The Bugg Report Magazine - Edition 13

Toys & Licensing

BUGGTOYSANDLICENSING.COM EDITION 13

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From the Editor Well it is that time of year again and the annual Brand Licensing Europe event at the Olympia, London is upon us.

Last years show was jam packed full of events and functions, including character parades, screenings, meetings, keynotes, dinners and much much more! This year’s show looks set to pick-up right where last years show left off, with plenty on the agenda, including the introduction of the new ‘Brands & Lifestyle Theatre Programme,’ which will include a number of sessions tailored towards licensing brands. The Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA), will again host their annual ‘BLE Global Networking Party’ at the Mayfair Hotel in London, with The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) as the sponsor again this year.

It’s funny how as things change, they also stay the same in a lot of ways. Now seems to be no different either because we keep hearing the same thing over and over again, which is retail, retail, retail. There are always fantastic brands in the market, but the usual topic of conversation is ‘how are we going to handle this retail execution?’ The theme seems to be that companies are searching for unique ways to present their products at retail across categories, with the goal of delivering a great customer experience for all things relating to the brand on display.

These days, in a world engrossed with social media and online shopping, the platforms companies have to get their products in front of consumers have evolved so much, that it can be hard to know where to start! How many times have you seen companies with social media accounts but no idea how to use them? Like Steve Jobs once said, “skate towards where the puck is going, not where it is now”, which simply means that to make best use of these new platforms you need to get on board at the ground floor. Most of these new platforms are simple to implement if you have a sound strategy behind what you are actually using them for.

I thought I would talk briefly about the new trend which is ‘social shopping’, where you create your own personal catalogue of products that you like. These catalogues can be viewed by you, your friends, and other people with similar interests to you, which makes discovering new and unique products easy and also enjoyable. Do yourself a favour and take a look at the websites below, which you can use for ‘social shopping’;

Decide on a strategy and stick with it, if it doesn’t bring the result you want you can always adapt and change your strategy based on the results you are getting. New platforms always have an element of trial and error! At the end of the day, the more places consumers can find your products the better, and as time goes by these types of platforms will continue to build in popularity.

The great thing about these platforms, and the sites I mentioned specifically, is that you can find a whole brand catalogue in less than a minute. This type of platform is amazing for consumers because it’s not like surfing through a company website or online store, these products are chosen by consumers as the coolest stuff right now. Beyond the consumers choices, the collection pages that companies can create for brands and products are great for showcasing the most awesome stuff they offer as well.

See you all in London...

www.fancy.com www.pinterest.com www.thinkgeek.com www.thisiswhyimbroke.com Take Nike as a brand for example, if you punch Nike into the search bar of www.fancy.com, you get an awesome perspective on Nike and their latest products available right now! Not only can consumers create catalogues for a brand and products, a company can also create a brand page to showcase its products. I often hear about companies who want to start using these types of sites, however they never get anything off the ground because they are unsure about the strategy behind it.

There is something to be said for just getting started though...

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Bugg Toys & Licensing has been compiled as a guide to Toys and Licensing. The views and opinions provided are based upon the views and opinions of its writers. In no way is Bugg Toys & Licensing a factual guide to Toys and Licensing and does not take responsibility for how the information provided is used by its consumers.

Bugg Toys & Licensing PO BOX 491 Berwick, VIC 3806 Australia P: +61 3 9769 3963 E: info@buggtoysandlicensing.com

CONTENTS

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LEIGH ANNE BRODSKY on ALL THINGS PEANUTS

everything is better in comic

what's rovio up to across the emea

frozen casts a spell on australian retail

JEAN de RIVIEREs talks ubisoft

brand licensing from down under

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LEIGH ANNE BRODSKY ON ALL THINGS PEANUTS Bugg Toys & Licensing was fortunate to find some time in Leigh Anne Brodsky’s busy schedule to discuss her role with Peanuts Worldwide and her future plans for the Iconix Entertainment portfolio.

Peanuts boasts a 99% awareness and is read by 45 million people every day. It is a brand that has global reach and a fan base, which transcends TV ratings, amusement park attendance and social media engagements.

