Natural History Museum appoints TSBA as international licensing agency

The Natural History Museum’s mission to create advocates for the planet is set to be amplified to a global scale as the Museum announces it has appointed specialist brand agency TSBA as its international licensing agent.

The appointment of an international licensing agency will enable the Museum to expand its hugely successful programme around the world. Housing more than 80 million specimens, the Museum’s collection tells the incredible story of our planet’s natural history, which is also helping to unlock answers to the big issues facing humanity today. It is this invaluable IP and the Museum’s international reputation that TSBA will employ to build licensing partnerships that resonate with a global audience. The Museum will continue to run the UK licensing programme directly. 

Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing, Natural History Museum, says: “We are so excited to embark on this journey with TSBA. This is a significant milestone for the licensing programme as we seek to build brand awareness in international territories. We are delighted to be expanding the programme internationally to build relevant collections that will genuinely resonate with today’s consumers.”

Ian Mallalue, CEO, TSBA Group, says: “We are thrilled to be working with the Natural History Museum to extend their brand, and awareness of the invaluable work that they do, to a wider audience around the world. The calibre of partnerships already in place in the UK is a fantastic benchmark for the extension of the licensing programme into new territories.”

TSBA will be exhibiting at the Licensing Expo (booth F124) and available to meet with interested parties to discuss opportunities for the licensing of the Natural History Museum brand. Please contact enquiries@tsbagroup.com for more information or to book a meeting.

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Elan Freedman, EVP, Surge Licensing

Entertainment development company Surge Licensing represents a wide roster of brands, including Diane Alber, Spy Ninjas, WEBTOON, Epic 7, Stanley Kubrick, Fiesty Pets, Munchkin and more. Licensing Biz caught up with EVP Elan Freedman ahead of Licensing Expo to talk about the company’s latest deals, and what we can expect to see over the coming months.

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Can you tell us, in a nutshell, what Surge Licensing does? What’s your USP? Do you have a particular area of expertise?

Surge Licensing is an IP development and brand management company.  Our ultimate goal with our partners is to evolve their nascent and growing brands into fandoms and franchises. While we engage as agents and advisors and absolutely focus on licensing rights strategies, we see ourselves as a business that helps creators and licensors enhance and fill out their operations to achieve our shared goals.

Can you tell us some of the brands Surge Licensing represents? Which brands will you focus on at Licensing Expo?

Our portfolio of brands is completely community driven. Diane Alber’s publishing brands have an incredible community of parents and teachers seeking the best SEL content for their children and students. WEBTOON has a massive community of manga readers that love to read their titles the way users scroll TikTok or Instagram, and the Stanley Kubrick Archive’s fandom is filled with film buffs and creatives who have been eternally inspired by his work.

We’re presenting Spy Ninjas, which has 46m YouTube subscribers who participate in the videos by finding clues and commenting below the videos. Epic 7 has a diehard fanbase of mobile game players, who make every Twitch stream a #1 viewed event.  We have several vinyl toy properties, like Thimblestump Hollow, where collectors look forward to every single product drop.

Can you tell us what makes WEBTOON so exciting, and such a good fit for Surge Licensing? Are there any deals in the works yet, or is it still early days?

Pardon the repetition, but we seek ways of working with fandoms to deliver the programmes they desire. The WEBTOON community is massive and loyal, and it couldn’t be more exciting to build a programme for this audience. It’s a digitally native business, affording a direct relationship with our readers and data to help understand where they are and what they want. Fifteen million U.S. monthly active users, 11.5 billion global monthly page views and a constant stream of innovative content make WEBTOON the ultimate springboard for franchise behemoths (plural)!

Can you tell us more about Spy Ninjas, and how the licensing programme is progressing?

The programme has been growing beautifully. Soon, we’ll be able to share our media plans around animation, a live tour, family entertainment centres and additional YouTube formats. Expect to see Spy Ninjas everywhere shortly. We already have fantastic key partners in Playmates, Scholastic, Event Merch, Bentex and more, but the sky is the limit for Chad, Vy and Ninjas team.

The TOMY [global master toy] deal for Diane Alber is pretty big news. Where else would you like to take the brand?

The TOMY programme is just the beginning of the partnership business.  Diane is selling millions of books per year through Amazon, and we will be scaling the publishing programme globally through key partnerships.  Parents and teachers are demanding arts and crafts, school supplies, apparel, sleepwear, bedding and more. Now that TOMY is anchoring the programme and widening retail support, we’re going to begin diving into these new categories.

What are your goals at Licensing Expo? If you have your ‘dream’ show, what would that involve?

This year’s Licensing Expo is all about finally seeing all of our friends and colleagues. We’re going to gauge success by how many people are hanging out and connecting in our booth. Hopefully we meet plenty of new people as well. Ultimately, we’re looking forward to the party that will be the Licensing Expo show floor. Come by booth J120 and interrupt our meetings! It happens anyway, so let’s all lean into it!

Does the licensing industry ever get old? Or are you seeing any trends/innovations that are exciting you? Experiential/live events? The metaverse? NFTs?…

It truly never gets old. It’s a business driven by creative innovation AND product innovation, so there is never a short supply of inputs and outputs to craft opportunities. Going forward (and currently), we are going full throttle into Web3, but with a long-term approach. We view Web3 as a great disruptor, in the sense that the technologies afford direct communications with consumers/fans in ways never seen before.  We believe Web3 becomes the engine to offer unique experiences, content and product directly to fans who are seeking them. The data capture and direct communications create a flywheel, allowing brand managers to build hyper-targeted programmes, requested by the community.

