Cross-licensing programs pairing characters and sports properties have been on the upswing globally, with more teams and leagues and more character IPs getting involved. In South Korea, such initiatives are regular features of the pro baseball season each year. Merchandise almost always depicts the characters wearing the uniforms of the respective teams. The product assortment […]
Pro Leagues and Teams Appreciate Hard Work(wear)
Workwear brands have increasingly become key partners for pro leagues and their individual teams, especially over the past few years. The leagues are looking to be ever more fashion-forward, and workwear fits right in with streetwear trends, while also maintaining continued loyalty from consumers who rely on these rugged pieces at the job site. There […]
A Bold Blend of New Wine Collaborations
The recent news connecting alcoholic beverages, including wine, with certain negative health effects, coupled with an ongoing increase in the number of consumers opting for alcohol-free lives, has had an impact on category sales. Alcoholic beverages in the U.S. saw dollar sales decline 2.6% in the first half of this year compared to the first […]
Adding Originality to Immersive Experiences
As the market for live experiences based on licensed properties and brands becomes more crowded, it is ever more difficult to stand out and to “surprise and delight” the fans. These recent examples have done just that by building on and adding slightly new twists to widely accepted experiential configurations: KFC Wine Bar. Pop-up wine […]
Making Waves with Personal Watercraft
Personal watercraft (PWCs) are not on many property owners’ licensee lists. But those licensors that are active in the category are a surprisingly diverse group, encompassing luxury brands, athletes and musicians, fashion labels, and even entertainment IPs: This week, Bombadier Recreational Products’ Sea-Doo announced that it was partnering with the late Formula 1 driver Ayrton […]
K-pop and Characters Unite
K-pop artists have long created cartoon-style characters as a way to promote their music and brands, with the creations appearing in music videos, marketing materials, and sometimes merchandise. Recently, K-pop soloists and groups alike have been pairing with existing characters — often from the Sanrio family — to create fashion and other products featuring themselves […]
Playing Around with Piano Partnerships
Collaborations and licensing deals involving musical instruments mostly fall into the realms of guitars, amps, and accessories, as well as drum kits and related products. Pianos and digital keyboards are not as common as a focus of collaboration deals. But these types of agreements do pop up from time to time, typically yielding very limited […]
Get Ready to Be Horrified this Halloween
With the ongoing strength of both licensed experiences and the horror genre, it makes sense that collaborative haunted houses have become a popular form of location-based entertainment in the past few years. Not surprisingly, the partnerships most often involve properties associated with horror or other dark themes, including several examples just announced for fans making […]
Holding All the Cards
Interest in trading card collecting — which, like many hobbies, was rejuvenated during the pandemic lockdowns — is still going strong, with consumer sales of cards on both the primary and secondary markets on the rise. As a result, sports and entertainment properties continue to actively forge agreements in the category. Following are some of […]
Influencing Home Décor Choices
Influencers who have built their fame mostly through social channels have amassed targeted and loyal followings that are attractive to marketers of consumer goods. As a result, these digital-origin celebrities have become ubiquitous as collaborators in their specific areas of expertise, whether that be fashion, beauty, or cooking. A case in point: the home furnishings […]