Rail stations, train lines, and railway museums are logical venues for certain experiential initiatives. Not surprisingly, a large percentage—although not all—of these ventures involve licensed entertainment properties that feature trains as characters, themes, or critical elements of their fictional universe. Four examples from 2021 and 2022 illustrate: Warner Bros. France paired with railroad company SNCF […]
Tag Archives | Warner Bros.
Classics Changing Hands
Over the last couple of days, news has come to light about the oversight of three significant entertainment franchises changing or expected to change hands. The three situations, each of which is unique in its specifics, involve merchandising as well as other rights, and the goal, at least in part, is to refresh and rejuvenate […]
Food for Fans
While entertainment/character-based products for adults represent a relatively small part of the world of licensed food and beverages, several recent initiatives show that this type of pairing is alive and well in today’s licensing environment: In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, ViacomCBS Consumer Products partnered with Corleone Fine Italian Foods. Products under […]
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 […]
Animal Instincts
One of the pet-industry trends highlighted at last week’s virtual Global Pet Expo (see our newly posted coverage here) is consumers’ desire to treat their pets like family, purchasing them human-grade food, enrolling them in grooming and wellness services, buying them Christmas and birthday gifts, and the like. This tendency extends to clothing, pet beds, […]
A Sweet Way to Stay Strong
Sugary comfort foods meet hardcore health and wellness in a handful of recent deals involving sweet-treat brands being licensed for protein powders: Just last week, Hostess Brands teamed with Bodybuilding.com for Remix Nutrition protein powders in Hostess Twinkies and Hostess Chocolate CupCakes flavors. Additional Hostess snack cake varieties may be added to the line of […]
Sitting Pretty in the Pandemic
Almost since the beginning of the lockdown, pundits have been saying that demand for cosmetics would likely decline, as most of consumers’ time has been spent at home and, even as society re-opens to a degree, mask-wearing hides much of the face. This prediction has come true in many cases, as a large number of […]
Locked In
When we last covered the escape room phenomenon, in June of 2017, the industry was well established, but licensing was still relatively new to the sector. Things have changed since then, with a wide variety of entertainment/character licensing now in the mix and new examples still joining the fray on a regular basis. Some of […]
Mobile AR Gaming Levels Up
Niantic’s Pokémon Go, the first hit augmented-reality mobile game, came out in July 2016. More than three years later, the game was still generating $1.4 billion in annual revenue, as of December 2019, according to SuperData. In fact, the title single-handedly drove 81% of the $1.7 billion in total revenues for all AR mobile games […]
An Opportunity for a Short Vacation
Pop-up travel destinations represent one form of experiential licensing that has been on the rise in 2019. These immersive initiatives, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few months, include pop-up hotel rooms, complete hotels, and rental homes: Hotel rooms. New York’s Club Wyndham Midtown 45 launched a themed room tied to […]