The Licensing Letter

TLL

Marley’s Organic Growth

Marley Natural, the company that licenses the late reggae singer Bob Marley’s name, is adding the most organic of products to its offerings: Marley Natural Fine Cannabis grown from “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains” as well as creams, topicals, balms, and accessories. The plan is to grow, distribute, and market the product in states where it is legal by the end of 2015. … [Read more...] about Marley’s Organic Growth

Ripped From Headlines

Tightrope artist Nik Wallenda has licensed mobile gaming companies Tapinator and Hyperpower Game Group to release of “SkyBalance by Nik Wallenda,” a licensed mobile game for iOS, Android and Amazon. The game commemorates a live Discovery Channel event in which Wallenda traversed skyscrapers in Chicago. … [Read more...] about Ripped From Headlines

Disney Consumer Products Revenues Expand When Frozen

Revenue at Disney Consumer Products (including merchandise licensing and the Disney retail stores) increased 12% to $3.985 billion for the year ended Sept. 27, 2014, compared to the prior year. Operating income for the unit was up 22% to $1.356 billion over the same period. Singled out for strongest contributions to merchandise licensing for the year: Frozen and the new Disney … [Read more...] about Disney Consumer Products Revenues Expand When Frozen

Fighting Obesity In the Produce Aisle

With an increasing societal focus on health and wellness and a desire to combat childhood obesity, entertainment/character licensors are interested in associating their properties with the produce category, and vice versa. Some examples within the last year or so: Sesame Workshop, the Produce Marketing Association, and the Partnership for a Healthier America forged a deal … [Read more...] about Fighting Obesity In the Produce Aisle

2014 Optimism Revisited: Licensing’ Opportunities Rooted In Speed-to-Market, New Distribution, Globalization

Fall is the season when licensing executives tout their optimism about next year. That’s because most have abandoned their optimism for this year. It’s akin to the old adage about the Army—the best base is the one you were at last or the one you’re going to, never the one you’re at. Much turns, of course, on the retail outlook. By fall, retailers have started to sense the … [Read more...] about 2014 Optimism Revisited: Licensing’ Opportunities Rooted In Speed-to-Market, New Distribution, Globalization

BeFit Nutriceuticals

Most of the licensing activity in the fitness category lately has been around tech devices (Fitbit, Case-Mate, Garmin’s Vivofit), fashion designers (Tory Burch and Rebecca Minkoff), and entertainment properties (The Biggest Loser). Now, Lionsgate’s BeFit, a YouTube channel with 1.3 million subscribers, has licensed Top Secret Nutrition to develop a line of BeFit supplements. … [Read more...] about BeFit Nutriceuticals

Keurig’s Supervalu(e)

Licensing agreements don’t usually get credited for triggering new stock highs (even on a day when the overall market hits an all-time high), but grocery chain Supervalu has licensed Keurig Green Mountain to market Supervalu’s Java delight brand of coffee in its K-Cups for hot brewing systems, an announcement that sent Keurig’s stock to its own new high. The stock is up more … [Read more...] about Keurig’s Supervalu(e)

Online Shopping

Almost one third of online shoppers shop on a mobile device at least as much as they do on a computer, according to Contact Solutions. Additionally, 10% of shoppers prefer mobile apps to other means of access for online shopping. That said, 16% of consumers struggle with mobile shopping apps at least half the time and half of those abandon the cart when that happens. Consumers’ … [Read more...] about Online Shopping

Variations on a Retail Theme

Five years ago, Toys 'R' Us opened 350 holiday express pop-up stores during the fourth quarter. The program was vastly scaled back the following year and has pretty much disappeared. And while TRU wasn’t the first to implement a pop-up concept, its efforts in 2009 gave rise to a wide array of much smaller—often single-unit pop-ups—that have been as much about promotion as … [Read more...] about Variations on a Retail Theme