We asked Leigh Anne to provide some insight into this very special brand.

First of all Leigh Anne, you have now been with Peanuts Worldwide for over 12-months, what has been your most significant achievement during this time in your quest to re-launch Peanuts?

I wouldn’t actually consider it a re-launch. It’s more equivalent to a “next phase” – which is really exciting – because we will have more new content for our fans around the world, than ever before. First, we have the movie, which is in active production and will launch in Australia next year. We’re also in production for 500 2D animated shorts, and we are re-mastering all 30 half hours of our classic specials. 2015 also marks the 50th of the specials being on TV, which is a phenomenal milestone.

As we understand it, the new Peanuts movie, which is due for release in the US in November 2015 and Australia early 2016, is a very strategic key driver in your plans.

How has the movie impacted on your ability to attract key global partners from a promotional angle?

This movie is a four-quadrant movie, which means it will attract fans of all ages and demographics. This is music to the ears of many major global packaged goods and service companies.

Outside of the comic strip the social media engine for Peanuts is significant with some 7 million Facebook followers and 310,000 following on Twitter. Given that Snoopy first launched in the 1950’s, how has the social media dynamic affected the brand from a popularity standpoint?

I like to call our social content “bite-sized” media. In most cases, the posts come straight from the comic

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strip. The characters and what they have to say are so relatable.

They emotionally connect with people, who then want to share and engage using these characters.

Two of your more significant partners are Just Play, who are your Master Toy licensee and Schleich who will execute the figurine ranges. What key attributes were you looking for when you were pitching to sign-up these categories?

That’s easy. We were looking for partners who produce high quality product and have a strong distribution network.

The Snoopy MetLife Airship operation has been a constant companion way back to 1987 when it began. What does this deal and exposure mean for your organization and brand?

Peanuts is such a powerful marketing tool for all the reasons we’ve just discussed. And it’s pretty incredible that our characters can help sell a complicated set of goods and services from MetLife. No other brand could do that.

You are well regarded as a strategic thinker and have been very succesful in assembling entertainment brand portfolios in the past. Can you provide us with some insight into your plans for developing an Iconix Entertainment brand portfolio beyond Peanuts?

Iconix is very choosy about the brands that become part of the company’s portfolio. We’re open to considering entertainment properties that are iconic, evergreen and relevant to today’s consumer.

Given that Peanuts is one of the very first traditionally based brands and was driven by the comic strip, what does Charles Schulz as the creator bring to the equation in more recent times?

Sparky’s characters still have things to say that people relate to – even in today’s modern world. The humour, both in the written and visual context, is incredibly relevant to almost everyone.

What will your priorities be for Peanuts at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) this year?

By BLE, we will be heavily into movie mode, while also teeing up plans for beyond the movie.

Are there any new initiatives for Peanuts that you can share with our readers leading into the London show?

We’re excited by the launch of Snoopy and Belle in Fashion, which launched this September at the New Museum in New York. The world’s top designers designed looks for Snoopy and his sister both in the 80s and now again in 2014.

The exhibit will travel the world in 2015 and beyond.

What do you suggest is the most significant reason that Peanuts has stood the test of time?

Great stories. Great characters. Great sense of humour. Authentic.

We really appreciate your time Leigh Anne.

We can’t wait for the CG movie to release.

Leigh Anne Brodsky ​Managing Director Peanuts Worldwide and Iconix Entertainment Iconix Brand Group​ lbrodsky@peanuts.com​ www.peanuts.com

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COTTON ON AND PEANUTS CONFIRMS...

"Everything is better in comic" Geelong based Global Retailer, Cotton On, recently activated a brilliant Snoopy Consumer Products program in their Typo stores across Australia.

Well known for their creative approach to brands, Cotton On painstakingly developed close to 100 exclusive Snoopy products, which featured throughout their store network.

After Typo had a small amount of product in-store last year, the team developed an incremental buy, based on the success of the previous year that launched in-store in July. This new range coincides with a growing Peanuts trend across the globe.