Surge Licensing will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Rob Corney, Group Managing Director, Bulldog Licensing

Bulldog Licensing is readying for its second face-to-face trade show since restrictions were lifted, with an appearance at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas later this month. Licensing Biz asked Group Managing Director Rob Corney to talk us through some of the key brands that Bulldog will be showcasing, including Care Bears, as it celebrates a big milestone anniversary; the much-loved heritage brand, Sesame Street; the ever-popular Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir; sell-out Christmas sensation Magic Mixies, and new preschool animation Odo, among others.

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How has the last year been for Bulldog? Have you expanded the team at all?

The last year has been a good one for Bulldog. After the chaos of the pandemic, we were delighted to move back into our London Bridge offices; whilst we’re all set up to be able to function fully with the team all working from home, you can’t beat the efficiencies of being office-based to fully plan the roll-out of licensing programmes. Unless the team are able to be hands-on with the product and able to benefit from the cross-pollination of ideas, inefficiencies creep in and, whilst I think we’ve coped admirably throughout the lockdowns, it’s a much healthier environment to separate home from work and be able to function as a full unit once again.

What would you say is Bulldog’s USP/the main reason for its success? You’ve secured some pretty huge brands – how have you achieved that, and where do you see yourself positioned in the global market?

When Bulldog first launched in 2007, we were the first agency to take what we call a ‘retail first approach’ to licensing – starting with the retail proposition and working back from there. To this day, we remain unparalleled in our relationships with retail and this is key to our successes, but overriding this principle is the determination to always act with integrity. We enter every discussion believing it can be a win-win outcome and work hard to ensure that is the case. We don’t see the signing of a contract as the end game – it’s the point at which the hard work begins in order to ensure the signatories enjoy real success and rewards from it. Our partners recognise that we don’t frame an unachievable narrative around our brands and that honesty means that stakeholders throughout the value chain recognise us as a safe pair of hands for building world-beating brands.

Briefly, what can visitors to your stand at Licensing Expo expect to see/discover/hear about? 

We’ve seen strong growth across a number of properties in our portfolio over the last year, and Vegas provides the perfect platform to update our partners on plans for continued growth, as well as to continue to expand the opportunities for our more nascent brands.

Why do you think lies behind the evergreen (and cross-generational) appeal of Care Bears?

Care Bears has seen staggering growth over the last two years and that is set to continue over the next two. The brand has timeless appeal, bringing back fond memories for older fans; exuding strong fashion credentials thanks to our high profile collaborations with labels including Dolls Kill and Skinny Dip for young adults; delivering cuteness in abundance for today’s kids; and having the perfect brand values for newborns in our baby collections. The world needs a little more caring right now and Care Bears is the perfect solution for all ages.

What excites you about Magic Mixies? Can you tell us about any partners in the pipeline for the brand? 

Magic Mixies is one of the most exciting properties we’ve ever launched. Sales of the hero toy line through last Christmas were phenomenal and the surge has continued throughout this year, making it one of the hottest new brands on the market. Having launched the licensing programme at BLE last year, we’ve had a huge reaction from licensees and retail and are about to start announcing the first tranche of partners. This is set to be a big hit over the next few years.

Can you tell us a bit more about Odo? Do you think this property is going to take flight in a big way?

Odo is stunning and drives one of the most important messages there is in the preschool market. We’ve long been fans of the work of animation studio  Sixteen South and are delighted to be working with them on this beautiful show. With some of the world’s leading broadcasters on board, from Milkshake! in the UK to ABC in Australia and Kika in Germany, we have the platform to deliver a huge audience for a show whose primary driver is to encourage self-efficacy in preschool kids. With rates of anxiety and depression within the age group soaring, Odo is not only a vital piece of work to help in this area, but a hugely entertaining comedic journey with an incredibly compelling cast of colourful characters. With master toy and master publishing now in place, we have a lot of conversations underway across key categories in all major territories and Odo looks set to become one of the key preschool properties everywhere.

What do you think is the secret of Miraculous’s success? Are there any new/unexplored spaces, licensing-wise, that the property could expand into?

Miraculous is simply a beautiful show with an incredible storyline. The media pipeline is incredible, with huge amounts of content across linear, digital and on-demand channels, and the brand carries a huge fanbase. In the UK, we’re seeing astonishing sales growth on the toy (it was one of only two doll brands to show growth over the last 12 months) and this is translating into increased opportunities across the already-strong sales of softlines and accessories. Miraculous has always had great presence in fashion and we’re now looking to expand further across stationery, gifting and ancillary toy channels.

Do you think the proliferation of platforms on which kids consume content makes it harder, or easier, for new IPs to ‘break through’?

The fragmentation of content delivery mechanisms has created a hugely increased challenge for brand building. It has simultaneously made it easier for content to be delivered, but more challenging to build a loyal audience. In many ways the growth in dominance of remakes across action and super-hero franchises was a symptom of this fragmentation – it was a safer option to expand an existing universe into new media, shored up by traditional channels, than it was to create entirely new content which may or may not achieve penetration into a crowded market.

However, the world is changing as we’ve seen in the industry’s reduced reliance on some of the hackneyed ‘fan favourites’ over the last few years. New content creators approach the market with an holistic approach, well aware that delivering linear programming is not enough to build a content universe – the industry has adapted and great new creative is securing its place in the top echelons of the product sales charts at the expense of the traditional mega-brands which dominated for so long.

The increase in channels is both a threat and an opportunity, but where it was traditionally an opportunity for the big content owners, squeezing out the smaller guys through their spending power, it has now become a threat to the traditional big players as they struggle to adapt and develop new content where more nimble creatives are more capable of developing relevant brands, ready to disseminate across multiple streams and with a marketplace very receptive to their wares.

What are biggest opportunities in the licensing space right now? And conversely, what are the greatest challenges?

