News
The Very Hungry Caterpillar x Action for Children
Vent for Change collaborates with Zoella in Etsy campaign The sustainable stationery brand worked with the vlogger in a summer campaign with the e-commerce website. With more than 10 million Instagram followers between her Zoella profile and as Zoe Sugg, the collaboration is set to boost the profile of Vent for Change in a way few other collaborations could. ‘As a young business working alongside such a well known vlogger and social media influencer is a significant leg-up in terms of highlighting our social media profile,’ says Vent founder Evan Lewis. ‘We hope this in turn will create more brand recognition when customers shop in-store with our network of retailers.’ Pic credit: Valeria Aksakova, freepikcom
Building on its successful collaboration with the charity that helps children throughout the UK to thrive, Rocket Licensing has launched a new campaign targeting families who sign up to donate to the organisation regularly. New subscribers to Action for Children will receive The Very Hungry Caterpillar growing pack, as well as access to exclusive online activities with the world’s favourite caterpillar. Rocket Licensing already has a successful relationship with Action for Children, having organised popular The Giant Wiggle with The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the last seven years, which has raised in excess of £300,000.
Rocket Licensing signs 80s icon Bob Ross TV painter and personality Bob Ross was the face of popular The Joy of Painting TV show, which originally ran from 1983 to 1994, and is now available on Netflix and Twitch. Its resurgence has sparked a huge interest among millennials and students for its calming, meditative, mindful qualities. A consumer products programme has already been well-established in the US, with products from over 60 licensees over a range of categories including games and puzzles, collectables, partyware, homewares, apparel and more, along with direct-to-retail deals and major retail placement. In the US, the brand has been shown in the inflight entertainment on Delta Airlines, and other airlines. Dubbed the David Attenborough of painting, Bob Ross enjoys a growing following on social media and has over 1.5 million followers on both Facebook and Twitch.
Shoppers intend to spend £965 a head on Christmas The UK looks set for a record-breaking Christmas spending spree as shoppers reveal they intend to spend around 25% more than usual on Christmas presents in 2020, according to recent research by financial comparison experts money.co.uk. Highest on the agenda is spending to recover from a year blighted by the coronavirus lockdown, according to the data. In 2019 the average amount spent on a Christmas present for mums was £63, according to the money.co.uk data. But in 2020, that figure is set to climb to £71. The same is true for dads – with 2019’s average present spend on fathers of £51 being trumped by 2020’s average of £63. And the anticipated increase in spending looks set to stay the same across the board with stepmums and stepdads,
8 Gifts Today
mother-in-laws and father-in-laws, partners, siblings, extended families, friends and work colleagues all about to benefit from a higher value Christmas present this year, according to the poll. Even family pets are set to feel the extra warmth of a more expensive present this Christmas – with last year’s Christmas spend on pets’ presents rising from £27 to £31 in 2020. The only exception, it seems, is the nation’s children. While 46% of the nation says that it intends to spend the most on its kids as usual this year – the actual spending value on presents for children looks set to reverse the trend by going downwards, from £129 in 2019 to £116 in 2020.