The objective of this campaign was to share the nostalgia of Peanuts and celebrate the talent that goes into every illustration, along with the tag-line, “everything is better in comic”. The range, which consisted of close to 100 products, paid homage to the great Peanuts creator Charles Shultz.

The Peanuts range spanned the following categories; stationery, drinking vessels, wall art, tech product, backpacks, novelty items and plush.

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As part of the comic celebration, Typo offered consumers one of three limited edition illustrations from Peanuts archives.

The mechanic was simple, any consumer who signed up to the Typodatabase could win one of these three original artwork bundles.

The in-store activation component was focused toward the theme “everything is better in comic” – even our customers!!

They decided that even Typo fans needed to be “comic-ed”, so they sent a flash mob of artists into Typo stores to sketch away and leave the consumer with a co-branded illustration, so they could take their unique part of the Peanuts experience home.

Typo wanted to ensure the “everything is better in comic” message was consistent throughout the store, therefore they (both online and bricks and mortar) resembled a comic strip itself during the

four-week campaign. They stayed true to the authenticity and enchantment Charles Schulz created in this comic strip.

In the end, the average sell-through for this fabulous program, which ran for just over four weeks, was in excess of 75%, which exceeded all expectations. It was a testimony to the effort and passion that the Cotton On team gave to this very special program!

Jade Slater License Manager Cotton On Group jade.slater@cottonon.com.au www.cottonon.com

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WHAT'S ROVIO ENTERTAINMENT UP TO across the EMEA markets?

Bugg Toys & Licensing recently spent some quality time with Paul Bufton, newly appointed VP EMEA, Consumer Products Licensing at Rovio Entertainment Ltd. Rovio are one of the few companies who have been able to develop and sustain an entertainment/media platform that has transcended into very successful Consumer Products (CP) programs.

The enhanced global Rovio team is now focused on developing on-going content to refresh their portfolio and managing CP programs that will resonate across all markets.

As we arrive at BLE 2014, Paul Bufton (formally with Warner Bros.) will have been with Rovio for some 5-months.

We speak to Paul about his and the company’s current and on-going plans and aspirations for the EMEA markets.

Paul, what was your motivation to join the Rovio organisation?

I have been asked that question a lot.

In the end, when I was considering my position, Rovio offered me an exciting, trailblazing business opportunity. They demonstrated to me that they were industry changing. They are building both physical and digital experiences for their fans. I had to be part of this!

When you arrived in your new role some five months ago, how did you find the market was placed with Rovio brands and programs?

I was pleasantly surprised. There has been so much achieved in the relatively short time span of 4-years. Rovio has seen huge growth in terms of exposure across many platforms.

They have also seen their team grow significantly. I must say that we get tons of affection from licensees.

You come to Rovio with 18-years experience in CP and you are respected as a strategic marketer. What were some of the first tasks you had to undertake to set your new path?

Firstly, was the announcement of the new movie. This is a milestone in the future and an impressive statement for a relatively young company.

The other thing was to help the market to understand how much we have in the pipeline from the core characters to our new developments. My main role has been to communicate to our key partners what is going on with Angry Birds Stella, Angry Birds Transformers and the Angry Birds Movie and animation.

We understand that your focus will fall on Hard Lines, Collectables & Sporting Goods. Can you tell us a little about how you will assemble your brands around these categories?

I have great experience in hard lines and collectables, particularly toys, but the really exciting thing for me as we focus much more on the CP side of our business is that I can build merchandise programs, which will include all categories.

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The Hasbro relationship has proven to be very beneficial for both organisations, we believe you will be working closely with them. Can you tell us a little about what your next collaboration might be?

We have already executed very successful collaborations with Hasbro.

We are excited that they understand our values of bridging the digital and the physical, which provides fans with a really innovative experience. Our new collaboration on TELEPODS is a big milestone in our relationship.

Specifically, Stella is an important new chapter in the Angry Birds Universe.

You have a new game, which launched last month and new animation to launch on your Toons TV platform next month.

Can you tell us about your plans for EMEA in terms of CP programs?