As nations around the world struggle with the post-Covid cost of living crisis, two of the strongest trends to emerge are brands which are driven by values which suit the current mood and those brands which are driven by a pricing architecture sympathetic to the squeeze on the pockets of consumers.

Brands like Sesame Street, which brings an abundance of both classic love for adults and relevance to the preschool consumer of today will benefit from a desire for the home comforts of the familiar whilst brands like Magic Mixies, which has a price point to suit all pockets across its core offering, will build strong opportunities thanks to its newness and excitement.

In 2008, after the financial crash, we saw retailers jumping on what they considered to be the ‘safe’ brands of the day before realising that they’d all jumped on the same brands, leaving their only refuge on price. As the challenges grow in today’s market, there is a more savvy reaction with buyers looking to innovate to drive sales. As the media market has adapted away from the traditional big players, so too must the consumer market change, supporting innovation and fresh ideas, in order to thrive in the current world.

Bulldog Licensing will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

Licensing Expo facilitates 3,000+ meetings

The global licensing community is ready to re-convene at Licensing Expo, held this May 24-26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, for its first in-person gathering since 2019.

To date, 3,000+ meetings have been confirmed on the event’s online platform. Thousands of registered guests are leveraging the online platform as a strategic tool to preemptively book meetings in advance of the in-person event before schedules fill up, guaranteeing face-to-face time with brands of interest. Visitors are encouraged to register here to access the online platform and proactively plan their agenda.

Even with less than two weeks remaining, registration numbers continue to rise with big-box retailers and world-class manufacturers signing on to meet directly with the owners of the world’s biggest brands, discover the latest trends, sift through the hottest IPs available for license, learn from industry experts, and network with peers.

Among the latest registrants to sign up are Wayfair, Urban Decay Cosmetics (L’Oréal), TJX, Burlington Stores, H&M, Forever 21, Aldi, AMC Theatres, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Claire’s Accessories,Paladone Products, Rue21, Moleskine, General Mills, Kohl’s, Levi Strauss & Co, Panini Spa, and Super RTL GmbH.

Notably, large groups from Mad Engine, Hallmark, Bioworld, Hot Topic, Target, Walmart, Centric Brands, and Jakks Pacific have registered and will be walking the show floor to meet and network with the 230-plus exhibitors.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we’re seeing licensing take off as a strategic approach to meet consumers where they are and enhance their experience with the brands they love,” says Anna Knight, SVP of the Global Licensing Group. “There is so much pent-up demand for an in-person event of Licensing Expo’s scale and breadth across categories, especially as retailers and manufacturers search out new ways to engage with their customers in a more meaningful and intentional way.

“Meetings are being booked faster than they ever have before – if you haven’t accessed the online platform yet, we encourage you to do so to set yourself up for success and ensure a productive time on-site.”

While historically, entertainment and characters have dominated the $292 billion global licensing industry, emergent categories increasingly harness the power of brand extension strategies to reach new audiences and build a loyal fan base. This cross-category investment in licensing is reflected by the wide range of brands confirmed for the upcoming event, ranging from art and design, gaming and eSports, fashion and apparel, toys and kids, sports, technology, to location-based entertainment.

The latest exhibitors confirmed to participate include Microcosmic International LA Inc., IMC TOYS (CRY BABIES), Dipit, High Times, Death Row Records x Snoop Dogg, National Basketball Association,2nd Coming Comix / The Bunker Media Group, Get Down Art, Drizzle Art, Dylan Sky, All Star Kid LLC, Merry Marble Trees, Dancing Lemurs, BM Srl, Garena Free Fire and BenjiLock, LLC. New brands exhibiting their portfolio of licensable IPs include Jazwares, LAI Games, Netflix, and Riot Games. The full exhibitor list can be found here.

“Squishmallows has taken the world by storm as an industry-leading lifestyle brand that’s grown well beyond the toy aisle,” says Judd Karofsky, Executive Vice President of Jazwares, a highly sought-after new exhibitor. “As a first-time Licensing Expo exhibitor, we couldn’t be more thrilled to showcase the power of our brand and the infinite opportunities Squishmallows bring to our world-class licensing partners and beyond.”

Some of the most prominent IPs exhibitors will showcase include The Batman, Coca-Cola, Keith HaringCatan, Elden Ring, Pac-Man, Peppa Pig, Call of Duty, Black & Decker, Volvo, Xbox, Cap’n Crunch,Care Bears, Sesame Street, Hot Ones, Bob Marley, The Smurfs, The Walking Dead, The Cat in the Hat, Monopoly, Space Invaders, League of Legends, KFC, NBA, Casa de Papel, Star Trek, RugratsPaul Frank, Variety, Rolling Stone, Ryan’s World, and Cocomelon. Overall, thousands of IPs will be displayed across the show floor.

 

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, ZAG

Ahead of this month’s Licensing Expo, Licensing Biz caught up with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products at family entertainment powerhouse ZAG, to talk about the incredible global success of Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and what’s next for the smash-hit brand in the licensing space.

Can you briefly describe ZAG, and your role at the company?

ZAG is a global independent entertainment studio specialising in world-class storytelling across TV, film and digital platforms. Our foundation is rooted in creating compelling characters and developing masterful storytelling, all infused with original musical scores.

ZAG’s founder and CEO Jeremy Zag is a visionary director and composer. He initially formed ZAG in France in 2009, then expanded the company to the USA in 2012 with the Global Brand Franchise office in Santa Monica, California, and more recently, an additional head office in Miami, Florida.

Our company is home to several world-class entertainment properties under the ZAG HEROEZ label, including our flagship, globally renowned property Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, a 3D-CGI-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series. New titles include Power Players and, most recently, Ghostforce, which just started to roll out last year.

