Most of the emphasis in the growing fitness tracker category, when it comes to licensing, has been on branding the devices. Fashion-related labels (such as Tory Burch and Swarovski) have brought a dash of design to the technology, while athletic brands (such as Skechers and Bally Total Fitness) have lent an element of performance, to name a few examples.
But there is another up-and-coming area of co-branding and licensing in the health tracker segment. It consists of deals that focus on providing or synching content, rather than lending a brand name or bringing fashion sense to the devices themselves.
Under Armour put together a strategic partnership with HTC for a line of products that work smoothly with content from UA Record, its fitness-tracking and sharing app and website (part of its Under Armour Connected Fitness program). The UA content is also available for other devices.
Similarly, Weight Watchers International began synching its PointsPlus information with several activity monitors and apps, including the two leading players, FitBit and Jawbone. The partnerships allow users to receive their activity data translated into Weight Watchers PointsPlus values.
The content-licensing phenomenon in the wearables space is extending beyond fitness trackers into smartwatches as well. AccuWeather offers an app that is optimized for Android Wear devices. It includes a MinuteCast precipitation forecast linked to GPS location, in addition to other weather data, similar to the information it provides for Android tablets and smartphones.
Wearables and content licensing are two of the topics included in Raugust Communications’ new report, RaugustReports Presents: 15 Licensing Super Trends for 2015 and Beyond. The 124-page book focuses on 15 enduring trends that cross property types, product categories, retail channels, and geographic regions, and discusses 70 current trends that illustrate the “super trends.” It represents a snapshot of the licensing business as it stands in early 2015, and offers a glimpse ahead.
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