24-25 LSB 2020 Hasbro_muk.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 02/07/2020 11:39 Page 24
THE BIG INTERVIEW: HASBRO
After the bold swoop for eOne last summer, Hasbro began 2020 by planning the integration of the two portfolios and teams – a task which would see preschool favourites such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks become stablemates with evergreens such as Monopoly and high profile entertainment properties including Transformers. LSB catches up with Marianne James, vp EMEA consumer products, for an update on the company’s first half of the year.
Blueprint for success
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n December 31, 2019, Hasbro officially completed its acquisition of eOne, accelerating what chairman and ceo, Brian Goldner, referred to as the company’s ‘blueprint strategy’. As Marianne James, vice president EMEA consumer products, explains to LSB, Hasbro now truly has something for everyone in its portfolio – from infant and preschool through to older kids, adults and families. “We focus our consumer products activities around the Brand Blueprint, which is our strategic framework for bringing our brands to life in exciting new ways,” she says, echoing Brian’s comments from his acquisition statement. “The Brand Blueprint is our North Star to create immersive, 360-degree experiences for our audiences. We’re focused on deeper consumer engagement, innovative brand and product experiences and increasingly expansive opportunities for our portfolio.”
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020
Inset: Marianne says that Hasbro is excited to explore preschool themes and play patterns with brands including Peppa Pig and Ricky Zoom Left: Marianne James, vice president EMEA consumer products at Hasbro. Below left: Nerf has seen strong momentum across multiple categories, in particular across apparel and home in the UK.
Marianne continues: “Each brand activates the Blueprint differently, but every day, we work to unlock the maximum value of our brands by igniting the full Blueprint. It’s really all about leveraging these great story driven properties to deliver new ways to play for fans of all ages and creating exciting experiences both at retail and online for fans to enjoy all around the world.” The start of 2020 began with the excitement and planning for the integration of the Hasbro and eOne portfolios. Marianne – who has a history of success working with high profile preschool brands during her tenure at Nickelodeon (now ViacomCBS Consumer Products) – tells LSB: “We’re particularly excited to drive deeper in preschool and explore themes and play patterns complementary to our existing brands. Ricky Zoom, PJ Masks and, of course, Peppa Pig, are standouts, and we have more brands in development.” While there is no official announcement as yet on the internal structure, Marianne tells us: “We’re