Miraculous has taken off in a huge way, globally. Why do you think it appeals to kids so much?

Fans across the globe have fallen in love with the series protagonists, Ladybug and Cat Noir. The characters are engaging, likeable and admirable, but most importantly relatable, as family and friendships are always an important part of the storylines. At its core, Miraculous is a coming-of-age series about awkward kids learning about loving themselves and finding their true powers. Ladybug and Cat Noir are faced with discovering their own powers even if it scares them, even when it is hard to do. Core values are family, friendship, courage, love, and girl empowerment.

ZAG has taken great pride in creating breathtaking animation that draws in the audience and keeps them coming back for more. As a result, Miraculous resonates with a much broader audience than we originally anticipated. TV ratings clearly indicate that both girls and boys watch the show (55% to 45% on average). Digital data from YouTube, Tumblr, Netflix and social media from Twitter to Instagram all indicate we index high in the pop culture space with teens and young adults.

Do you have any recent viewing facts and figures/social media stats for the property?

Season four of the series debuted last year. It had its global premiere in April on TF1 in France, garnering an outstanding 47.7% market share amongst kids 4–10 years old, while in the U.S., the new season premiere on Disney Channel garnered incredible #1 ratings for girls 6–11 across all cable channels. In Germany, it achieved a 46.4% share among all kids on Disney Channel and is the #1 series. We are also ranked #1 on Disney Channal in Japan, and on Super! in Italy. Miraculous is still topping the ratings charts in Latin America, and on Gloob in Brazil, Miraculous has remained the #1 series for girls for four consecutive seasons, with the overall audience a 48/52 boy/girl split, highlighting that the show appeals widely to both boys and girls and family audiences.

Miraculous is huge across social. On YouTube, Miraculous just crossed 30 billion views!

Roughly how many licensing partners do you have for the property? I know last year it was around 300, has that number increased?

Yes, we currently have approximately 400 licensees around the globe, including several global and pan-regional partners. Global deals include Playmates for toys; Ferrero for chocolates; Swatch’s Flik Flak for watches; Epopia, which is a unique epistolary letter format that encourages children to read and write through interactive storytelling; PMI for a line of collectibles, impulse, stationery and school supplies; PEZ for candy dispensers, and Spread Group for print-on-demand.  We also recently extended our deal with Rubies for costumes across EMEA. Other pan-regional partners include Crayola and InSpirit Designs.

It’s nice to see a girl superhero for once. Is diversity and inclusion important to ZAG?

What is important to ZAG is that everyone has to be able to connect to the story, from anywhere in the world, at any age. We care about telling honest stories to help people to ”discover themselves”. Therefore, everything has to be grounded in real life, with a little touch of magic to help our heroes to jump through their reality.

Where is growth coming from? E-commerce is clearly strong… In terms of markets, is there one territory that performs better than others? Are there any untapped markets you’d like to enter?

All territories are performing well and we continue to see huge growth across the board.

 In terms of untapped markets, The Middle East and Africa have become a top priority for ZAG, and the Disney/MBC broadcast combination is a perfect duo for us to reach children across the region.  Miraculous is garnering strong ratings, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the series ranked in the #1 slot on MBC, following its launch in 2018, and has remained in the top 20 programmes ever since.  We recently appointed Carlotta Caracciolo as our first VP, Middle East and Africa, to oversee the company’s consumer products strategy in the region.

And, most recently, our consumer products programme in Japan is becoming very successful, especially now that Miraculous has become number #1 on TV on Disney Channel Japan, which is incredible since Miraculous is not a Manga property.  We see seeing increasing requests from companies wanting to join our licensing programme every day.

Are you able to give details of any licensing deals around the release of the Miraculous Awakening movie this autumn?

The movie release will be supported by a major QSR programme; an expanded toyline from ZAG Lab and Playmates which will be available online and at bricks-and-mortar stores and incorporates new characters, the first vehicle featuring a convertible scooter, a collectible line of Kwamis, a movie 2-pack, and Movie Collector Ladybug; the launch of the first Miraculous Console Game from ZAG Games, developed by Magic Pockets and published by GameMill Entertainment, to be available on XBOX, Playstation and Nintendo Switch; a new mobile puzzle game from ZAG Games, developed with Crazylab; and several co-branded partnerships with some more of the most influential companies across the globe for numerous consumer products categories, including one with one of the biggest automobile companies in the world.

What are your goals at Licensing Expo? If you have your ‘dream’ show, what would that involve?

We have so much good news to share with our partners who we haven’t seen in person for over two years, and we want to celebrate our success with them. For example, we hit over $1billion in retail sales, sold over 250 million products, and just hit 30 billion views on YouTube. We also have big plans in the works to share with partners around the launch of our Miraculous US$100+ million theatrical movie as I mentioned. We know we will have a dream show!

Do you want to talk about the latest viewing figures/licensing deals for GhostForce?

Or course! Disney Channels U.S. acquired the series and premiered it on October 4, 2021, on Disney XD. The series also launched in most European countries and is getting incredible ratings, regularly ranked among the top #3 shows. In Latin America, the series debuted on Discovery Kids in December, except for Brazil where it debuted on May 2.

Looking to the future, are you considering any new ways for kids to engage with ZAG properties, ie, through NFTs or live experiences, or via the metaverse?

We are seeing strong demand for immersive and live experiences. The Miraculous live-action stage tour from Proactiv was very popular in Spain prior to the pandemic, and we’re pleased that this will be relaunching, starting with Latin America this summer, and Europe in the autumn. We’re also close to announcing a U.S. partner to bring a new live show to North America.

Earlier this month, we launched and already sold out of tickets for Miraculous Paris – Tours of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a virtual family getaway to Paris. Led by a travel guide, families can join a virtual tour to visit real Parisian monuments, and the event includes original Miraculous content, behind-the-scenes secrets and games. We will continue the event this summer.

