Category Archives: Highlight

Kraft Heinz moves into the family gaming space with Big G Creative partnership

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Kraft Heinz has found another means of getting itself all over your dining table thanks to a new partnership with the US games publisher, Big G Creative, that delivers the company’s globally renowned food brands to the board gaming sector.

Under the new deal, Big G Creative has launched the new Kraft Heinz Variety Game Pack – a three-in-one set of games inspired by Heinz food brands Heinz Ketchup, Jell-O Gelatin, and Kraft Macaroni Cheese.

Big G Creative’s new Kraft Heinz Variety Game Pack includes three family-friendly games that bring beloved pantry essentials to life: the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Game has players roll the dice to play matching noodle cards and push the Cheesasaurus Rex piece up the Noodle Meter, the Jell-O Jiggler Slap Game is a quick thinking, hand-slapping game, and the Heinz Ketchup Dice Game has players rolling dice and collect as much ketchup as possible to score 57 points.

“For most families, more time at home means getting extra creative with day-to-day routines and seeking out fun experiences in between,” said Steven Anne, creative director at Big G Creative. “Kraft Heinz has always brought a playfulness to the dinner table, and now we’re thrilled to bring that same spirit to family game night.”

The fun with food starts from the moment families open the pack, as each game is packaged like the original food favorite. For example, the Heinz Ketchup Dice Game comes in a bottle just like the classic condiment, which also acts as a dice-rolling cup.

All three games are designed with inclusive play in mind. The games are easy to learn, fun to play, and only take about 20 minutes. Plus, the games accommodate families of all sizes, allowing two or more players aged eight years and older to go head to head.

Big G Creative’s Kraft Heinz Variety Game Pack is now available exclusively at Target stores.

The RHS and Scholastic to launch their first children’s activity books in February 2021

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The Royal Horticultural Society has detailed the first titles in a new range of illustrated activity books for children in partnership with its publishing licensee Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books.

Aimed at children aged six to ten, the first titles in the series are scheduled to launch in February 2021. My Dinosaur Garden and My Unicorn Garden will look to inspire children to explore gardens and the outdoors with crafts, activities, gardening tips and nature facts.

The initial launch will be followed in March with the Outdoor Adventure Handbook, an activity book that will look at discovering plants, wildlife and getting closer to nature with activities for all weathers.

In May, to complement the new range, My Unicorn Garden Cards and Notelets will be launched. This is a creative make-and-do set with stickers that children can use to create unique messages to share with friends and family. Further books will follow in autumn 2021 and beyond.

The books will be available from bookshops, RHS shops, garden centres, through major online retailers and at shop.rhs.org.uk. Their publication will be marked with a collaborative marketing campaign to reach the extensive family and school audiences of both Scholastic and the RHS.

These are the first RHS-licensed publications from Scholastic following the announcement of a major RHS partnership with the respected children’s book publisher in August 2019. The partnership encompasses a wide range of children’s publications, including sticker and activity books, handbooks, illustrated non-fiction, board and colouring books, annuals, e-books and journals.

All the publications will make use of the range of expertise available to the UK’s favourite gardening charity as well as drawing on its work with families, schools and children.

This announcement also coincides with the continuing development of the RHS range of children’s products supported by a special style guide, both of which were announced at BLE 2019. The charity is addressing this growing young audience through a strong focus on children’s products in the coming months. This is especially relevant given the growth in family visits to gardens and parks – along with the much greater time devoted to gardening – during this year’s travel restrictions.

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, said: “One of our most important missions as Britain’s leading gardening charity is to encourage children to develop an interest in gardens and gardening. This is underlined by our development of a licensing programme for children’s products – and who better to help us communicate our message than one of the most admired names in children’s publishing?

“These activity books, which both inform and entertain, are a marvellous introduction to the wonders of wildlife and the joys of gardening.”

Elizabeth Scoggins, publisher, non-fiction, licensing and brands for Scholastic UK, added: “It is a privilege to be working with the RHS, the UK’s most-loved gardening charity. 2020 has made everyone really appreciate opportunities to be outdoors and to explore nature on our doorsteps.

