34-35 LSB 2020 Licensee Feedback_muk.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 06/07/2020 11:54 Page 35
LICENSOR FEEDBACK
Alex Sanson, marketing executive, Magic Light Pictures “Within a few short days the majority of our marketing activations for the year were being postponed indefinitely, that meant we had to refocus our attention online. We quickly set up a new strategy to keep our fans engaged online and this strategy has been responsible for increasing our following by 30% so far. We recently held our biannual licensee workshop via Zoom. We had to approach the event in an entirely different way, and decided to divide our licensees into four groups and run the session several times over a day. This gave each licensee greater opportunity to talk and gave us the space to hear and respond to each of them - recognising their successes and their concerns, especially in light of recent events. Despite the pandemic many of our licensees remain positive, indeed the strength of the brand has set us in good stead and we have signed a handful of new licences in the UK, a number of renewals and a total of six new licences in Italy. The initial shock of COVID-19 and lockdown brought a lot of nonessential purchasing to a standstill. However, many of our licensees reported that good sales resumed after the first couple of weeks. This was especially the case for toys and games, and eventually loungewear too. Indeed, during our recent licensee workshop a number of partners mentioned online retailers having their 'second Christmas'.”
Rikesh Desai, licensing director for merchandise and gaming, BBC Studios “On the whole, we’ve been able to continue with almost all of our long-term planning for this autumn and next spring, with the exception of a few summer initiatives which have either been cancelled, or postponed. However, we’ve been able to press ahead with exciting new ventures, like our new multi-platform story for Doctor Who, Time Lord Victorious. We have a host of brilliant partners involved, spanning novels, audio drama, comics, live events, gaming and merchandise. Our gaming team also announced Doctor Who: Edge of Time. We’ve expanded our existing deal with our Hey Duggee soft lines partner Aykroyd & Sons and TDP to include daywear, in addition to nightwear rights. We’ve also signed Amscan International to create dress-up and partyware for Hey Duggee. As the road to revenue recovery starts, the industry needs to think about how we navigate a number of major consumer shifts. These include customer’s reducing their spend and focusing more on value, with discretionary products and services being the most affected. With product demand and revenue outlook appearing uncertain, we will need to stimulate recovery through targeted offers, flexible deal terms and marketing spend optimisation. Lockdown has nudged the world even more toward the digital space and we’ve seen some of our brands reap rewards from this. For example, Hey Duggee’s digital presence rocketed Left: The industry during lockdown. will need to Sustainability navigate a number of major consumer needs to remain shifts, says Rikesh. firmly in everyone’s sights too as climate change isn’t going away.” Inset: Many of The Gruffalo’s licensees remain positive, says Alex.
Venetia Davie, vice president, UK and Ireland, ViacomCBS Consumer Products
Below: The biggest unknown is around consumer confidence and spending, says Venetia.
“Our partners have been fantastic. Despite having to deal with their own supply chain challenges, staff furloughs and new market conditions on an almost daily basis, I have to credit our licensees and retail partners for being so responsive. They’ve taken the time to connect with our teams and are at once focused on maximising the short-term and planning out 2021. The biggest unknown will be around consumer confidence and consumer spending. We’re coming out of a bubble and have seen consumers queueing around the block to get back into shops like Primark and Sports Direct. What we haven’t seen is the economic impact of people coming off furlough and the effect lockdown has had on the economy. Will consumers feel as buoyant by September and how will this impact consumer spend as we move into the allimportant Q4? It takes a crisis to remind you of humanity. I hope that the things we’ve valued during lockdown, and the strength of our relationships as a result, remain for years to come.”
LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020
35