We’re also in negotiation with a theme park – more on that to come!

What trends are you noticing globally among kids? Do you think anxiety is a big factor after covid? 

For us, we are seeing kids wanting to interact with our brands in any way they can, and we want to deliver the very best experiences for them so that they can enjoy themselves even amidst the events of the world around us.

ZAG will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Sarah Crimes, Director of Marketing, Story.1888

Story.1888 – the creative services wing of licensing agency The Point.1888 – was established in 2021 to offer licensing clients an unparalleled level of support, from product branding and style guides, to product marketing, strategy, content creation and campaign management.

Before the team heads to Vegas for this year’s Licensing Expo, Licensing Biz asked Director of Marketing Sarah Crimes to talk us through the company’s journey so far, the services it offers, and its plans for the coming months.

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Do you want to briefly outline The Point.1888’s USP, its retail-first strategy?

Compared to the traditional licensing model, which follows the pattern of licensor and licensee agreeing on a deal and then finding a retailer to deliver product to consumers, The Point.1888’s methodology reverses that by working with retailers to identify gaps at retail and utilising the brands we represent to fill those gaps with products with purpose. This approach delivers sustainable revenue and increases brand awareness, consumer touch points and brand love, and provides long-term certainty for our clients whilst doing what’s best for retailers, manufacturers and consumers.

What was the thinking behind the launch of Story.1888? (It was an unusual step for a licensing agency to launch a creative agency.) What does the agency do differently?

For over three years now, really since our team expanded in a big way, we’ve been able to offer our licensing clients an exceptionally high level of support in areas such as marketing, advertising, creative and product launches in a way that other agents weren’t able to. We also immediately started getting requests from non-licensing clients, outside of the industry and within, to support them in areas we now had specialists in.

I proposed to Will [Stewart, CEO and founder] that we could set up a sister agency alongside The Point.1888 to house all this in a much clearer way, so internally and externally we could really shout about our expertise. So, Story.1888 was born and immediately we had clients ready to work alongside us on their brands and business strategy.

In terms of what we do differently here at Story.1888, it’s all about our team. But what we really focus on is bringing brand stories to life, and with retail being the heartbeat of everything we do within both agencies, we truly can influence and understand this incredibly important touchpoint and just how to talk to consumers.

Can you give us a flavour of the expertise you have on the team – are people from diverse marketing/advertising/social media/licensing/design backgrounds? Who are the key players?

We are an eclectic bunch, from retail buying, licensing, marketing and advertising backgrounds, experienced in everything from starting companies to working with some of the world’s biggest brands. This allows us to wear many hats, and truly understand how best to tell a brand’s story with retail and consumers at heart.

Story.1888 is led by me, as Director of Marketing, and Martin McLaughlin, who is our Director of Strategy. We both have very varied and differing careers spanning over 30 years collectively. From launching brands, and working on some big advertising campaigns for the likes of T-Mobile, Toyota and Levi’s, to writing and executing brand growth strategies for start-ups and leading new product launches via B2B and B2C, we hope our experience across manufacturing, retail, marketing, events and collaborations can really offer our Story.1888 clients a fresh new way of looking at their business and brand growth.

Can you tell us about the various services that Story.1888 offers clients? How do you bring a brand story to life? 

Our capabilities as an agency are really flexible, to ensure that we can offer a truly bespoke service to our clients. Our work to date has been varied (just like our experience), from creative – things like style guides, pitch documents, mock-ups, logos, branding, and websites – to full-scale campaign idea generation and execution. We have done a lot of strategy and consultancy pieces for brands with specific goals in mind, such as how to launch a new product into the market. I’d say launch strategies seem to be a real area of interest right now and something we are hugely competent in.

We also have businesses working with us on a monthly basis; we provide support with their brand strategy, social media content planning and posting/engagement as well as paid ad campaigns. PR has always been a real strength for us as a business, and we are pleased to have clients we support in their noise creation via PR.

We’ll be attending Licensing Expo in Vegas this year, so if you would like to discuss what we might be able to do for you, please do get in contact!

Looking to the future, is there anything in particular you’re excited about? Trends? New markets and opportunities? Gen Z coming of age? Experiential coming back, post Covid?

We are entering an incredibly challenging period in all our lives from a marketing and consumer reach point of view. There’s no doubt about it, we have all been hit hard by the last few years, and the way we spend our money, and our time, is changing. Yes, we all want experiential again, we want connection to people and places, and we know that will be hugely important for brands to engage with.

But what we are most excited by is really getting to know these changes to consumers’ behaviour and being ahead of the curve when it comes to how they engage with brands and what they choose to spend their hard-earned money on. We have become a more cynical nation in the last few years as well – who can blame us? – which is adding complexity to the way we can successfully market brands. It’s been a tough ride and we all deserve better, and that’s exactly what consumers are demanding! It’s exciting for us as cross-channel marketeers to really get to know just what we can do to support these changes.

What clients have you worked with so far, and what did the campaigns look like? Are there any planned product launches or new partnerships you’re allowed to talk about? 

We have some super-exciting creative work we are leading for some of our clients which will take shape in brand-new licensing programmes hitting the market from 2023 onwards.

We are supporting a leading American drinks brand in their journey over the pond. From marketing and awareness campaigns to retail distribution strategy and delivery – this is going to be a big one and you will find us all over the country this summer trialling the brand and building momentum ready for next year’s launch.

Our most exciting partnership this year (so far) involves a series of marketing and activations featuring a very large inflatable in the shape of a much-loved animal (who happens to be the nation’s favourite sweet!). Sadly we can’t say any more right now, but as soon as we can, we’ll be the first to tell you!

