Unusual toothpaste flavors, beyond traditional minty varieties, have proliferated since the mid-2010s, with smaller specialty players driving the trend. Hello Products offers blue raspberry, bubble gum, fresh citrus, lavender vanilla, and more, for example, while Tom’s of Maine sells cucumber aloe, coconut and mango, cinnamon clove, and fennel, to name a few. Whiskey, bacon, wasabi, […]
Tag Archives | Chupa Chups
Luxury Labels Wage A Charm Offensive
Bag charms have been a notable accessory in the luxury handbag sector over the last year or so, part of a broader ongoing trend pairing fun with high-end fashion. The craze has also been driven by the industry’s current focus on Y2K-era retro styles. Miu Miu and Balenciaga were among the labels that notably highlighted […]
Candy Kisses
With the current popularity of food brands, especially those of the sweet variety, across all consumer products, and the current power of the beauty category as a center of collaboration activity, it is no wonder that partnerships pairing candy, cookies, and other sweets with color cosmetics, lip balms, skincare, and the like have been a […]
Clothing Confections
By Karen Raugust on October 31, 2024 in Accessories, Corporate brands, Fashion, Food/Beverage, Licensing
Candy brands have long been participants in fashion collaborations, but they seem to be experiencing a particularly active period in this space these days. Designs tend to go all-in on prominently featuring the shapes, colors, mascots, and packaging associated with the IP, and the focus is largely—but not entirely—on accessories categories, in part because consumers […]
Traveling in Style
Luggage and travel accessories partnerships have been a beneficiary of the travel industry recovery that has been ongoing since 2022. After a near-halt in new licensing and collaboration deals during the pandemic lockdowns, the category has become very active once again. Here are some of the deals, involving a variety of property types, that have […]
New Flavors ’Til the Cows Come Home
In a presentation at the annual Dairy Innovation Strategies conference in April, Patrik Hansson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Arla Foods, a Danish dairy cooperative, called for the industry to refocus on bringing in new consumers and addressing the unhealthy eating habits of the global population. One of directions he recommended to […]
Boba Tie-Ins Bubble Up
By Karen Raugust on January 25, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Food/Beverage, International, Licensing, Promotion, Retail
Bubble tea, or boba—a creamy, tea-based drink containing tapioca pearls—was invented in Taiwan and has been spreading around the world, including into the U.S., where boba drink outlets are becoming ubiquitous at malls and elsewhere. The U.S. bubble tea market was forecast to reach $464.29 million in 2023, up 6.9% from $434.11 million in 2022, […]
Made by Hand
A number of deals of late have involved limited editions of handcrafted products. The increasing tendency to include handmade products as a component of a licensing program is not a trend that has arisen suddenly. Rather, the strategy has gained strength steadily and rather stealthily over several years. Recent examples cut across a variety of […]
Never Drink Alone
The food and beverage sector remains one of the most active categories in the licensing landscape, with no let-up in sight, and the beverage half of the equation has been particularly busy in 2022. While licensing and collaborations involving beverages are not new by any means, there is more white space for licensors to make […]
A Pop of Color and Flavor
Bold and unusual flavors and colors have long been a staple of popcorn sold by independent shops and specialty snack marketers. Examples range from sweet (peppermint, cinnamon bun, s’mores, amaretto, birthday cake) to savory (hickory, dill pickle, prickly pear, porcini mushroom, baked potato). Three new popcorn lines announced in the second half of this year […]