Airlines have long paired with licensed properties for promotions and merchandise, with initiatives involving elements such as fashion capsules, travel collections, uniforms, in-flight amenities, and/or exterior and interior graphics. Such partnerships have, over time, become more diverse in their execution, and more frequent. A few of many recent examples illustrate some of the airlines’ key […]
Archive | Promotion
Drone On
Drone shows have become a fast-growing experiential category for licensors looking for new ways to engage consumers and promote their properties and initiatives. Not only are drone shows appealing to fans as a relatively new type of experience in their own right, but they are also gaining popularity as an alternative to fireworks, which are […]
Characters in the Pit
Characters from TV, films, and gaming have increasingly been linked with racing—a high-profile sector within the licensing business these days—for promotional initiatives that, in some cases, include merchandise. Auto racing has been seeing growing interest from younger fans in recent years, and these collaborations serve to both take advantage of that fact and further the […]
Putting the Pop in Pop Culture
Pairings of character IPs with soda pops and other soft drinks are not a new phenomenon, but there has been a recent surge in interest in such partnerships globally. While most initiatives are promotional, spearheaded by the marketing departments of film and TV studios and accompanied by other promotional techniques like exclusive content or contests, […]
Pace Picks Up on Paralympic Promotions
Now that the Olympic Games have ended, fans are looking forward to the Paralympics, which will begin on August 28 in Paris. Commercial partnerships with Paralympic athletes have been on the rise over the past few years, generally taking the form of endorsements and brand ambassadorships rather than consumer products. Some examples announced this year […]
Bringing Home (and Keeping) the Bacon
Over the last few years, licensed properties are increasingly playing a central role in programs that teach financial literacy to adults and children. The IPs are a way to not only raise awareness for these promotions, but to make the subject matter more accessible, interesting, and fun. Recent initiatives, mostly featuring characters or celebrities, take […]
Podcasters Look Beyond DTC Into Licensing
By Karen Raugust on April 18, 2024 in Branding/marketing, Character/Entertainment, Licensing, Promotion
Within the licensing business, podcasters primarily play a role as licensees, pairing with owners of licensed properties to create new audio productions. The podcast producers see licensed IP as a way to capture new audiences, while the licensors typically view the medium as another way for consumers to experience their properties and another touchpoint to […]
Boba Tie-Ins Bubble Up
By Karen Raugust on January 25, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Food/Beverage, International, Licensing, Promotion, Retail
Bubble tea, or boba—a creamy, tea-based drink containing tapioca pearls—was invented in Taiwan and has been spreading around the world, including into the U.S., where boba drink outlets are becoming ubiquitous at malls and elsewhere. The U.S. bubble tea market was forecast to reach $464.29 million in 2023, up 6.9% from $434.11 million in 2022, […]
Snacking While Streaming
Food and beverage-related brands have represented one of the key sectors involved in e-sports promotions over the past year and a half, partnering with e-sports teams and organizations for live events, streamed content, and sometimes merchandise sales or giveaways. Some examples: E-sports organization FaZe Clan paired with General Mills’ Totino’s brand to create special flavors […]
Out of the Fry Basket, Into the Fire
Forget about the chicken wars. Quick-service restaurant and retail food and beverage brands have recently been ordering up some tasty promotions and collaborations centering on a hot menu item: French fries. Some examples: In a widely reported pairing last week, Arby’s worked with craft distillery Tattersall to create a very limited run of two fry-flavored […]