A handful of conservative women in the U.S. who are pundits or otherwise famously politically right-leaning have launched merchandise collections in the last year. Historically, such celebrities have been viewed as too controversial for most manufacturers and retailers who are aiming their goods at a mainstream market; a few initiatives, mostly limited-edition and targeted at […]
Archive | Licensing
Soccer Clubs Charm Fans with Year of the Snake Designs
As we near the start of this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations on January 29, we take a look at an active area of collaboration tied to the holiday, namely European soccer/football clubs who mark the moment with special jerseys and other apparel designs in partnership with their official jersey licensees or other companies. These […]
Characters Clean Up in Personal Care Category
Skincare, haircare, bodycare, and other personal care products have been an active category for licensing in recent years, across a wide variety of property types. One subsegment that has been a hot spot in the past 12 months is personal care items tied to children’s entertainment and character properties, mostly of the classic or nostalgic […]
Designers Look to the Future
In the past month, three long-established, designer-led fashion and lifestyle labels whose founders are still active have come under new ownership. These types of deals can help solidify the designers’ future legacy and allow for additional near-term expansion, while allowing the founders to continue doing what they love and maintain a say in how the […]
YouTube Drives Toy Sales for All Ages
New licenses signed by major toy companies over the past year illustrate how far the entertainment/character licensing space has transitioned away from its historical reliance on properties with television as a key component of their distribution platform. This is one of the most mainstream of mainstream categories, historically targeting a global market with mass-priced products […]
Hot and Steamy Spin-Offs
By Karen Raugust on January 9, 2025 in Design and content themes, House and home, Licensing, Lifestyle, Wellness
Sauna and public bath culture, historically important in places like Finland and Japan, is on the rise globally of late, including in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and China. Most researchers forecast annual growth rates for the global sauna and bath industry of between 3% and 6%, with the U.S. market pegged at the high end […]
Fashion Acquisitions Highlight Brand-Management Model
A raft of fashion brands were acquired by one of the major licensing-forward brand management companies in 2024, and the trend already seems to be continuing into 2025. The sheer number of such purchases is an indicator of the power of this long-important business model to rescue and right the operations of struggling fashion brands […]
Bringing Joy to the World
As we approach peak holiday season, here is a look at a few Christmas-themed properties whose focus on the year-round world of the North Pole gives their licensors an opportunity to potentially expand beyond the finite annual selling seasons typical of most holiday properties. While they are in various stages of their life spans, all […]
Birdies, Bogies, and Brands
By Karen Raugust on December 19, 2024 in Design and content themes, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Sports
Golf has become an increasingly popular theme for experiential initiatives involving licensed properties, both digital and physical. Many of the initiatives are tied to character and entertainment IPs, but they extend into other realms as well: Mattel Adventure Park, the new attraction opening in 2025 as part of Epic Resort Destinations’ VAI Resort in Glendale, […]
Food Brands Explore Fresh Categories
The announcement of Newman’s Own packaged salad kits from Fresh Del Monte earlier this month is a reminder of the role food and beverage brand licensing plays in the fresh produce industry. The new product line is one of a few agreements that have been announced in this space over the last couple of years: […]