Yes, Stella is an inclusive and engaging brand. We fully intend to roll-out an extensive CP campaign behind the new game. Our commitment to developing the digital space will be also seen in innovative and engaging CP programs.

We notice with interest that Toons TV reached three billion views recently.

What does Toons TV mean for you in this market?

Yes, three billion… that’s a lot of eyes on our brands. Toons TV is industry changing and ecosystem disrupting.

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The compelling numbers prove that fans love to see our content on their screens.

This platform has taken Rovio from games to entertainment. This is really exciting given that we have a movie coming in 2016!

We believe one of your tasks will be to build a strong retail/sales team throughout the region. What will be your two biggest markets emerging from your plans for EMEA? As I see it, there are exciting opportunities in the UK market as it is definitely the biggest and most competitive market in Europe. There are also massive opportunities for us in Russia as an emerging market. I should also point out that we intend to keep the other EMEA markets in focus as part of our overall plans.

Rovio is a very different business model to a studio driven organization. How have you adapted your approach to add value to an entertainment, media Company such as Rovio?

By focusing our retailers and strategic partners on what the fans really want.

This is very different from a studio approach where they use more traditional channels of media to engage the customer. We have a very direct and powerful connection with our fans!

Can you tell us a little about your priorities for this year’s Brand Licensing Europe?

We will be very focused with our approach to BLE in 2014. We will be clearly concentrating on Angry Birds Stella, Angry Birds Transformers and of course the Angry Birds Movie. Come over and talk to us!

Where do you see the Rovio business in three years time in your region?

Well, the movie will have launched and there will be so much more amazing content and activations at our disposal. I see it as a brand for the next 100-years!

Thanks for your time Paul, It looks like exciting times ahead for you and your business here in Europe.

Paul Bufton VP EMEA, Consumer Products Licensing

Rovio Entertainment Ltd. paul.bufton@rovio.com www.rovio.com

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FROZEN SPECTACULAR CASTS A SPELL ON AUSTRALIAN RETAIL

Disney’s red-hot Frozen franchise set to sprakle at retail this coming October.

Disney’s Frozen, the stunning big-screen comedy adventure has truly become a global cultural phenomenon. The accolades continue to pile on including winning two Academy Awards® (best animated film and best original song with “Let It Go”) and a Golden Globe® (best animated feature film). It is the fifth highest grossing film of all time and the highest grossing animated film earning more than $1.27 billion globally.

Released in Australia on December 26, 2013, Frozen posted the No. 1 animated box office results, earning $35.4M. The film’s April 23rd digital debut was the biggest digital release ever and the Blu-Ray/DVD release on April 30th is the No. 1 selling title of the year by more than 130%. ¹ The soundtrack is the top-selling album of 2014 and spent 31 consecutive weeks in the top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, including 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Certified triple Platinum and selling more than 3.2 million units, the “Let It Go” film clip from “Frozen” has been viewed nearly 300 million times on YouTube.

The incredible milestones that Frozen has surpassed have powered the on-going demand for merchandise.

The Disney team Down Under has seen immense opportunity to meet such demands by launching the “Frozen Spectacular”, kicking off in late September 2014 and will be a retail and consumer-focused activation that is one of the most ambitious for the Australian market.

“We are truly excited by the experience and opportunities that Frozen has presented. Australian families, girls and boys everywhere have embraced the story whole heartedly and we are aiming to provide a retail experience that is unmatched.

Frozen creatively and visually is stunning and has provided us an opportunity to work with retailers on a whole new level,” says Pete Bird, General Manager of Licensing and Consumer Sales, The Walt Disney Company, Australia and New Zealand.

Key highlights of the Frozen Spectacular include: • The Frozen Spectacular is a major

event that will feature the widest products available in key retailers across Australia and will be supported by branded retail catalogue pages.

• The Frozen products on offer highlight a concerted effort to expand the category base to meet the huge consumer appetite rarely seen with licensed properties.

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The appeal of this franchise has surpassed the traditional Princess appeal, and with characters such as Olaf being popular amongst boys, Frozen has truly become a universally loved franchise.