“We look forward to publishing books that inspire children and families to discover the wonders of plants, wildlife and the outdoors using the expertise and passion of the RHS.”

Soundtrack Your Brand renews licensing partnership with Warner Music and rolls out Soundtrack Unlimited

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The business to business music streaming service, Soundtrack Your Brand, has renewed its global licensing agreement with Warner Music as it introduces a new on-demand service Soundtrack Unlimited, to enable business users to have more control over the music they play to their customers.

Soundtrack supplies licensed streamed music for businesses to play to attract and retain customers. The platform curates soundtracks by genre, sound and business type to help venues play music with a vibe consistent to the business they are delivering. The new on-demand service will enable businesses to pick and choose individual songs within those soundtracks.

The B2B music streaming market is still very much in its infancy and many businesses are still using employee’s personal streaming accounts to play music. Doing so is in breach of the terms and conditions set by those B2C streaming services, as well as the licenses that such platforms hold from music rights holders.

Research from Nielsen, commissioned in 2019 by Soundtrack, estimated that rights holders were losing some $2.65 billion worldwide because businesses are not using properly licensed services. Soundtrack Your Brand has highlighted that the opportunity to grow this market ‘is significant, with some 70 million commercial subscribers worldwide.’

Warner Music first licensed Soundtrack two years ago and in that time it has rolled its service into 74 markets. The service enables artists to reach over five billion customers worldwide as they visit venues including Lululemon, McDonald’s and W Hotels.

Soundtrack Your Brand’s new Soundtrack Unlimited on-demand service enables businesses to jump, skip and replay tracks, as well as create their own playlists and import others from Spotify. These features were only previously available on B2C services.

Ola Sars, founder and CEO, Soundtrack Your Brand, said: “Soundtrack is committed to increasing value in music streaming overall by fixing the broken and outdated background music market. Together with Warner Music we’re at the forefront of this change, driving innovation together in order to unlock value for music creators.

“We’re increasing pricing by five to 10 times and therefore significantly increasing royalties paid out to labels and artists, all this enabled by a superior product offering throughout 74 markets. Now the whole industry needs to join forces and make sure that compliance is ensured across the B2B music market, as it’s our collective responsibility to help those trying to make a living from their art.”

John Rees, SVP global business development, WMG added: “Soundtrack Your Brand has created a first-class streaming service that’s tailored to deliver music and data insights to businesses across the world. Warner continues to support them during this exciting new chapter, so that we can work to ensure that fair value from the commercial sector is being returned to artists and creators.

“With the launch of the new on-demand product, businesses around the globe can now access Warner’s incredible catalogue in new ways.”

Rising Up: MGM Studios on how 45 years later the Rocky franchise is still packing a punch

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The trumpets, the grey tracksuit, the run up the stairs and the timeless story of David vs Goliath, the underdog with the eye of the tiger; there’s very little about the Rocky franchise that isn’t iconic. It’s difficult to believe that it’s been… [checks notes]… 45 years since Sylvester Stallone first stepped into the ring as Rocky, and not so difficult to believe that over the course of four and a half decades, he has emerged as a staple image of popular culture.

The sentimental affinity that the world shares with the message and storyline of Rocky aside for a moment, the statistics alone for the franchise are as impressive as Rocky’s boxing career. This is a franchise that has accrued $1.3Billion at the box office; three academy awards and 10 nominations, two golden globes across six films, and has given rise to two spin offs in the form of the more recent Creed films. 

If ever there was a case of life imitating art, suggests Robert Marick, executive vice president of global consumer products and experiences at MGM, the rights holders and studio behind the franchise, Rocky is surely it.

News of MGM’s partnership with TCG Entertainment to bring live Rocky concerts to the global stage as part of the 45th anniversary celebrations of the Rocky franchise has already fired up the engines of its core audience base across the world; so word that this is just a part of the wider plans to celebrate the global cinematic, pop culture, and even sporting culture icon that is Rocky Balboa is certain to send it into fever pitch.

