M&M’S Adventure launches on Apple iOS and Android devices

Free-to-play games publisher Tilting Point, along with partners Gear Inc. and Mars Retail Group, have announced that M&M’S Adventure, a puzzle game featuring the beloved Mars M&M’S characters, is now available on mobile devices on the Apple App Store and for Android devices on the Google Play Store.

Mars has been creating the bite-sized colorful candies for over 80 years, and the iconic M&M’S characters are some of the most recognisable around the world. The M&M’S characters will take players on an adventure around the world, travelling to locations such as New York and Paris, with many more locations to come with each update.

M&M’S Adventure includes more than 1,000 levels, and features multiple types of in-game events, including competitive leaderboards and month-long seasonal events, during which players will play unique levels and unlock new characters. M&M’s Adventure will continue to add to the fun with  monthly seasonal events, kicking off with Easter in April where players can earn exclusive and time-limited Easter characters.

The RHS and The Posh Shed Company partner for The RHS Garden Retreat

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and The Posh Shed Company have extended their highly successful partnership, which began nearly four years ago, with the RHS endorsement of a new shed designed to enhance and support the changing lifestyles of gardeners and non-gardeners alike: The RHS Garden Retreat.

Following the first lockdown in 2020, a survey commissioned by the RHS revealed that seven out of ten people considered that having a garden boosted their mental health. Many people have continued to work from home part-time and have kept up leisure pursuits established during lockdown. The RHS Garden Retreat has been designed to help balance this new way of life with the benefits of spending time in the garden.

The RHS Garden Retreat is on permanent display within Battleston Hill at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, and is available to order at www.theposhshedcompany.co.uk.

The Posh Shed Company’s products are hand-made by skilled craftspeople in Herefordshire – and can be made to order to meet the exact requirements of each customer.

Richard Frost, Chairman and Co-Founder of The Posh Shed Company says: “The ‘garden shed’ can and should be so much more than merely functional: it should also be a space to enjoy the garden, a place to relax or work and a destination within your own outside world to sit and watch nature at work – somewhere that is great for your wellbeing. It is with this in mind that we have partnered with the RHS to create The RHS Garden Retreat. We are delighted to be involved with this project.”

Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager, RHS, says: “More than ever, the mental and physical health benefits of gardens and gardening are being recognised and appreciated, and the way that people use their gardens is changing as a result. We are very pleased to have worked with The Posh Shed Company to develop The RHS Garden Retreat, which can provide a stylish, comfortable sanctuary in your garden to pursue hobbies or work from home while connecting with nature.”

For information on how gardening and looking at nature can help manage stress and mental health problems, please visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/health-and-wellbeing

 

 

Marriott Bonvoy and Manchester United kick off ‘sleepover of a lifetime’ prize draw

Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands, along with Manchester United are offering fans the chance to win the first-ever overnight stay at Old Trafford. One lucky fan and a guest will have the chance to wake up in the legendary football stadium on match day from the comfort of a suite transformed into a Marriott Hotels guest room overlooking the pitch.

The winner of the Suite of Dreams global sweepstakes will enjoy an extraordinary one-of-a-kind prize with an overnight stay the night before the home Premier League match against Chelsea in May 2022. The winners will get the chance to take part in a number of behind-the-scenes experiences that will bring them right to the heart of Manchester United. These include watching the team train, a behind the scenes tour of the stadium, the chance to mix and mingle with club legends and matchday tickets and hospitality.

“Bringing our flagship brand, Marriott Hotels, to Old Trafford is just one of the ways we are bringing the extraordinary Marriott Bonvoy portfolio to life through our collaboration with Manchester United, one of the world’s most popular sports teams,” says Brian Povinelli, Senior Vice President, Brand, Loyalty & Portfolio Marketing, Marriott International. “We’re thrilled to be creating this hospitality experience at this iconic location, giving a once-in-a-lifetime chance for fans to wake up in the home of Manchester United on the morning of a matchday.”

In its third year partnering with Manchester United, Marriott Bonvoy continues to offer exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experiences to football fans, travellers, and members of its award-winning travel programme, including:

  • Marriott Bonvoy’s in-stadium ‘Seat of Dreams’
  • Exclusive Marriott Bonvoy Moments experiences for members of Marriott Bonvoy’s award-winning travel programme
  • In- and out of-stadium activations with Marriott Hotels, the flagship brand within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. This includes the M Club Suite at Old Trafford, designed in the style of the brand’s M Clubs, a dedicated space for Marriott Bonvoy members to relax and connect at Marriott Hotels around the world
  • Access to interviews and one-on-one conversation with players

“From the very beginning of our partnership, Marriott Bonvoy has created some truly unique experiences, and this is no exception,” says Victoria Timpson, Manchester United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships. “Whoever wins this opportunity will receive the same first-class hospitality as they would at any Marriott Hotels property around the world, with the added excitement of being hosted at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums.”

