self-created and realistic costume, and interacting with others doing the same—has been a big and growing hobby for several years. More recently, the popular avocation has moved beyond the borders of the numerous comic book and pop culture conventions and into the […]
Sugar and Spice
Many licensors and licensees involved in the food and beverage category are trying to find ways to meet consumers’ stated desires for healthier foods. They also want to comply with industry and government initiatives that move them in a healthier direction, particularly when it comes to children. That said, if food-to-food licensing deals announced over […]
A Pattern of Outbound Licensing
A smattering of sweater brands have been expanding their outbound licensing programs, taking their distinctive patterns and graphics into adjacent categories and into new territories. Marius, known for its classic Norwegian sweaters featuring horizontal geometric stripes incorporating snowflakes and reindeer, has more than 25 licensees on board in Norway, covering everything from watches to postcards […]
Books and Bonus Content
Book and comic book publishers have long sought some sort of added value to differentiate their licensed titles from their competitors’, give retailers something exclusive, and entice consumers. These perks historically have been likely to take forms such as premiums (e.g., crayons or collectible toys) affixed to the cover; design elements (foil or sparkles, a […]