Here, Licensing.biz talks with MGM’s Robert Marick to discuss a cultural icon, learn more about those 45th anniversary plans, and discover what kind of potential a brand that spans not only cinema, but pop culture, sport culture, lifestyle and more, has within the ever evolving licensing space.

People talk about iconic brands a lot in licensing, but Rocky without doubt is a true icon – of cinema, pop culture, and beyond – from the soundtrack, style, iconic film scenes, the script its story, and even the acting. Handling the licensing programme for something embedded in culture must be an exciting prospect?

To be honest, it’s a privilege. While everything you’ve mentioned is accurate, Rocky is so much more. From underdog to champion, there is so much depth to the franchise that appeals to its core audience. Because of the multi-dimensional nature of the franchise, it allows us to re-interpret the licensing program in so many ways.   

How do you begin to look at the licensing strategy for something so well revered the world over?

The Rocky franchise provides a multi-dimensional view and therefore a complimentary licensing strategy. In 2021, we’ve rallied around the theme “Champion”. As we developed the Rocky 45th licensing plan, we provided three opportunities. Train like a champion; Look like a champion; and Feel like a champion.

Each opportunity allows for unique product segmentation of licensed product. If you want to “look like a champion”, apparel and accessories is a natural fit. For those that want to “train like a champion”, gym equipment and interactive games such as VR games, workout systems allow fans to train like Rocky; If fans want to “feel like a champion” and show their fandom, publishing, collectibles and replicas will deliver on that aspiration.

In support of this strategy, we developed a bespoke style guide celebrating the 45th anniversary. Our licensing program is focused to rally the “everyday Rocky” to tap into their inner champion, celebrate champions in his or her community, and give fans new ways to show their love for the Rocky franchise all year long.

 You recently detailed the TCG Entertainment partnership, which seems to have fans really excited for the 45th celebrations. What other plans have you got for the anniversary? What aspects of licensing will the plans span? 

While the full roll out plans are still being finalized, I can tell you that we are planning a year-long celebration which will include new and exciting merchandise, interactive games, licensed advertising and location-based entertainment activations.  One example is the Rocky Run. In its seventh year, the Rocky Run unites fans from all over the world to Philadelphia, with like-minded fans, and for a day, step into Rocky’s footsteps where they are able to train, look and feel like a champion leading all the way up those famous stairs.

How much will the current global situation influence the plans and licensing roll out? How do you think it has shaped innovation within licensing, and will you guys be tapping into any of the trends here?

We don’t want to capitalize on this global situation and proactively push the point. Instead we want to focus on the future and getting through it by having Rocky fans express their own Rocky moment and using Rocky to motivate and inspire them to persevere and go the distance. It needs to be and should be organic. 

Can you talk us through the new partners you’ve got lined up for the brand, what categories will you be spanning? What of the current partnerships will you be expanding upon?

Boxing/Athleisure has been identified as a new Fashion Trend. Boxing remains mainstream, trendy and relevant for men and women and Rocky’s signature grey hoodie has made a major comeback. We are looking for key collaborations that can bring together two powerful brands. As for new categories to explore, we are looking at pet, jewelry accessories and location based and live entertainment.

Rocky and Creed are in a unique position that they cover both pop culture and sporting markets, you’ve mentioned the Rocky themed running events in the works – how far will you be taking the sports and entertainment crossover? What potential does this offer?

A great example of this cross over is the Rocky / Creed Rise to Glory VR game by Survios. It’s become an evergreen title, that – similar to the Rocky Run – gives fans a chance to step in the ring and train and feel like a champion. I am excited to share that the hit, Creed: Rise to Glory VR game will be available on console platforms in time for the 45th anniversary. Other opportunities in this area are vast and we are currently exploring our gym and fitness equipment.

Why do you think Rocky continues to resonate with fans across the globe? 

The Rocky franchise is a global phenomenon! The story has so many themes such as ambition, determination, courage, being the underdog and rising to the top etc., and that all translates across generations, demographics and cultures around the world. Everyday people can relate to Rocky in some shape, way or form. Today, more than ever, Rocky is beacon of hope and inspiration around the world. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 45 years since fans saw Rocky hit enter the ring for the first time. Looking back over the years, it’s amazing what Sylvester Stallone accomplished. Just like the Rocky character, the franchise and Sylvester Stallone, beat all the odds at the time as an up-and-coming writer, director and actor. 