For more information or to enter the prize draw, visit ManUtd.com/SuiteofDreams. Closing date for the competition is April 15, 2022.

Urban Outfitters launches in-store Smiley experience

Urban Outfitters is launching a Europe wide in-store experience from today, 4 April, as part of its collaboration with Smiley, which has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2022.

As part of the unique campaign, Urban Outfitters has created an immersive pop-up room environment for consumers in London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Milan, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Glasgow and Antwerp.

The pop-up includes products featuring the Smiley logo reimagined by Paris-based Swedish graffiti artist Andre Saraiva, who customised over 50 products as part of a collector’s edition stretching across clothing, accessories, technology and more.

Shoppers can expect to find key products featured in the store such as iets frans … x Smiley + 50th Anniversary collector’s editions.

Streetwear and activewear brands include Champion, Eastpak, New Era and Happy Socks, while Loki and Ciate provide fashion and beauty products. Neon signage brand Yellowpop will also be available, as will Sunny Life, known for its inflatable swimming pool lines.

Within the Manchester and Oxford Circus stores, consumers can engage with and create social content with an infinity mirror, while the changing rooms feature Smiley’s ‘Take the Time to Smile’ slogan.

Find out more on the Urban Outfitters website.

TBA Group announces exclusive partnership with metaverse specialist Virtual Brand Group

Experiential events expert TBA Group has announced its partnership with global metaverse specialist Virtual Brand Group (VBG) to launch brands, leagues, entertainment IP and personalities in the metaverse.

Focused on establishing connections between iconic brands such as Formula 1, Take That and Doc Martens to their fans and customers, TBA Group consists of TBA plc, Top Banana, Velocity, VHE, Zest, LGA, and Optimum. The differentiated group of creative agencies aims to deliver outstanding experiential events using creativity, insight-led ideas and technology, and proved its ability throughout the pandemic, leveraging the opportunity of virtual events.

Guy Horner, CEO of TBA Group, says: “Brands  are racing to figure out their virtual strategy and navigate the vast and unpredictable metaverse technologies, communities and revenue opportunities that are rapidly evolving. The partnership with VBG will enable TBA Group to push the boundaries of creativity with full-service offering for brands to capitalise on this once in a generation growth opportunity.”

VBG transforms brands by building and operating their metaverse business and communities across billions of consumers and all web 3.0 technologies, from social gaming to blockchain to NFTs and beyond.

Most recently, VBG successfully built and launched global fashion brand Forever 21’s immersive Roblox experience and avatar merchandise programme, partnering with over 30 of the world’s top digital designers. Roblox has over 202 million players per month and over 50 million per day. In addition, VBG pioneered “Infinite Loop Marketing”, which connects virtual commerce to e-commerce.

The two companies will collaborate on placing TBA’s clients across music, sports and entertainment brands into the metaverse. The partnership aims to offer the world’s first end-to-end “phygital” (physical to digital) experiential platform that delivers a seamless journey for consumers and brands that happen simultaneously in both worlds.

“We are always seeking innovative ways to enhance the experiences that we create for our clients and their customers,” says Guy Horner. “Due to the impacts of Covid, interaction in the virtual world has accelerated, offering brands the opportunity to co-exist, and co-create, in the virtual and physical world. It unlocks the opportunity for consumers to interact with products and experiences in a creative way that does not exist in a physical world.

“We are very excited about this opportunity with VBG and are already working with clients to put them in the metaverse, creating more immersive engaging experiences with greater scale and reach.”

Justin Hochberg, VBG’s CEO, adds: “No matter what type of brand, no matter what sector, all consumer-facing brands need to seize this opportunity to experience first-hand the biggest shift in a generation to leapfrog their competitors. Put another way, ‘47% of Gen Z say they’ll discover brands through the metaverse’. TBA and VBG have the tools to make that happen.”

The partnership will launch with TBA and VBG co-hosting an exclusive event for select brand clients featuring industry luminaries, set to take place next month.

