Mooncakes are baked goods traditionally eaten during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which celebrates the moon and the fall harvest and is one of the most important Chinese festivals each year. Traditionally, mooncakes are round, two to four inches in diameter and up to two inches deep, with a filling commonly made of red bean or lotus […]
Archive | Licensing
Home Sweet Home
Some of the most established names in fashion have recently forged licensing or collaboration deals in the home furnishings category. A few are entering the sector for the first time, others are re-entering the arena after a pause, and still others are expanding their programs. While home goods represent a common category for fashion labels, […]
Basic Training
A number of property owners have announced the launch this fall of branded educational courses, online at the moment, mostly through partnerships with education providers. All are focused on professional training. The timing makes sense given the high number of furloughs and layoffs that have occurred since the start of the pandemic. Many adults want […]
Wine Pairings
One product category that has flourished during the pandemic is alcoholic beverages, including wine. From early March through mid-September, wine sales grew 19.3% in volume and 24.7% in dollar sales compared to the same period the previous year, according to Nielsen. A number of new licensed and collaborative wines, some limited editions and others under […]
For China’s Eyes Only
For some time, licensors ranging from luxury and sportswear labels to owners of character and sports IP have been developing their brands in China. Many have started to see some success there. In fact, a growing number identify the territory as one of their fastest rising in terms of merchandise sales. As a result, an […]
Reexamining Contract Terms
One of the themes noted across all four weeks of the Festival of Licensing, organized by Informa Markets in partnership with Licensing International, was the need to restructure and rethink the terms of licensing contracts, both new and existing, as a prerequisite for success of a licensed product line. Some of the configurations that were […]
Opening Moves
By Karen Raugust on November 5, 2020 in Design and content themes, Interactive gaming, Licensing, Sports
Interest in chess has been on the rise for the past five years, but it has really been experiencing a pop-culture moment this year, especially since the pandemic began. Some of the indications: Chess as esport. All told, viewers on Twitch, the video game-centric streaming service, have watched more than 43 million hours of chess […]
Looking Beyond Face Coverings
Properties of all types have gotten into the face covering game in a big way since just after the start of the pandemic, with cloth masks, gaiters, balaclavas, and other protective facewear quickly becoming a standard category for licensing. Meanwhile, the pandemic has also given rise to other new opportunities related to avoiding the COVID-19 […]
Sleep Aids
More than 108 million, or about 30%, of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several collaborative initiatives in the U.S. and U.K. over the past year have put a spotlight on the role of sleep as an important part of overall health and wellness: Eve Sleep, an […]
An Extra Scary Halloween
Halloween, coming up this Saturday, is naturally forcing consumers, marketers, and retailers to adapt their approach for the COVID era. How will that impact sales of Halloween-related products? The National Retail Federation predicts overall spending for the holiday will fall 8%, from $8.8 billion in 2019 to $8 billion this year, although those who do […]