The statistics are staggering. $1.3Billion at the box office; three academy awards and 10 nominations; two golden globes across six films and two spin offs with the Creed films. In this case, life–imitates–art. What a champion!

GB eye expands its partnership with The Pokemon Company for new product ranges across Europe

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Prints, posters, and giftware specialist, GB Eye has inked a new deal with the Pokemon Company International to expand its licensed gifting offering in the build up to Christmas with new products across mugs, framed prints, posters, gifts, and a soon-to-launch eco-range.

The move capitalises on key consumer trends and interest as the newly tailored product range serves the company’s growing European retail network for Q4 and into 2021.

Leading the charge is the hotly anticipated Pikachu Gift Box which according to the firm has already seen ‘huge pre-orders placed by numerous retailers’ in order to meet the current consumer demand for the Electric-type Pokemon.

Also attracting large retailer orders, says GB Eye, is the Eevee Gift Box. Both Gift Boxes come with their own exclusive pint glasses, exclusive full colour mug designs, two coasters and a unique collectable box, ‘which is sure to be snapped up swiftly by fans across the region.’

Ben Woodman, commercial manager at GB eye Ltd. said: “The demand we are seeing from retailers for our Q4 ranges is unprecedented considering the difficulties the industry has experienced this year and is a true testament to the quality of the product range that our design team have been able to produce to meet the insatiable consumer demand for Pokémon products. The outlook for 2021 is even more exciting with further activity planned for this hugely popular brand.”

Thomas & Friends goes 2D animated as new seasons given the green light by Mattel

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Mattel has given the green light to a series of 104 new 11 minute episodes and two hour-long specials for the Thomas & Friends television series over two new seasons. The latest update for the popular children’s series follows news released last week that a Thomas & Friends feature length film was now in development.

To produce the two new seasons of the hit pre-school series, Mattel has partnered with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studios, an international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. The new seasons, starting with Season 25, will premiere next autumn.

The firm has hinted at ‘a creative new approach to the show,’ which promises to ‘contemporise the series for today’s families.’

The series will be animated in 2D, for a start, and will build upon creative elements that have resonated with Thomas & Friends fans over the year by featuring comedic, playful stories and lessons told from Thomas’ point of view. Nelvana will help to bring the new 2D look to life, expanding on Mattel’s existing relationship with Corus Entertainment.

“Thomas & Friends’ enduring legacy and focus on the importance on friendship continue to resonate with global audiences, and we look forward to unveiling our new content to consumers next year,” said Fred Soulie, senior vice president and general manager, Mattel Television.

“Nelvana is the ideal production partner for the series, understanding the importance of staying true to Thomas’ ethos and heritage while bringing the franchise to life creatively in new ways for today’s kids.”

Pam Westman, president, Nelvana, added: “As the exclusive broadcast partner and licensing agent of the treasured Thomas brand in Canada, we are delighted to deepen our relationship with Mattel by becoming their production partner on the re-imagined 2D series, which will introduce Thomas to a new generation of young audiences.

“With stunning animation and fresh new stories, the 2D series allows us to play up the humor in the show while honoring the legacy of the world’s most-adored blue tank engine.”

Executive producers for Season 25 of Thomas & Friends include Fred Soulie, Adam Bonnett and Christopher Keenan at Mattel, as well as Colin Bohm and Pam Westman at Nelvana.

Thomas was first created in 1945 by Rev. W. Awdry in stories for his son, Christopher. Today, the character is just as beloved by children as he was when he first chugged down the tracks. Thomas’ stories are currently told through the television series, toys, books, apps, live events and more.

H&A launches plastic-free gifts for kids as firm ramps up its sustainability drive

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The toiletry and health and beauty specialist, H&A has taken its own stance against packaging waste with the launch of its new plastic-free stocking fillers, a range that is hitting shelves across the UK this autumn. The new range encompasses a raft of Disney licenses, including Disney Princess and Marvel’s Avengers.