David Coulthard, Co-Founder of Velocity, part of TBA Group, says: “Our business is about creating experiences for our partners and it’s a logical next step for us to put brands into the metaverse. There is huge appetite right now to exploit metaverse opportunities as it expands the audience as well as extending the experience beyond a physical event.”

Funko opens its first international franchise store in Dubai

Funko has announced that it has appointed Monkey Distribution as the first franchise operator catering to growing pop culture enthusiasts and Funko Funatics in the Middle East. The store, to be owned and operated by Monkey Distribution, is located in the newly constructed Dubai Hills Mall and is expected to open on April 2, 2022.

“The opening of Funko’s first franchise location in the metropolitan city of Dubai is a significant step in expanding our channel network outside of the United States,” says Andy Oddie, Managing Director, Funko EMEA. “The growth we are experiencing across the world is clearly indicative of the extraordinary demand for our products. By introducing stores outside of the U.S., we are creating a unique shopping destination for Funko fans and pop culture enthusiasts.”

As pop culture permeates across the globe, Funko fans and collectors will now have a must-see destination in the United Arab Emirates. The new store at Dubai Hills Mall will offer visitors the opportunity to experience Funko products, including Pop!, GOLD, Loungefly and Funko Games.

“Pop culture enthusiasts are passionate about their fandom and seek ways to incorporate them into their daily lives,” says Rajeev Babu, General Manager, Emaar Malls. “The new Funko store in Dubai Hills Mall will be a prized destination for fans from the region and around the world.”

Cityneon brings Avatar experience to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

An immersive walk-through event based on the global blockbuster film AVATAR, Avatar: The Experience will debut at Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore later this year. The new attraction is a collaboration between Cityneon Holdings, Disney Location-Based Experiences, and James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment.

Ron Tan, Cityneon’s Executive Chairman and Group CEO, says: “It’s an honour to present Avatar: The Experience with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and Gardens by the Bay. We are excited to contribute to the inspiring creative culture of Singapore. The iconic Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, one of Asia’s most popular horticultural attractions, becomes the perfect scenic location. We look forward to welcoming guests to this carefully curated event.”

“The opening of Avatar: The Experience in Singapore is a unique opportunity to continue expanding the global reach and impact of AVATAR, the highest-grossing film of all time,” says Lightstorm Entertainment’s President of Franchise Development, Kathy Franklin. “As the first of our four AVATAR sequels comes to theatres this December, this is the perfect time – and the perfect place – to explore and celebrate the wonders of Pandora in an all-new way.”

Set at Cloud Forest with its iconic waterfalls, spiralling walkways and a unique architectural glass greenhouse, Avatar: The Experience invites guests to connect with the alien world of Pandora, its bioluminescent environments, mystical creatures, flora, and the captivating culture of its indigenous people, the Na’vi.

Additional details will be announced soon. Sign up to be the first to know by visiting www.AvatarTheExperience.com

Barratt expands its Iceland ice cream range

The popular sweet brand Barratt, owned by Valeo Confectionery, is adding a new selection of classic sweet flavours to its ice cream range, exclusive to Iceland. The range will be available instore from Monday 4 April.

Following on from the existing range of nostalgic sweet shop favourites, the new flavours arrive straight from the Pick n’ Mix aisle and include Dolly Mix, Cherry Cola Bottle, Giant Strawberries, Wham Rocket, Milk Teeth, Refreshers, and Mini Poppets Ice cream bites in mint and salted caramel flavours.

The new flavours are an expansion of the original range, created in 2020, and follow further growth to the range in 2021, where 8 SKUs were added to the ice cream range including Cola bottles, Foam Banana, Milk Bottles and Sherbet Fountain.

With over 3.4 million units of ice cream sold in 2021, the Barratt and Iceland range continues to perform, enabling the Barratt brand to expand into new categories including cheesecakes, with more to come. The success has also helped to showcase the brand and attract further licensees.

Bethan Garton, CCO at licensing agency The Point.1888, which represents the Barratt brand, says: “We’re absolutely thrilled to announce a further 8 SKUs to the Iceland’s Barratt range. The range has gone from strength to strength over the past two years as consumers demand more products that highlight the iconic and fun flavours of Barratt sweets. Iceland have been the perfect partner for Barratt by working collaboratively to deliver truly innovative product.”

Andrew Staniland, Trading Director at Iceland, adds: “We love to bring people together and create memories over good food, and what better way than sharing a delicious, cool treat with your family in time for April’s forecasted heatwave.”

BBC Studios Kids & Family division opens for business

BBC Studios has announced today that it has formally moved Children’s In-house Production into BBC Studios Productions to complete its ambitious new division: BBC Studios Kids & Family.

