As another school year begins, the Nikes and Adidas of the world are releasing fresh new items as part of their new and ongoing deals for collegiate sportswear and related merchandise. At the same time, streetwear and other fashion labels outside the realm of traditional collegiate licensing are increasingly pairing with universities for new fashion-forward […]
Tag Archives | NFL
Taking a Gamble on Licensed Casino Games
Anyone who has been to Licensing Expo in Las Vegas has likely noticed the important role licensed properties play in slot machines, with examples on display throughout the casinos. Recent announcements illustrate the importance of licensing in not only slots but all forms of casino gaming, as IPs already established in this sector expand into […]
Sports Licensors Win with Wine
Historically, sports viewership has been much more associated with the consumption of beer than with wine. But that situation has been changing over the past few years as sports leagues, teams, and governing bodies have increasingly paired with wine marketers, opening up a new category for promotions and, in some cases, licensed products: In July […]
A Matter of Pride
By Karen Raugust on June 17, 2024 in Branding/marketing, Diversity/Inclusion, Licensing, Politics/social movements
The significant consumer backlash suffered by companies such as Target, Bud Light, Disney, Starbucks, the L.A. Dodgers, and others for their Pride promotions in 2023 has led some key companies to reduce their public support of Pride Month in 2024, or avoid acknowledging the moment altogether. For example: Target is cutting back on its Pride […]
Two-Sport Athletic Deals
With the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals in progress, WWE, the wrestling entertainment brand, announced last week that it was creating an officially licensed legacy championship belt for the winning team. The belt, like those given to winners of wrestling events, highlights the Stanley Cup in the center, where the WWE logo usually resides, […]
The Peak Celebrity Era
Taylor Swift has had an outsized influence on pop culture and commerce in 2023 and 2024, putting her mark on music sales, NFL ratings, sales of official and unofficial merchandise, and more. While Swift is an anomaly in the breadth and depth of her current dominance, her situation nevertheless makes an interesting case study on […]
Augmenting Adaptive Apparel Assortments
By Karen Raugust on October 30, 2023 in Celebrity, Demographic groups, Diversity/Inclusion, Fashion, Licensing
The fashion industry has been slowly putting more focus on consumers with disabilities since the mid-2010s, when it began picking up the pace of adaptive apparel releases. The technique has been flourishing in the last 18 months, as the business has seen several launches of adaptive clothing lines from retailers and brands, not to mention […]
Leagues Go Large on NFTs
Pro sports leagues from around the world, along with their players associations, have been among the most active property types to date in the world of NFTs. And many tend to think big, signing long-term deals for marketplaces rather than focusing on individual collections of NFTs, although they do that too. This year, and especially […]
Trading Card Transformations
The trading card industry has been experiencing a number of changes this year, from skyrocketing interest in collecting, to decades-long licensing agreements changing hands, to the emergence of new opportunities including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and collegiate name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Some of the key trends to watch: A pandemic-fueled rise in popularity. Interest […]
Costume Change
The costume industry is in the midst of transitioning from a historical focus on kids and Halloween to more of a year-round, all-encompassing, and all-ages business. This change is occurring due in part to an increase in adults going all-out to celebrate Halloween and to the rise of massive fandoms tied to pop-culture properties, many […]