Story.1888 will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

 

 

Licensing Expo and Products of Change reveal sustainability agenda

Licensing Expo and Products of Change (POC) have revealed a jointly-produced sustainability agenda comprising turnkey education and product showcases for the upcoming trade show slated for May 24-26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

The strategic partnership is designed to bring sustainability to the forefront and spotlight issues embedded within the licensing industry to bring real change to brands’ socially responsible and inclusive practices across cross-categories.

“No matter the industry, environmental protection is an increasingly important value to customers and shareholders; it is woven into mission statements and serves as a guiding principle for all major business decisions,” says Anna Knight, SVP of the Global Licensing Group. “Progress beings with industry-wide education – we are so proud to partner with Products of Change to spotlight the many brands at Licensing Expo that are taking impressive steps toward eliminating waste and inequality across their value chain and are now taking the next step in showcasing their work to inspire others.”

Sustainability-focused educational programming is free for all registered event participants and held in the Licensing U Theater, with topics encompassing newcomer education, sustainable manufacturing, and applying socially responsible practices in licensing. Senior-level experts from Products of Change, The Smiley Company, Lego, Formula E, Natural History Museum, Piping Hot, Greenre, Beanstalk, and The Smurfs are confirmed to lead sustainability sessions.

Linda Morgenstern, Vice President of Brand Management at Beanstalk and prominent speaker addressing Sustainability 101, says: “In keeping with Beanstalk’s best-practices model, we have established a global, cross-functional Sustainability Team. The key goals of Beanstalk’s sustainability initiatives are to align our clients’ sustainability initiatives with licensees’ efforts and capabilities and to share information across clients, licensees, and industries. From the start, we have wholeheartedly supported the leadership of Products of Change as the sustainability authority for the licensing industry.”

The sustainability-focused sessions delivered by Licensing Expo and Products of Change are as follows:

  • Sustainability 101 | Tuesday, May 24 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.
    Speakers: Helena Mansell-Stopher, POC; Andrea Green, Globally Green; Simon Gresswell, SGLP; Jakob Hamann, Lego; Charlotte Hughes, Formula E; and Maxine Lister from the NHMA deep dive into the science behind why sustainable transformation is vital for business future prosperity. Products of Change, Lego, Natural History Museum, SGLP, and Formula E take you through why sustainability is key to business success.
  • Brands with Purpose: Sustainable Manufacturing | Wednesday, May 25 from 10:15-11:00 a.m.
    Speakers: Amy Low, Piping Hot; Stan Wan, Piping Hot; Keith Loiselle, Greenre; Brenda Seto, POC;  and Helena Mansell-Stopher, POCPiping Hot, the purpose-driven fashion brand, and Greenre, a global producer of sustainable stationery, join POC’s founder Helena Mansell-Stopher and Brenda Seto, POC’s Ambassador for Canada and consultant to Greenre, to discuss their sustainable journey so far.
  • Sustainability in Licensing | Thursday, May 26 from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
    Speakers: Lee Grace, The Smiley Company; Ben Parker, Beanstalk; Sebastien Dumont, IMPS The Smurfs; and Helena Mansell-Stopher, POCJoin Smiley, Beanstalk, and The Smurfs to discuss how licensors and agents embrace sustainable change within the business and benefit from this.

NEW Sustainability Business Lounge

In addition to a highly curated educational program, Products of Change selected brands to showcase their products and business approach to introducing and sustaining a socially responsible business that balances the needs and health of the planet with that of their customers.

Brands across categories were chosen based on their proven ability to roll out sustainability and equality initiatives at scale. The brand-led presentations are held in the Sustainability Business Lounge located on the show floor (booth #N216) and feature must-attend showcases from cross-category brands, each focusing on a different area of expertise.

  • FOCO – A leading manufacturer specialising in sports licensing and working with some of the biggest names in sport. The team will be showcasing its new, recycled licensed backpacks and lunch bags.
  • Formula E – Will showcase its newly launched Formula E KIMOA sunglasses made with a sustainable recycled PET frame. Formula E’s vision is to accelerate sustainable human progress through the power of electric racing. The sunglasses are designed for people that love the electric motorsport series and what it stands for.
  • Manchester City FC and PUMA – The Premier League football club will be showcasing an innovative new partnership with PUMA’s Re:Jersey platform, a system that recycles old kits and jerseys to produce current season players’ shirts.
  • The Natural History Museum – Will be showcasing their fashion range from Desmond and Dempsey as well as their sustainable stationery range from Blueprint Collections.
  • Greenre – Will be showcasing its sustainable, licensed stationery. The team’s environmentally conscious products consist of recycled, natural materials, recyclables, non-toxic, post-agricultural bio fibers, and new-age bioplastics.
  • Piping Hot – All Piping Hot products are made with recycled, recyclable, renewable, or biodegradable materials. They have eliminated virgin polyester from their supply chain and prioritize recycled materials to reduce waste and tackle plastic pollution. Their approach is science-based and design-led; they will be showcasing their latest collection.
  • Brands In – Will be showcasing for the first time their new sustainable fashion clothing line, Supacult.

Enjoy dedicated sessions and free consults with experts – visit the Sustainability Business Lounge to book a clinic. View the full programming schedule here.

Furthermore, learn how to lead with intention to build purpose-driven licensing programmes focused on social good from Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Ms. Opal Lee and impact changemakers Anita Castellar and Genna Rosenberg in a must-attend educational session held in the Licensing U Theater. Join the three women on Tuesday, May 24 from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. for their session titled “The Upside of Licensing: Leading with Intention for Social Impact” and walk away inspired to begin, or continue, weaving purpose and social good into your licensing programmes.