Led by Managing Director Cecilia Persson, BBC Studios Kids & Family will combine the talent and expertise of the BBC Children’s Production team and the content investment, customer and brand experience within BBC Studios into a new and integral part of the BBC Studios content powerhouse. This development is designed to drive an ambitious global strategy to increase the reach of in-house hits, develop new global brands and grow the value provided to younger audiences.

BBC Studios’ Kids & Family portfolio boasts some of the most successful local and global franchises in the world, with BAFTA and International Emmy winning craft and storytelling. Working with a mix of established talent and new and diverse voices including Dame Jaqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson and Laura Henry-Allain and best in class on-screen talent like Rosamund Pike, Javonne Prince, Tamsin Greig and Eva Mendes, its hugely popular shows include Blue Peter, JoJo & Gran Gran, My Mum Tracy Beaker, Ferne and Rory, Something Special, Bluey, Hey Duggee and Sarah & Duck.

Bringing Children’s production capabilities into BBC Studios for the first time creates an end-to-end business of scale and reputation in the Kids & Family space with the potential to create work for a wide range of customers. Working in partnership from development and production to investment, distribution, BBC Studios Kids and Family will ensure the most creative, efficient and effective approach to bring children’s content to audiences around the world.

Persson, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, Director of Content, Kids & Family, and Helen Bullough, Head of Kids & Family Production, will now be able to collaborate on creating and maximising new opportunities to build on the existing, diverse portfolio of global hits and family favourites. As well as working with established and much-loved talent, they are actively seeking fresh ideas and new and diverse voices with universal appeal to create rich content and build franchises that children will adore in the UK and beyond.

Ralph Lee, CEO BBC Studios Productions, says: “The newly integrated Kids & Family team is made up of incredibly talented individuals who excel at creating shows that are adored by children and their parents. They are true specialists in this key field of content creation and this new division presents an amazing opportunity to build on the fabulous portfolio they collectively already bring to the world.”

“I’m incredibly excited at the ambitious potential for innovation and growth within Kids and Family,” says Cecilia Persson, Managing Director, BBC Studios Kids & Family. “Alongside our core relationship with BBC Content’s unique children’s offer, we’re now open for business and are keen to explore new opportunities. We are passionate about our content because we care deeply about our audience and know that the stories we generate, identify and nurture have the power to make a difference to the lives of kids and their families around the world. That passion, combined with the team’s brilliant talent and expertise, will enable us to develop an unrivalled wealth of new, exciting and beloved content for children and their families across the UK and beyond.”

Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children & Education, adds: “BBC Childrens in-house production has for decades been providing the BBC and the whole of the UK with best-in-class content for our audiences, I could not be happier to see this team join BBC Studios to take advantage of their international growth and great production capabilities, bringing them the valuable expertise this team has in creating Childrens content, and taking our Children & Education brands globally.”

Farshore to publish Squishmallows official collector’s guide

Farshore has acquired publishing rights to the official collector’s guide for the award-winning plush property, Squishmallows. Emma Cairns-Smith, Global Licensing Acquisition Director for Brands and Licensing at Farshore, signed a worldwide rights deal with Jazwares along with its Kellytoy subsidiary for the Squishmallows Official Collector’s Guide.

 Since Squishmallows launched in 2017, over 100 million Squishmallows plush products have been sold globally. The phenomenon has spread to online spaces, with the brand achieving 6.1 billion impressions online and “Squish Hunting” – people posting videos and photos dedicated to collecting the 1,000+ ultra-collectable Squishmallows – becoming hugely popular.

Squishmallows Official Collector’s Guide is designed to be the perfect gift for all plush-loving superfans and the official guide to the world of Squishmallows. Scheduled to launch in July 2022, it will feature tips for finding rare and collectible Squishmallows, all the information you could want about Squishmallows Squad collections, a Squishmallows Super Fan quiz and more.

Emma Cairns-Smith, representing Brands and Licensing at Farshore, says: “Squishmallows is a gigantic toy brand with an army of TikTok fans and influencers behind it. We are so excited to create publishing which engages with those fans across the globe.”

Sam Ferguson, Vice President, Global Licensing, Jazwares, adds: “Collaborating with Farshore brings new opportunities for fans to explore the ever-growing world of Squishmallows with fun tips and tricks that bring a new level of fun to the hunt.”

 Squishmallows Official Collector’s Guide is scheduled to publish on 7 July 2022, for fans aged 9-18+