Male athletes from a variety of sports have expanded their personal brands into the high-end underwear category. Athletes’ signature lines are attractive for companies in this sector, since they add credibility through their endorsement of the product’s performance characteristics or comfort, especially during active situations. And athletes’ toned bodies are good imagery for underwear advertising, […]
Archive | Licensing
Wearables as Playthings
Licensed wearable devices for children represent a small but growing sector of the toy, accessories, and electronics industries. Their positioning and functionality often differ somewhat from the typical adult-skewing licensed wearable; namely, they focus less on fitness and more on play. A few examples: Disney’s Playmation, a line of connected toys developed with Hasbro and […]
It’s a Mystery
Live-action TV mysteries for adults have seen a bit of a boost in licensing activity—albeit narrow in scope—in their home countries over the past year. The properties in question hail from the U.K. and Australia, and all air on public television stations in some or all U.S. markets. Winning Moves UK announced in January that […]
Getting Comfortable With Denim
Differentiation in the denim category can be difficult to achieve (through licensing or otherwise), compared to other sectors of apparel that allow for more variation and flexibility in terms of design and fabrics. In addition, there is significant and strong competition in this segment, both from denim brands such as Levi’s and Wrangler and from […]
Code Ed: Characters Teach Computer Programming
Computer coding has been a theme of several recent deals marrying licensed entertainment/character properties with educational digital content focused on basic programming skills. Since November 2015: Disney and Lucasfilm partnered with Code.org for a Star Wars tutorial that educates kids on writing code; Code.org has previously worked with Disney on similar programs involving Frozen and […]
Singing the Praises of Home Décor
Half a dozen singers, with roots across genres and eras, have launched or announced deals for home goods within the last year. Some do not have much of an obvious connection with the category, aside from a personal interest in design and décor and/or ties with hearth and home through their lyrics or reputations. Pop […]
Literary Layette
Children’s picture books without entertainment backing tend to be licensed on a limited basis, focusing on higher-end products sold through specialty stores. One active area is the infant-products category, where classic storybooks, with their nostalgic appeal and educational positioning, attract parents and grandparents, as well as consumers looking for baby gifts. To illustrate, three such […]
What’s in a Phrase?
Sports licensors, like intellectual property owners of all types, are looking for ways to expand their portfolio of licensable assets. As part of that trend, three sports clubs have filed trademark applications in the last six months or so for words or phrases that are closely associated with their teams: Liverpool Football Club in the […]
Fostering Acceptance
By Karen Raugust on January 25, 2016 in Branding/marketing, Character/Entertainment, Content, Licensing
Over the past few years, a handful of catalogs and marketing campaigns have featured models with special needs, such as Down’s syndrome or physical disabilities. In general, the intent is not to call attention to these conditions, but simply to better represent the diversity of the marketers’ customer base. Examples have ranged from a Target […]
From Page to Product
Magazine brand licensing, historically, faced a significant barrier in that the categories that made the most sense for brand extension were the same ones in which the magazines’ advertisers operated. Since those advertisers provided much of the revenue keeping the publications in business, competing face-to-face with them was usually out of the question. How times […]