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Kerry Phelan, Chief Brand Officer, Genius Brands

It’s been a successful year for children’s media company Genius Brands, with the acquisition of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media and Ameba TV, major investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment, and the worldwide rollout of Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse. The next 12 months promise to be just as busy; in the works are a brand-new series, Shaq’s Garage, featuring basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, and a Stan Lee Centennial consumer products programme to celebrate 100 years since the revered comic-book creator’s birth.

We caught up with Chief Brand Officer Kerry Phelan ahead of this month’s Licensing Expo to find out more about both new projects, as well as Genius Brands’ plans for the rest of 2022 and beyond.

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Hi Kerry, can you give us a brief overview of Genius Brands – who you are and what you do?

I am the Chief Brand Officer at Genius Brands International, which is a leading global kids’ media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. I am responsible for consumer engagement with our IP slate and expanding them into bigger commercial franchises.

Our goal is to create a larger ecosystem around our brands, with multiple consumer touchpoints (merchandise, gaming, LBE experiences, and so on) to allow fans to engage with our stories and characters in a much more immersive way.

You’ve worked with some major international companies – what excites you about Genius Brands?

I feel enormously honoured and privileged to have worked on some the world’s most prestigious brands, including the LEGO brand, Star Wars, Pixar Cars, Shrek, Hunger Games, and more. These experiences have all been so unique and amazing in their own way but, for the most part, the connective tissue has always been working on brands that enrich the lives of families and children. So when Genius Brands’ CEO Andy approached me about joining the company and sharing its mission of creating high-quality “content with a purpose” to do good, it became impossible not to say yes.

What are some of the major tasks/opportunities facing you over the next couple of years in your role as Chief Brand Officer?

We are a relatively young company with some very exciting content development in the works. One of our short-term priorities is to leverage our original, new content and dramatically increase our consumer products business, starting with Shaq’s Garage.

You are debuting Shaq’s Garage at the Expo. Can you tell us how the partnership with Shaquille O’Neal came about? What do you think is special about the series? Who is it going to appeal to?

Shaq’s Garage is a fabulous new animated series targeted at kids aged 3-8. The show is a partnership between ABG Entertainment, Shaquille O’Neal and Genius Brands, and it was inspired by Shaq’s real life love of cars and his unwavering  commitment to help kids be the best they can be. The show centres around Shaq and his family of cars, called the Shaq Paq, who have been brought to life. In each episode, Shaq sends the Shaq Paq out on missions to help the community. They eventually accomplish the mission, but not without a lot of humour and hijinks along the way.

The episodes are centred around teaching kids to respect differences and be inclusive, kind, honest, loyal, and all the values we believe are so important in today’s world. Shaq loves this show and is “all in!” He is both a producing partner on the show, as well as starring as an animated Shaq and also voicing the main car character, Biggie D, in the series.

Can you name any licensing partners yet, or is it too early?

It’s just a bit too early. We are very close to signing several partners, starting with toys, and will be debuting the brand to other potential partners at the upcoming Licensing Expo.

Likewise, can you tell us more about the Stan Lee celebrity brand, what’s exciting about it, and in particular, how you’re planning to celebrate the centenary of Stan’s birth?

At Genius Brands, we are incredibly honoured to be the trusted owners of the Stan Lee brand. It’s a great privilege to carry on Stan’s legacy and a responsibility that we take very seriously.

Stan Lee was a legendary content creator and the godfather of pop culture. He would have turned 100 years old later this year [on December 28]. To commemorate “100 Years of Stan”, we are launching a Stan Lee Centennial consumer products programme, as well as some Stan Lee fan events that will allow people to celebrate and pay tribute their beloved icon. And that’s the just the beginning, we will have more big Stan Lee announcements coming soon!

What will visitors to your stand at the Licensing Expo be able to see/do/find out about?

We are thrilled to be back LIVE at Licensing Expo! We welcome all our industry friends and partners to come visit us and learn more about the Stan Lee Centennial programme and see some early animation of Shaq’s Garage and possibly even hear about what’s next.

The licensing industry hasn’t managed to meet up in person for a while. What are you looking forward to most at Licensing Expo 2022?

I am most looking forward to the people! I’ve been very fortunate to have a long career in the entertainment licensing business. When you distil it all down, the licensing industry is all about relationships. If you form true, mutually respectful and collaborative partnerships with smart, good and talented people, then everything else will follow for a mutually successful business.

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing the licensing industry as a whole? And what do you think are the greatest opportunities?

The growth of the streamers, combined with the pandemic, has accelerated, and changed the way consumers consume content. This resulted in a proliferation of content being available, so it’s become harder for original IP to break through in a limitless ocean of consumer choices. But, of course, this also presents more opportunity, so it’s an exciting time to be a content creator like we are at Genius Brands.

The retail landscape has also dramatically changed. Online shopping continues to experience double-digit growth and is still the fastest growing retail channel. This presents both challenges and opportunities. The challenge is that, instead of launching big licensed product programmes in thousands of bricks-and-mortar stores, many retailers now want to “test” new, unproven properties in their online stores before committing to the bigger programme. The upside of this approach for licensors is that your new, original property can be given a chance to prove itself instead of the “all or nothing” approach of the past, where buyers would just pass on an unproven property.

Genius Brands International will be at stand C178, Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24–26 May 2022.

 

LICENSING EXPO: Bulldog Licensing to showcase a stellar mix of brands, from Magic Mixies to Care Bears

Bulldog Licensing is readying for its second face-to-face trade show since restrictions were lifted, with an appearance at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas later this month.

The licensing agency will have a range of brands on board its stand, including Care Bears, as it celebrates a big milestone anniversary; the much-loved heritage brand, Sesame Street; the ever-popular Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir; sell-out Christmas sensation Magic Mixies; and new preschool animation Odo, among others.

