Individual teams that are members of the leading U.S.-based pro sports leagues have increasingly been pairing with local fashion labels—mostly of the streetwear genre—for clothing collaborations available only in their home markets. Clubs in all five of the major leagues have served as examples of this phenomenon: National Football League. The Cincinnati Bengals paired with […]
Celebrities As Licensees
Celebrities are well known to be active property owners, extending their personal and brand names in a variety of ways. One of those is to launch their own companies to market their products, in lieu of signing licensees, which gives them more control over their signature or branded merchandise. And, as they become product marketers […]
One for the Books
Self-published authors have historically not been sought-after by manufacturers and retailers looking for licensed IP to feature on their products. But things have changed. Self-published authors can generate significant sales and awareness levels publishing independently online, catching the attention of consumers and eventually potential licensees. In addition, manufacturers and other partners are increasingly comfortable working […]
Fresh Air
The outdoors sector was one of the beneficiaries of the pandemic—at least in terms of financial performance—as consumers returned to favorite pastimes and tried new ones, and as the great outdoors was particularly appealing as a safe and isolated, but still enjoyable, space. It would not be a surprise to see outdoors specialists’ financial results […]
In Fashion At Home
Well-established fashion designers often eventually enter the home goods space, but it can be a challenging business for them, whether they extend their labels through licensing or some other business model. As a result, expansions of this type tend to be cyclical. Currently the technique seems to be on the upswing, if the number of […]
Tempting Treats
Cereal marketers’ increasing tendency to extend their brands into other food categories was noted here more than two years ago, but the trend has continued to intensify since then. Sales of these licensors’ core cereal product spiked during the early pandemic, but have since leveled off, due to a number of factors. They range from […]
Just for Kicks
While collaborations between fashion labels and football/soccer clubs in Europe and elsewhere are nothing new, the landscape is expanding, with more clubs and more fashion labels entering into such agreements. The fashion styles range from luxury to streetwear to denim; in many cases the club’s main kit supplier is part of the equation as well. […]
Linking Licensing and Learning
By Karen Raugust on April 25, 2022 in Character/Entertainment, Education, Educational products, Licensing
Teachers and parents continue to be concerned about learning loss and the deepening academic struggles many children have faced since the start of the pandemic. That has likely been one factor driving several licensors and licensees that are active in entertainment/character licensing to forge new deals in the education arena. Licensing of educational products is […]
Black Beauty
By Karen Raugust on April 21, 2022 in Demographic groups, Diversity/Inclusion, Health/beauty, Licensing, Retail
Retailers’ beauty departments represent one area where progress has been made on the road toward more diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past two years, and change continues. While each effort is unique, in general retailers have diversified their product mix to make more offerings available for women of all colors and skin and hair […]
They Are NFTs, Hear Them Roar
Women-led NFT projects are starting to proliferate, although they remain a small slice of a landscape that has been male-dominated to date. Female artists, for example, account for less than 16% of the NFT art market and just 5% of NFT sales overall, according to ArtTactic. Most of the female-led NFT projects are positioned as […]