Having taken the opportunity to inject new creativity into its reinvented approach to packaging, H&A now boasts ‘not a closed box in sight,’ as the company encourages tear & shares with hidden messages throughout.

Marketing manager, Holly Orton, said: “What makes us stand out this Christmas is our ability to strip out unnecessary plastics without compromising on creativity. Our products are open, secure, and exciting; we have phenomenally talented designers whose passion for delighting children while reducing our plastic footprint has made this possible.

“Our showstopping gifts have never looked so good.”

Meanwhile, the H&A team has also successfully made all of it s secondary product packaging 100 per cent recyclable, as it anticipates a continuation in consumer enthusiasm for reduced plastic and enhanced creativity.

“As market leaders we know from experience how important it is for shoppers to see product at the point of purchase and our innovative card platforms, waxed papers, and folding display trays make our products visible yet secure,” continued Orton.

“Our progress on plastics is a huge source of pride and positivity for us and we have new developments for 2021 already in the making,” she concluded.

ZAG launches new Games and Interactive Experiences division with gaming’s Elinor Schops in VP role

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The award-winning independent animation studio, ZAG has launched a new Games and Interactive Experiences division in a move to develop new gaming experiences and interactive opportunities across mobile, PC, online, console games, VR and AR, video and mobile apps. The division will develop new concepts for all properties under the ZAG Heroez label.

Leading the new operation will be Elinor Schops who takes on the role of vice president in order to lead an all star team of creatives from her base in Israel. Schops will report directly to Julian Zag, executive vice president, global operations art ZAG.

ZAG’s first official global mobile game for Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir was released in April 2018 and ranked the number one game in 39 countries with 100 million downloads to date.

“Following the huge success of the first Miraculous game, as well as the phenomenal presence of the brand online with over 20 billion views on YouTube, establishing the ZAG Games & Interactive Experiences division has been an important strategic goal for us, especially in managing the requests from gaming companies worldwide,” said Julian Zag.

“We are thrilled to have found the ideal executive in Elinor to lead this new division and the talented team we are building, while bringing her extensive expertise across entertainment, music, media and mobile fields to this new important role. With a renowned reputation as a ‘Startup Nation’ and a major global player in the gaming industry cross platforms, Israel is a perfect location to launch this new endeavor to manage game development for our phenomenal award-winning stable of brands.”

Schops added: “Gaming has become a tremendous multi-billion-dollar industry globally, and I am thrilled to lead this new division to maximize all of the untapped potential in this arena with ZAG’s amazing catalog of hit properties to develop unforgettable gaming experiences for fans all over the world.”

Schops will drive new opportunities for the company’s key brands under the  ZAG Heroez label, including the flagship brand Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.   

Over 150M products have been sold for the brand during the past three years. Seasons four and five of the number one ranked series are currently in production, as well as two big-budget animated specials to be available globally (except for Brazil and China) on Disney Channel and Disney+, plus a major $70M U.S. theatrical release.

Additionally, season three of the series launches this summer and fall around the world. Seasons one and two currently air in key territories, consistently ranking #1 in the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Brazil and Mexico, and top-ranked in the U.S. on Disney Channel.

Power Players, which currently airs on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and in key territories across EMEA and Asia Pacific, is available for streaming on Netflix and available on France’s France Télévisions, Germany’s KiKa, Brazil’s Gloob, and Discovery Latin America.

A new toy line from Zag Lab and Playmates Toys for Power Players recently debuted in the US, with an international roll-out commencing this fall. ZAG’s newest property, Ghostforce, is currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.

Before joining ZAG,  Schops served as vice president of business development at CrazyLabs (formerly TabTale), a Top10 mobile casual and hyper casual game developer and publisher. Among other initiatives, she was responsible for establishing the casual IP business for the company, and for the planning and execution of the company’s B2B marketing strategy to expand the company’s reach and recognition, as well as to drive potential partners’ awareness, engagement and satisfaction.

Schops also worked at Israel’s leading sports, media and entertainment company ONE (part of Yedioth Achronoth group) and its subsidiary Mobile1, where she initiated and managed strategic partnerships. As an executive in the gaming industry, Schops initiated the first ever Women In Games event in Israel. She also established an online network and mentoring program for Israeli Women In Games.

