Keeping Cool

Last week the news came out that Lifetime Brands would be launching a licensed home goods program based on its BUILT brand of insulated lunch bags, soft coolers, hydration bottles and tumblers, food storage products, and travel accessories, with agency The Brand Liaison assisting it in that effort. Target categories include kitchen textiles, outdoor and camping products, luggage, pet care, fitness equipment, and tech accessories, among others.

Several other marketers of insulated beverageware and coolers are also involved in licensing. Most serve as licensees or promotional partners, but at least one, in addition to BUILT, is a licensor:

• Thermos’ inbound licensing activity is mostly centered in its kids’ Funtainer line, a collection that includes a variety of entertainment properties. Examples include Batman, Paw Patrol, Disney Princess and other Disney-owned properties (Yoda, Toy Story, Minnie Mouse, Avengers), Pokémon, JoJo Siwa, Minions, CoComelon, Peppa Pig, Baby Shark, Minecraft, Super Mario, L.O.L. Surprise!, and Barbie.

• Yeti has created custom products for NASCAR, including beverageware and coolers tied to a range of drivers, races, sponsors, tracks, and other NASCAR-managed IP; Major League Baseball, including drinkware and coolers for the 30 MLB teams; soccer team Austin FC; and 37 Live Nation musicians, ranging from the Avett Brothers to the Zac Brown Band, for products that were auctioned to support out-of-work road crews in the music industry. Yeti has worked with other owners of licensed properties in the past as well.

• Igloo is a leading licensee, acquiring properties for its Igloo Playmate cooler, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. Property acquisitions or expansions announced in the last year or so include entertainment/character IP (The Simpsons; Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm properties including Avengers, Deadpool, and The Nightmare Before Christmas; Monster Jam; Care Bears; Harry Potter; Hello Kitty); corporate brands (Jeep, Whataburger, Yes Way Rosé), musicians (The Beatles, The Grateful Dead), sports properties (NFL, NASCAR), and art and lifestyle brands (Rachel Ellen). These join numerous other properties already in the company’s portfolio of licenses.

• Coleman, which counts coolers as one of its three main businesses, along with grills/stoves and tents/canopies, is one of the few licensors on the list. It has long overseen an outbound brand-licensing program, with current licensees including Bestway for swimming pools and spas; Worthington Industries for propane cylinders; Dutchmen for recreational vehicles; Castlewood Group for apparel; Johnson Controls for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; Sunforce Products for solar panels and wind generators; Wisconsin Pharmacal for insect repellents; Winners Products for grills and barbecue accessories; Unique Petz for pet gear; Cathay Home for home textiles; and Elite Brands for cameras, binoculars, telescopes, and other optics.

• Taiga Coolers’ inbound licensing activity has focused on corporate brands appealing to workers and outdoor enthusiasts who would be likely to use coolers and insulated beverage containers, with Caterpillar, Case IH, and Mossy Oak among them.

• Mammoth Coolers, a brand of Blackbird Products Group, has had a deal with Remington Ammunition, owned by Vista Outdoor, for a line of drinkware, coolers, and accessories for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, since 2021. The company also offers coolers and drinkware under the Mossy Oak and Prym1 camouflage brands.

• Grizzly Coolers, based in Iowa, currently offers several SKUs sporting the logos of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Known for its bear-resistant products, it has over the years served as the cooler partner for properties including Remington, Jeep, Dodge, Iowa State, and Realtree.

In addition to its new outbound licensing plans, BUILT has also dabbled with inbound licensing, for example creating a limited-edition 16-piece co-branded tumbler and bottle collection for the K-Pop group BTS. The range featured all-over designs inspired by the brightly colored and patterned fabrics of the suits the members of the group are wearing in the music video for the song “Idol,” on the Love Yourself: Answer LP.