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BRAND
Licensing Lookout
AND DELIVER Beatrix Potter was a very talented and savvy woman, of that there is no doubt – just one of her far-sighted decisions was to licence her artwork onto all manner of products, the first of which was greeting cards! With the Brand Licensing Europe trade exhibition now on the horizon (October 9-11, at London’s Olympia), PG shines the spotlight on how things have proliferated in this arena in all directions since Beatrix Potter’s day!
The UK public spent £11.2 billion on licensed merchandise in the last year (according to trade association LIMA’s research). But it is not just the huge sum of money that is incredible, but also the amazing diversity of intellectual properties that are being licensed out to third parties (greeting card publishers included) who in turn derive the benefit of being able to use popular characters, wellrecognised marques, revered artwork and talent endorsements on their products. As the exhibitor line-up at the upcoming Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) show reflects, while children’s entertainment properties still hold a huge sway on consumer products, jostling for position (and gaining ground) are brands from the gaming world, the literary shelves, the food and drink sector, as well as from the art and design field (with more greeting card publishers than ever before joining the fray). The finalists in The Henries Best Licensed Range category is testament to this multifarious licensing action. While entertainment giant Disney is in there (with Hallmark’s Disney/Marvel Magazine Covers), Danilo’s Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups rings both the nostalgic and literary bells, as do the
Right: Brand Licensing Europe, which takes place October 9-11, is Europe’s largest licensing event. Below: Museums & Galleries’ co-owners, Debbie and Alan Williams on the stand at PG Live where its BBC Earth range was launched. Bottom: Danilo was quick to spot the huge popularity of Love Island and signed it on cards and calendars.
Peter Rabbit greeting card range from UK Greetings and the Quentin Blake collection from Woodmansterne. Meanwhile, the remaining two, both from The Art File, hail from the design world (Sara Miller and I Like Birds). Publishers who have specialised in licensed ranges for years are broadening their portfolios or have developed innovative design treatments for popular brands.
Danilo, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has added a host of different types of licences to its strong stable, from Enid Blyton to Love Island, to appeal to different customers. Meanwhile, PG Live marked the launch of Studio By Gemma, a whole new division from the Gemma group targeting upmarket indies through design-led ranges featuring the likes of Guess How Much I Love You? and Moomins that it would not have touched before. Over on the artistic front, Museums & Galleries (which has massively upped the number of licensing agreements, scoring a blinder with its signing of BBC Earth range (including Blue Planet), taking the publisher into the photographic field and chiming with the series’ ecological message by launching
The BLE lowdown
l Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) takes place from October 9-11,
2018, at London's Olympia and is the only pan-European exhibition dedicated to licensing and brand extension. l The show brings together over 280 leading brand owners and 2,500 properties, with over 7,600 retailers, licensees and manufacturers from 76 countries for three days of networking, deal making and trend spotting. Visit: www.brandlicensing.eu PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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