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New and innovative products are launching into this retail spectacular including kids vitamins, complete bedroom solutions, outdoor furniture and tents, plush for both boys and girls and an expansion of the highly sought after dress ups, dolls and books.

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Category expansion in Food, Health and Beauty including Frozen Coconut water and 100% fruit juice, Bioglan Probiotic Power (Pharmacare) and Character Cookies (Park Avenue).

• Digital play is at the forefront with a fully

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immersive consumer experience with all touch points across eCommerce, online and bricks and mortar playing an important role in bringing the franchise to life at retail.

• All this is supported by a major overarching national consumer promotion providing Frozen Fans the opportunity to win one of three family trips to a Disney theme park of their choice.* * Within the confines of the Terms and Conditions (one trip available for NZ entrants)

Information verified from GFK Weekly Hitlist Report YTD Top 200 ranked by units (Week ending 3 August, 2014)

Strong Content Pipeline “The experiential quality of the Frozen Spectacular means we continue to raise the bar in what Australian families and fans get to experience at retail. We are proud of this and while there are plenty of incredible products in the categories we are present in, we are very mindful that it is the experience, innovation and quality that always comes first,” says Mr. Bird.

Being a leading and relevant player across all age-groups seems to be Disney’s main goal. While the toy category still leads the business in Australia and New Zealand, apparel is also leading the way. As demonstrated by films like Frozen and the upcoming live-action release of Cinderella, these properties allow Disney to work with a range of licensees that stretch a broad demographic that appeal to both genders.

Licensees such as Target, Caprice and Zac have produced products such as unisex outerwear, sleepwear and tabletop as testament to the broad appeal.

The appeal of the franchise also stretches long past the obvious winter season in the apparel categories, expanding into a “Frozen for the Summer” theme. With new lines of swimwear, summer dresses, coordinating footwear and accessories, the creative styling will focus on trend-driven pieces in floral patterns and summer colors to emulate some of the key high street trends.

Crucial to sustaining the robust growth and demand for Frozen is the incredible pipeline of new content that is planned for the franchise. Just in time for the premiere of Frozen on the Australian small screens (Disney Family Movies on Foxtel), “The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic” will also screen in October 2014. The program is an all-new, original special in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Lincoln Square Productions and Walt Disney Animation Studios that will provide a behind-thescenes, exclusive look at the origins and evolution of the Academy Award®-winning film. The special tells the real story of making a modern movie based on a timeless tale that nearly overnight became a cultural touchstone for legions of fans.

Viewers will get a rare look inside Walt Disney Animation Studios and unprecedented access to the creative team that brought Frozen to life. Throughout the one-hour special, the audience will hear from stars Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel,

the directors, songwriters, producer, artists and chief creative officer John Lasseter—the team who dreamed of making a cherished Hans Christian Andersen story into a big-screen animated musical. This special will also include some exciting announcements about the next chapter of Frozen and a never-before-seen preview of Frozen characters Anna, Elsa and Kristoff on an upcoming episode of ABC’s smash-hit “Once Upon a Time.”

“The ability for all the creative engines at Disney to get behind the Frozen story ensures its broad demographic and continued appeal remains strong. At the core of it, it is a fantastic story and we are excited to be working closely with all of our retailers, partners and licensees,” says Bird. “The Frozen Spectacular raises a new benchmark at retail and really demonstrates the pinnacle of what a fabulous franchise can deliver for fans of all ages.”

The Frozen Spectacular will also signal the launch of many “must-haves” in the crucial lead up to the holiday period including the Frozen Ice skating doll, where kids can lace up their skates to join Anna and Elsa for some ice-skating fun and the beautiful range of Frozen costumes by Rubie’s Deerfield. The highly sought after dress-up products ranked no.1 in popularity for 2014 and will be available at all major retailers, online and specialty stores, pushing value-add features including bodices that light-up, detachable capes and musical charm that plays award winning song, ‘Let it Go’.

For information about Disney, please contact support@disney.com.au

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Hasbro to expand its global branded play strategy For the balance of this year and moving ahead to 2015, Hasbro is set to continue to expand its global branded play strategy, supported by in-house research and consumer insight.

