The collegiate licensing business is about to undergo some profound changes, thanks to two recently announced deals involving major players in the collegiate market. Last week, Fanatics said it had purchased the collegiate licensing operations of Fermata Partners, an agency founded in 2012 and owned by CAA since 2015. Fermata execs Derek Eiler and Chris […]
Tag Archives | Fanatics
A Meditation on Mergers & Acquisitions
Last month came news that Learfield and its competitor IMG College were in late negotiations to merge. If the plans go through, this move would bring together the two major agents in the collegiate licensing business, not to mention their vast sponsorship and multimedia operations, marking a big change for the collegiate licensing business. It […]
Taking a Stake
The incidence of property owners taking an ownership stake in a manufacturer’s company as part of a licensing agreement—while not unheard of in the past—has been on the rise over the past couple of years. This activity has been particularly notable of late in the sports licensing sector. Back in 2015, the NHL took an […]
Social Media-Inspired Design
Social media has permeated the licensing business as a marketing tool, as an inspiration for products (e.g. selfie sticks), as a source of properties, and as a content platform. Not surprisingly, it has also given birth to a number of design trends: Hashtags. Licensors and licensees are integrating hashtags into graphics for apparel and accessories. […]
School Spirit
Last week, the annual conference of the International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA), one of several collegiate marketing organizations administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), took place in Orlando, Florida. Some of the key topics of conversation, both in the presentations and informally, included: Retail challenges. Collegiate licensors are, like all […]
The Far Reach of Fanatics
Earlier this month, Fanatics revealed that it was purchasing VF Corporation’s sports business, which includes Majestic Athletic, a leading licensee of the U.S. pro sports leagues. This is just the latest step in the company’s continuing march toward sports-licensing domination over the past couple of years, and it seems like a good opportunity to take […]
The Evolving World of Branded E-Commerce
Licensors and licensees are watching developments in the brand-specific e-commerce space. While recent announcements from Fanatics and Delivery Agent have little in common on the surface, together they reflect the challenges facing property-specific e-commerce due to fast-paced technology changes, quickly evolving consumer shopping patterns, and ever-expanding competition. Service providers either adapt or fail. Fanatics confirmed […]