It's a toy! It's a movie! No, wait, it's a toy! … It's common for entertainment properties to spawn toys and for toys to spawn entertainment properties. Less common is for entertainment properties to inspire toys, which then inspire new entertainment properties, which then, in turn, inspire new toys. But it's happening. A leading example of the new paradigm is the … [Read more...] about Using Licensed Properties to Make New Licensed Properties
TLL
AG Sells Strawberry Shortcake for $105 Million
American Greetings has finally found a buyer for Strawberry Shortcake. Iconix Brand Group has reportedly agreed to acquire the iconic preschool brand for a cool $105 million. AG launched Strawberry Shortcake back in 1969 and has owned it ever since, developing the property into a global brand with over 350 licensees. According to TLL's Global Market for Licensed Preschool … [Read more...] about AG Sells Strawberry Shortcake for $105 Million
Celebrities v. Licensees in Court
Celebrity licensing deals are like marriages: Some succeed but many end in divorce, recrimination and litigation. Here's a Scorecard summarizing some high profile cases from recent years. LICENSEE WINS Selena Gomez v. Adrenalina (2011-2013) Situation: Adrenalina sues Gomez for allegedly not supporting a personally-branded perfume line it spent $2 million to develop. Outcome: … [Read more...] about Celebrities v. Licensees in Court
Digital Celebrities: YouTube Stars, Bloggers Enter the Licensing Arena
Update: Oct. 9, 2015 A live version of the Licensed Digital Celebs chart is now available here. “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” —Andy Warhol Had he lived a couple of more decades, Warhol may have revised his famous prediction. While mass media did, in fact, turn ordinary people into worldwide celebrities, social media has made it possible for them to … [Read more...] about Digital Celebrities: YouTube Stars, Bloggers Enter the Licensing Arena
Who’s News
Monika Salazar leaves My Little Pony, Transformers and other priority brands at Hasbro to become licensing director for Pokémon Company International. In her new position, Ms. Salazar will put together deals involving the Pokémon brand in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. Before Hasbro, she worked at MTV Networks and Nickelodeon. Lori Heiss takes over as brand … [Read more...] about Who’s News
Brazil Dominates and Continues To Fuel Growth, Per Capita Spending
Retail sales of licensed merchandise in Latin America totaled $4.1 billion in 2013, an increase of 3.3% from $3.9 billion in 2012, according to The Licensing Letter’s “International Licensing: A Status Report.” Since 2011, the licensing business in the region has grown 7.9%. While 3.3% is a respectable rate of increase—less than Central/Eastern Europe and Middle East/Africa … [Read more...] about Brazil Dominates and Continues To Fuel Growth, Per Capita Spending
Digital Gains as DVDs Decline; Toys Remain Firm 45% of Market
Digital products, including educational and gaming apps and e-books, held an estimated 8% share of retail sales of licensed preschool products in 2013, up from 5% in 2012, according to TLL's new report, "The Global Market For Licensed Preschool Properties." Indeed, 2013 marked a watershed year for preschool targeted apps and digital content; this category's share remained flat … [Read more...] about Digital Gains as DVDs Decline; Toys Remain Firm 45% of Market
Star Wars: Steer Clear of Celebrity Licensing Pitfalls by Adding 7 Protections to Your Contract
Licensing a celebrity's brand is a great strategy for selling consumer products. But it's also risky. Celebrities are temperamental, especially where their brand is concerned. And if a dispute ensues, that same fame that attracted you to the celebrity in the first place could work against you. Although each case is different, break-ups tend to follow common patterns. The key to … [Read more...] about Star Wars: Steer Clear of Celebrity Licensing Pitfalls by Adding 7 Protections to Your Contract
Shopping By Phone: Men Do It More
Men (56%) are more likely than women (45%) to make the leap from browsing and researching purchases via smartphone to actually buying from the device, reports the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The difference is even greater among 18-34 year olds, where 76% of male smartphone users are making a purchase in a typical month, compared to 59% of women. Almost four in 10 of … [Read more...] about Shopping By Phone: Men Do It More
Greater China Continues to Demonstrate Rapid Growth In Licensing
Greater China—mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau—has been one of the fastest-growing licensing markets within Asia and in the world over the past few years. In fact, two of the countries in Greater China, the mainland and Macau, were the first and second fastest-growing individual countries in retail sales of licensed products in 2013, with increases of 9.2% and 9.0%, … [Read more...] about Greater China Continues to Demonstrate Rapid Growth In Licensing