Power Up

Consumers have become reliant on batteries, back-up power packs, and chargers to keep their mobile phones, tablets, and other electronics—and their lives—up and running. It follows, then, that the battery category has become the focus of an increasing number of licensing deals. These may be standalone agreements focusing on batteries and chargers or, more often, be part of a broader range, such as of mobile, gaming, or camera accessories.

Naturally, some of these extensions are tied to electronics or power-related properties. Westinghouse, a global brand associated with televisions, computer accessories, power products such as generators and motors, appliances, headphones, lighting, and more, signed a deal with China’s Camelion Battery Co. last year. The agreement covers all kinds of batteries, from photo lithium to dynamo alkaline to solar.

Polaroid is among the other electronics-related licensors that have extended into batteries; its focus has been on power products for photography and imaging. And the Energizer and Eveready brands have expanded beyond their core battery product lines into specialty niches such as mobile chargers (with Premier Accessory Group) and outdoor power packs (with Performance Design Products).

Meanwhile, licensors of a wide variety of properties outside of the electronics realm are also increasingly looking at the battery and charger category:

• Outdoors brands. Early in 2015, Mossy Oak licensed Mark Feldstein & Associates for a portable, rechargeable battery backup for mobile devices, part of a broader deal that also included a batteryless flashlight.
• Fashion labels. Bluestar Alliance authorized Southern Telecom to produce a line of charging accessories and external battery packs (along with speakers, headphones, and device cases) tied to the tween fashion brand Limited Too; the product array was introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show.
• Videogames. Sega of America partnered with Tommo for battery chargers, among other gaming accessories, under a variety of the licensor’s retro brands, including Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Saturn, and Dreamcast.
• Military. The U.S. Army teamed with U.S. Digital Media for auxiliary power chargers and car chargers, along with earbuds, headphones, and flash drives.
• Sporting goods. Burton Snowboards signed Incipio last year for a line of mobile device accessories including portable charging solutions, as well as speakers and cases.

Licensing deals in the household battery, charger, and power sector, whether related to electronics or non-electronics properties, attract brand loyalists to the licensees’ products; this is an important benefit in this competitive and even somewhat commodity-driven category. The non-electronics brands, meanwhile, can also provide graphic interest in the form of prints and patterns, as well as incremental distribution. In the Burton deal, for example, the licensed batteries sport seasonal patterns and prints provided by Burton and are sold in sporting goods outlets in addition to consumer electronics retail.