Over the last year, licensors have continued to launch licensing programs meant to appeal to Hispanic consumers. Increasingly, these programs view the Hispanic market as one strong component of a broader audience, rather than as a standalone focus.
Some of the properties are expanding into the U.S. market from a Latin American base. Chivas Guadalajara, a Mexican soccer club, retained One Entertainment as its agent for North America, hoping to appeal to both soccer fans and Hispanic consumers. The same agency took on North American licensing duties for the estate of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, for whom Hispanic consumers have a special affinity but who appeals to a wide audience of art lovers.
On the food and beverage front, Corona and Cerveza Modelo Especial, two beer brands originating in Mexico, and their agent The Joester Loria Group, signed Ripple Junction for a line of apparel designed to attract both Hispanic consumers and millennials. Other beers owned by licensor Constellation, including Modelo Negra, Victoria, and Pacifico, will also be part of the line.
U.S.-based brands are following a similar path. Tapatio is a California-headquartered hot sauce brand that appeals to both Hispanic consumers and anyone who likes Mexican and/or spicy foods. Agency Brand Central expects a full food and beverage program, plus lifestyle products, to launch at retail in 2017, with items including potato chips, meat and poultry, sunflower seeds, salsa, and powdered spice packets.
Meanwhile, Marvel said in 2016 that it would put a greater focus on selling Spider-Man licensed products through specialty shops and bodegas to reach Hispanic consumers, among other Spidey-related initiatives.
Although the trend for many Hispanic-skewing properties is to create products to appeal to Latino shoppers as part of a wider consumer market, some licensors continue to concentrate on U.S. Hispanics exclusively. The Puerto Rican licensor C-Mar signed Vidorra Group to license its property Nañaritos globally, with the Hispanic market being the priority in the U.S. And Univision paired with home goods designer Thomas Fuchs for a lifestyle brand named Mi Casa Su Casa by Thomas Fuchs, launching this year.
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