TLL Feature
In today’s volatile economic landscape, where global tariffs, shifting consumer loyalties, and market uncertainties are creating formidable challenges, one strategy continues to deliver exceptional results for food and beverage companies: brand licensing.
Behind many of the industry’s most successful licensing programs stands one agency that has transformed challenges into opportunities. That’s the Broad Street Licensing Group.
The agency consistently ranks in the top 20 licensing agencies in the world and has been solely focused on the food and beverage categories. For the past 29 years, they’ve created successful licensing programs for brands and manufacturers alike including Subway Restaurants, Hard Rock Café, Rich Foods, Old World Foods and Unilever, just to name a few.
Brand Licensing’s Response to Tough Economic Headwinds
As economic challenges continue to mount globally, the contrast between brands and manufacturers with and without strategic licensing programs becomes increasingly apparent.
“Companies that maintain or increase their licensing and marketing investments during economic downturns consistently emerge stronger when conditions improve,” notes Broad Street Licensing Group’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Peter Cross. “They maintain consumer mindshare precisely when competitors are retreating, creating opportunities to capture shelf space across the retail landscape and generate new revenue streams; all of which allows companies to hit the ground running, when conditions stabilize.”
This forward-thinking approach requires guidance from agencies with track records who have shown they can navigate companies through previous economic uncertainties. With decades of experience guiding food and beverage brands through challenging market cycles, Broad Street Licensing Group has delivered licensing programs in tough times that generate substantial royalty income, while strengthening brand, consumer and marketplace positioning.
Challenging Times Create Opportunity
The current economic climate has created a perfect storm of uncertainty for food and beverage companies.
With on-again, off-again tariffs, increasing costs, shifts in consumer spending and supply chains facing more disruption, brand loyalty is facing new tests on a near-daily basis. And yet, within this challenging environment, there are companies who are taking a bolder step: pushing forward to expand their retail footprint and strengthen consumer engagement through expertly crafted licensing strategies.
“The future points to even more intensified competition for consumer dollars and attention. The successful companies and brands will be those who lean into the challenge and create unique ways to grab and amplify that attention,” Cross said. “Licensing shouldn’t simply be about putting a logo on a product, he added. “It’s about strategically extending a brand’s essence into categories that create genuine consumer excitement, giving them a value-added reason-to-buy, which in turn will strengthen and open entirely new revenue channels—with minimal capital investment from the brand and a shared risk between the partners.”
The results speak volumes. Household names like Subway, Burger King, Hard Rock, and Guinness have all tapped Broad Street’s expertise to create licensing programs that have not only weathered economic storms but thrived within them, delivering impressive royalty returns while simultaneously reinforcing brand relevance.
Beyond the Expected: Creating New Consumer Connections
What will make the best brand licensing programs stand out during uncertain times? It comes down to vision and execution.
When global tariffs threatened to impact certain product categories, Broad Street’s client brands and manufacturers were ready to pivot.
Instead of cutting back on innovation, they’ve embraced opportunities to license their brands into categories high on consumers’ shopping lists and pushed harder to create innovative “craveable” flavors around them. It’s a strategy that will aid their efforts to stay connected to consumers by offering unique and value-added products that end up in their shopping carts.
This approach has proven particularly valuable in the food and beverage sector, where consumers remain loyal to trusted brands even when economic pressures mount.
By extending into both unique and in-demand categories through licensing, companies create multiple touch points with their audience, turning occasional customers into loyal purchasers through diverse product offerings that maintain consistent quality and brand values.
The Manufacturer Advantage
The strategic value of licensing extends beyond brand owners. Food and beverage manufacturers partnering with the right licensing agency gain competitive advantages that prove especially valuable during periods of economic uncertainty.
Manufacturers working with Broad Street Licensing Group to partner with well-known iconic brands have discovered they can rapidly introduce creative innovation without the lengthy brand-building process typically required for new products.
By leveraging established brand equity, manufacturers can create immediate retail interest, gain faster distribution, and connect instantly with consumers already familiar with the brand.
This synergy creates win-win partnerships that are remarkably resilient to market fluctuations—brands expand their presence without manufacturing investments, while manufacturers leverage built-in consumer trust to drive sales from day one.
Looking Forward: The Licensing Opportunity
As we move through 2025, food and beverage brands and manufacturers will continue to face critical strategic decisions. Those who view current challenges as reasons to retreat will likely find recovery difficult when economic conditions improve. Conversely, brands and manufacturers embracing strategic licensing as part of their growth strategy position themselves to emerge stronger, with continued retail exposure and expanded consumer touchpoints, all creating a more diversified revenue stream.
For food and beverage brands and manufacturers ready to explore how strategic licensing can transform challenges into opportunities, the path forward is clear—partnering with licensing experts who understand the intricacies of successful licensing program development.
The most successful companies recognize that uncertain times call for experienced guidance. They’re reaching out to industry leaders like Broad Street Licensing Group to develop licensing strategies that not only weather current economic storms but lay foundations for sustained growth regardless of market conditions.
For more information on developing strategic licensing programs that drive brand growth and consumer engagement, contact Broad Street Licensing Group today: https://bslg.com/contact/