The loveable, huggable Care Bears from the whimsical land of Care-a-Lot are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. First introduced in 1982 through a line of greeting cards, the Care Bears have amassed fans of all ages over the decades, and are now featured everywhere from consumer products and plush toys to animated television shows and feature films. Bulldog’s recent deals for the iconic bears include luxury knitwear label, Chinti & Parker, with a range of adult cashmere jumpers, hoodies, sweatpants and T shirts; Character World for a collection of children’s bedding and soft furnishings; and Eat Glitter and Shine for a homeware line based on the globally recognised faces of Tenderheart Bear, Wish Bear and Love-a-Lot Bear.

Heritage brands continue their reign during uncertain times and Sesame Street remains as popular as ever over 50 years since its initial launch. Another property which spans generations in its reach and popularity, Sesame Street still airs daily on leading commercial preschool broadcaster, Tiny Pop, and Bulldog has curated a number of best-in-class deals for the brand, providing a diverse and wide-reaching range of consumer products.

A more recent addition to Bulldog’s carefully selected portfolio of brands is warm-hearted and comic animated series Odo, a co-production between BAFTA winning Belfast-based Sixteen South and Polish animation studio Letko. Odo is a little owl with big ideas; the series launched on Milkshake! in the UK, Cartoonito on HBOmax in the US, ABC Australia, MiniMini in Poland RTÉ in Ireland and, TVO and Knowledge Network in Canada in 2021 with a series of 52 x 7-minute episodes, aiming to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves. The series has been sold to over 150 territories and was created to help combat the worrying rise in anxiety and depression rates in children. Each episode sees Odo positively tackle challenges with the help of his friends.

Bulldog’s first licensee for the property is master toy partner Wow! Stuff. The deal will see Wow! Stuff create a comprehensive line of Odo toys including plush, dolls, figures and accessories, role-play toys, vehicles, play sets, track sets, construction toys and bath toys. Bulldog has also signed Macmillan Children’s books as Odo’s global publisher.

ZAG’s Miraculous, Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, everyone’s favourite superhero story, first aired in 2016 in the UK on the Disney Channel and quickly became the top-rated show for the channel. Ladybug and Cat Noir then joined the POP line-up where the show airs daily in prime-time and ranks amongst the top 3 series for Kids 4-15 (Sep 21-Feb 22). On-demand viewers can find Miraculous on Netflix, Disney Plus, and Google Play. The series has been sold to over 120 countries worldwide with season 5 currently in production for a fall 2022 launch, and the US$100 million animated feature will also premiere later this year. Recently, the brand hit over one billion dollars in retail sales with over 250 million products sold around the globe, while on social media, Miraculous has racked up 30 billion views on YouTube alone.

Recent additions to Bulldog’s consumer products line-up include Kennedy Publishing for a standalone magazine, and Zak, which will offer a dining collection including tabletop and dinnerware, drinkware and breakfast sets. The ZAG Lab and Playmates toy line is enjoying massive success at retail with the UK being one of the top 3 markets worldwide, and is a Top 10 Brand in the Fashion Doll category according to NPD data.

Sell-out Christmas toy sensation Magic Mixies, from Moose Toys, is one of the latest additions to the Bulldog family. The innovative magic cauldron caught the attention of the nation at the end of 2021 and was included on Christmas lists from retailers, the Toy Retailers Association, and children alike up and down the UK.

Magic Mixies sales rocketed the brand to become the highest grossing SKU in Moose Toys’ history with stock selling through as soon as it hit shelves. The interactive showstopper then went on to be crowned the Creative Toy of the Year at the 2022 Toy of the Year Awards. Bulldog is now in discussion with a range of leading licensees to partner with the brand for a range of consumer products.

Rob Corney, Managing Director, Bulldog Licensing, says: “The Bulldog team is so excited to be back in Las Vegas for Licensing Expo. Our return to the trade show arena after restrictions were lifted was at BLE and we had a great show seeing customers face-to-face again, so we can’t wait to do it again later this month. The Bulldog roster is the strongest it has ever been at the moment and we’re excited to share all of our news and brand updates with existing and new customers at the show.”

Bulldog Licensing will be at stand B129 at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas, from 24–26 May, 2022.

George Leon to host Licensing International Excellence Awards

Licensing International has announced that industry veteran George Leon will host the 2022 Licensing International Excellence Awards. With more than 25 years of experience, Leon is a respected expert in the global promotions and franchise development space.

Leon will take centre stage on May 23 at 5:30pm PST at The LIGHT Vegas Nightclub as the master of ceremonies for this year’s Excellence Awards. He has himself won multiple Licensing International Excellence Awards, including the 2003 Entertainment License of the Year for Spider-Man, the 2005 Overall Best License of the Year for Spider-Man 2, the 2005 Best Promotion of the Year, and the 2015 Academic Excellence Award.

Leon founded California-based Cakewalk Entertainment in 2017. He previously spent 16 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, most recently serving as EVP of Consumer Marketing for global branded entertainment, licensing, and product placement. Leon has also worked with the teams at Saban Entertainment and Camelot Licensing.

“I’m beyond excited to honour this year’s incredible nominees and celebrate the winners as the host of the Licensing International Excellence Awards,” Leon says. “And after two years of virtual meetings, I can’t wait to get dressed up and gather together with my colleagues across the licensing industry.”

The Licensing International Excellence Awards recognise outstanding achievements and innovation in the licensing industry around the world. This year’s Excellence Awards feature 165 finalists from 20 countries in 25 categories.

Registration for the Excellence Awards ceremony is now open. Licensing Expo will take place from May 24-26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and registration for the event is available online.