Hasbro and eOne detail global broadcast partners for new My Little Pony: Pony Life series

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Hasbro’s global entertainment studio, eOne has secured a strong line up of broadcast partners across most of the globe for the next latest chapter of the ever-popular My Little Pony brand.

My Little Pony: Pony Life is a new series premiering in select territories this autumn, with a larger roll-out running between the end of 2020 and spring 2021. The series explores the funny side of friendship, following the adventures of the ponies as they spend most of their time at Sugarcube Corner.

The ‘Mane 6’ (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy) run into all sorts of ‘cupcake conundrums’, ‘frosting fails’ and ‘magical mishaps’ as Pinkie Pie serves up frosted cupcakes to the best customers in the world; her friends.

Several broadcasters around the world have picked up the show including Turner Australia, Turner South East Asia and Channel 9 GO! in Australia, TVNZ New Zealand, Mediacorp Singapore, Spacetoon in the Middle East, Tiny Pop, part of Sony Pictures Television in the UK, Discovery Kids in Latin America, Discovery Family in the US, Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse in Canada, Disney Channel in Germany, Gulli in France and Cartoonito in Italy.

The show will also be available on selected digital platforms at a later stage.

My Little Pony: Pony Life will now join its portfolio partner Peppa Pig in several territories including Canada (Treehouse), Latin America (Discovery) giving the partners the chance to present two iconic brands which are guaranteed to keep their audiences engaged and entertained.

“Pony Life is a fresh and exciting take on a classic brand, and we are so pleased to be able to bring it to many of our TV and digital  partners around the world,” said Monica Candiani, eOne’s EVP content sales at Family Brands. “Going forward, we are confident that we will be able to secure the strongest broadcast platforms for our bigger portfolio of hit  properties and realize incredible benefits by building on the remarkable relationships we have with global partners.”

Following Hasbro’s acquisition of eOne, the newly restructured content division will now oversee all content distribution of stellar family entertainment brands including Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, Transformers, Power Rangers, PJ Masks and Ricky Zoom.  

While continuing to focus on its popular pre-school shows like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, eOne will now also leverage hottest kids IP’s including My Little Pony, Transformers and Power Rangers to create a one-stop-shop for quality content for global partners.

“Entertainment One is excited to develop, produce and drive the content around our portfolio of world class brands. Our rich content spans multiple ages, demographics and genres across the kids market with some of the most popular and recognisable family brands in the world today,” said Candiani.

Lisle Licensing named exclusive UK agent for art and lifestyle’s Kate Smith Company

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Lisle Licensing has been appointed as the exclusive UK licensing agent for the humorous art and lifestyle brand, Kate Smith Company. Based in the USA, the company behind the hugely popular brand ‘From Frank’ has briefed the team at Lisle to replicate its North America and Canadian success in the UK.

Lisle Licensing will work to establish Kate Smith Company as a recognised uplifting, entertaining, and positive brand with retailers and consumers.

Kate Smith Company specialises in social connections, with the objective of creating art and product to ‘make humans smile’. Established in 2018 following the success of ‘From Frank’, it has amassed a broad collection of art that spans its jokes, original character brands, phrases and art design that lend themselves to a variety of categories including publishing, greetings, stationery, home accessories, gifting and novelty.

The breadth of styles provides licensees with the opportunity to deliver a continuous flow of product and flexibility to tailor any number of bespoke collections, large or small.

Over the last two years, Kate Smith Company has been listed in Target, Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, Paper Source, Wal-Mart and more. It has partnered its designs with US greetings cards heavy-weight, American Greetings, and in Summer 2020 launched an everyday collection in Target stores nationwide through Recycled Paper Greetings.

Francesca Lisle of Lisle Licensing, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen by Kate & Ryan to exclusively represent their brand in the UK. It’s bold, fun, fresh, and already defined by its success in the USA. If the world needs anything right now it’s the Kate Smith Company’s wicked sense of humour and bright bold art design to make people smile.”