Even as it starts to slow, the adult coloring book sector remains both a product category of interest to licensors and, increasingly, a source for licensed properties. As Publishers Weekly put it in an April 29, 2016 article, “Adult coloring book sales have slowed somewhat since the holiday frenzy of 2015, but the category is […]
Body-Positive Products
Licensors’ interest in the “plus-size” segment of women’s fashion is evolving. Initially, the activity was focused simply on forging the first deals extending into the larger sizes of the women’s apparel range, which had long been ignored. The category then began to transition to a more inclusive point of view, where licensors were lending their […]
Gold Rush
The jewelry category has been a particularly active one in recent months, with a diverse roster of licensors signing deals for necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other fashion and fine baubles. In the fashion/costume sector, examples in the past half year alone have included models (Kim Alexis with Royal Items), candy brands (Jelly Belly with O […]
Still Cooking
Celebrity chefs and bakers continue to enter or expand their presence in consumer products, with several announcing new initiatives within the last year or so. Many of these have used one or more of the following tactics to separate themselves from their competitors in this already crowded arena: Ethnic focus. Maria Loi, who is a […]
Adding A Little Flavor
Consumers’ embrace of flavored alcoholic beverages brings opportunities for licensors of brands associated with fruit, sweets, or other taste treats. Flavored beers accounted for 27% of total new beer launches in 2015, according to researcher Mintel. That compares to 15% five years earlier. In addition, 20% of U.S. beer drinkers (and 39% of female beer […]
Looking Good
Licensed properties of all types, from celebrities to characters to corporate brands, continue to enter the men’s grooming and toiletries market. Since we last covered this topic in October 2015, new deals announced in the category have included: • A Ryan Seacrest-branded skincare line to launch in late 2016, in conjunction with Lancer Skincare. The […]
Working Out
Licensors of gyms and fitness brands represent an energetic sector for licensing, launching functional apparel, exercise equipment, fitness trackers, and other product lines closely related to their core mission. Recent activity includes: New licensing programs. Last year, Hard Candy Fitness, a chain of boutique gyms founded by Madonna and named after one of her albums, […]
Clean and Pristine
Corporate brand extension historically has been the primary form of licensing when it comes to household-cleaning products in spray, powder, or liquid form (e.g., laundry detergents, stain removers, window and multi-surface sprays, carpet and upholstery cleaners, and the like). Home Care Industries, for example, offers a Febreze line of formulas for deep-cleaning carpet machines, as […]
Peddling Pedals
As bike culture grows around the globe, especially in urban areas, licensing in the bicycle category is expanding outside of its historical boundaries. The U.K. market over the last year or so has served as the epicenter for several deals illustrating how bike-related licensing can stretch beyond conventional bike-licensing boundaries. For instance: Bike-culture brands are […]
Spinning Some Tunes
Wherever there is a consumer trend, licensing will follow. The presence of licensed examples among the exclusive vinyl releases for Record Store Day, the 2016 edition of which took place on Saturday (April 17), illustrates this truism. Record Store Day was launched as a way to support independent stores that continue to offer new and […]