The hobby of hammocking (also known as ’mocking) has flourished over the past two years, especially among millennials. Teen and young adult men and women regularly hang their portable hammocks not just in their back yards, but also in parks and other open spaces, and even in some offices. Clubs have formed in metro areas and at universities, and public gatherings across the country celebrate National Hammock Day (origin unknown) on July 22.
Licensing deals are still few and far between, however, with most of the action centered on the sports and collegiate markets. Some of the universities and sports teams that have seen their logos appear on hammocks include Louisiana State University (with Kijaro), Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox (with Evergreen Enterprises’ Team Sports America brand), and Chattanooga FC, an amateur soccer team in the National Premier Soccer League (with Blue Ridge Outside).
These and other examples have come to market both through league-wide deals with the major pro licensing organizations and via partnerships with individual teams or schools.
Other properties lending their names to hammocks have ranged from RealTree, with The Hammock Source’s Castaway Hammocks brand, to Marimekko, as part of its broader collaboration with Target earlier this year.
Retail sales of hammocks in the U.S. increased 30% to $53.8 million in the 12 months ending in March 2016, according to the NPD Group, as cited in Advertising Age, and have doubled in the past two years. This growth spurt—along with the promise of an eventual leveling off of sales, which will lead more manufacturers to look for ways to differentiate—suggests that opportunities exist for licensors to enter this still relatively licensing-free category.
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