A number of licensed products were introduced in 2016 and 2017 with crowdfunding campaigns supporting the launch. The examples below, all offered through Kickstarter, show how this platform is particularly suited to merchandise that appeals (for the most part) to an audience of male teens and young men:
- Gamebrand debuted a gamer smartwatch featuring classic Atari titles such as Centipede and Pong.
- Space Goat Productions presented The Terminator: The Official Board Game.
- Ridgewood Watch Company introduced a timepiece that was a replica of one featured in the 1981 film Escape from New York, complete with a countdown timer.
- Silly Kids Games brought out a tabletop board game tied to Paramount’s 1979 film The Warriors, a cult classic involving New York City gang wars.
- FansEnvy launched a new line of sports logo rings under license from the NBA, NHL, NASCAR, colleges, and other sports properties.
Some companies, such as Cryptozoic and Albino Dragon, regularly bring their licensed board and card games and other products, all focused mainly on a customer base of young men, to life through crowdfunding.
Of course, not all crowdfunded licensed products fit neatly into the young men-skewing sports and entertainment segment. But marketers of these types of products and properties are certainly among the most active in using Kickstarter—and, to a lesser degree, Indiegogo and other platforms—as a marketing tool to launch new merchandise.
Raugust Communications’ March e-newsletter, with its Licensing Trend of the Month, goes out next Tuesday, March 21. If you haven’t subscribed to this free email publication, you can do so here.
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