When we last looked into the food-to-food licensing arena about three months ago, we outlined the large number of new deals involving food and restaurant brands that had come to fruition in the grocery industry in the previous year and a half. And we noted that, despite the crowded landscape, licensing still represents a tiny […]
Archive | Licensing
A Call for Licensed Handsets
Are mobile handsets the next consumer electronics sector to be headed away from manufacturing and toward a licensing model? Last September, shortly after discontinuing its own manufacturing operations to focus on software development, Blackberry licensed its brand to BB Merah Putih, which is sourcing, distributing, and marketing Blackberry devices in Indonesia, the brand’s strongest market. […]
Swanky Stationery
Fashion and interior designers continue to strengthen their presence in the high-end stationery category, furthering a trend that has been evident over the last couple of years. Some of the licensing agreements focus on e-stationery, while others encompass both electronic and print versions of holiday cards, invitations, and thank you notes. Two designers adding their […]
Reserving Room for Licensing
By Karen Raugust on December 22, 2016 in Corporate brands, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Promotion, Retail
The hotel and hospitality industry has been an area of interest for licensors of late, with potential opportunities taking many forms: Branded hotels. Karl Lagerfeld announced in November that he would launch a chain of luxury hotels, with the first to open in Macau in 2018. He joins fashion labels such as Armani, Missoni, Bulgari, […]
E-Sports Update
A lot has happened in the e-sports market since we last covered the topic in August 2016: More merchandise deals. Apparel licensee J!nx licensed Echo Fox, an e-sports team founded by former NBA athlete Rick Fox, for a line of clothing and accessories including hoodies, caps, and t-shirts. The company is also introducing a lifestyle […]
A New Celebrity Sector
The increasingly high profile of transgender celebrities in pop culture over the past few years has led to a relatively new and niche realm of celebrity licensing focused on signature merchandise inspired by transgender models, reality stars, and actresses. Examples, while still few and far between, date back at least as far as 2013 and […]
The Evolving World of Branded E-Commerce
Licensors and licensees are watching developments in the brand-specific e-commerce space. While recent announcements from Fanatics and Delivery Agent have little in common on the surface, together they reflect the challenges facing property-specific e-commerce due to fast-paced technology changes, quickly evolving consumer shopping patterns, and ever-expanding competition. Service providers either adapt or fail. Fanatics confirmed […]
A Heartwarming Hook for Holiday Products
The debuts of the leading U.K. retailers’ moving and high-production-value Christmas-themed TV “adverts” have become an anticipated event in that country each year. Many spur exclusive, limited-time merchandise items or ranges that tend to sell strongly, with some of the proceeds typically contributing to charitable causes. For example: John Lewis’s merchandise tied to the star […]
Product as Promotion
Several recent announcements show how corporate brands’ licensing activity these days often walks the line between consumer merchandise and marketing: Luxury meets novelty. Cheetos’ first online store, introduced at the end of November, features an assortment of luxury items, some of which sound like April Fool’s jokes. In fact, the site’s Cheeteau fragrance began its […]
Blind Bag Bonanza
When the NPD Group released its estimates for U.S. toy industry growth for the first nine months of this year, it called out the collectibles category as a particularly strong segment, with sales up 64% year-to-date. Blind bags—impulse-priced foil or plastic bags with a surprise mini collectible toy inside—represent a bright spot even within collectibles, […]