According to James Walker, Vice President Hasbro Brand Licensing & Publishing EMEA & APAC, “With the reach of our 20 licensing offices worldwide, the team will continue to work with licensees to bring Hasbro’s franchise brands such as My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Transformers, Nerf, Play-Doh, Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering to consumers of all ages in areas such as toy, entertainment, publishing, lifestyle and digital gaming.” Branded play experiences will see further expansion through the appropriate entertainment platforms, innovation in the toy and game categories and emerging lifestyle categories. As James continued, “Our focused execution will centre on bringing our properties to life in unique and innovative ways as well as through new channels.” Moving forward, Hasbro will continue to work on its key properties; Transformers, My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop as well as launch new properties such as Jem and the Holograms.

Transformers Transformers, of course, has been a remarkably successful brand which shows no signs of slowing down. The most recent movie - Transformers: Age of Extinction - released in June this year attracted box office sales of over US $1 billion as of August (and still to launch in some markets). To date there are more than 100 promotional relationships around the world developed by Hasbro and Paramount which supported the launch of the movie. Nearly 20 new retail programs (including eight new DTRs and 14 fashion collections across multiple territories), are rolling out throughout this year to support the film and over 300 licensees are supporting the movie across all categories including apparel, bedding, publishing and footwear.

On the TV side, a new season premiere of Transformers Rescue Bots took place in March this year and a brand new

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Transformers - Robots in Disguise will be aimed at a core audience of four to seven year olds and have a new fresh look with more humour than previous series.” television series entitled Transformers Robots in Disguise will launch globally at the beginning of 2015. The new TV series will be different from the others, as James Walker explains. “Transformers - Robots in Disguise will be aimed at a core audience of four to seven year olds and have a new fresh look with more humour than previous series.”

Hasbro is also activating the Transformers brand across all key gaming platforms including console,

mobile and online with games from Activision, DeNA and Jagex Games Studios later this year. From Activision, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark released mid-year on leading platforms.

Transformers: Universe, a new online game from Jagex Games Studio, also debuted through web browsers; and Transformers: Legends, the mobile game from DeNA, continues to win fans on Android and iOS devices around the world.

My Little Pony According to James Walker, “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is very much a growing franchise which has generated over $650 million at retail to date.” Season 4 of the successful My Little Pony television series is launching in over 180 territories around the world and the property continues to enjoy ongoing global retail momentum from companies including Build-A-Bear, Hot Topic, Target, Walmart, Benetton and Leader.

McDonalds Happy Meal programs continue in multiple countries around the world. Providing additional depth of storytelling to the My Little Pony universe, Hasbro now has over 30 publishing partners worldwide, producing over 200 new publications in 2014 alone.

Hasbro is expanding the reach of My Little Pony to older age groups through new initiatives. As James Walker explained, “Equestria Girl, the My Little Pony franchise aimed at a slightly older audience continues to gain momentum, and a fashion forward retro program has been launched to aim at the teen market.”

Finally on the digital side, Gameloft will continue to deliver new ways to play the My Little Pony game with new entertainment-themed updates throughout this year.

Littlest Pet Shop The momentum of Littlest Pet Shop continues with the roll-out of Season 2 across Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America and Season 3 airing in 2015.

Littlest Pet Shop fans can “Be who they wanna be!” with a new way to play that offers the freedom to design their own Pet Shop world. Fans can create their own Littlest

Pet Shop world with customizable style sets and figures and pets inspired by the animated series produced by Hasbro Studios.

On the electronic side, fans can scan the pets they collect and bring them to life virtually through a new Littlest Pet Shop integrated play app which launched mid-year, allowing fans to scan a code included on each pet. McDonalds Happy Meal programs continue around the world and, on the publishing side, IDW Publishing has signed to expand its library with the launch of Littlest Pet Shop comic books.

Jem and the Holograms In a new development, based on the 1980s Hasbro cult classic, Hasbro, Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun Productions and John M. Chu are teaming up to create a feature film based on the Hasbro classic Jem and the Holograms. When an orphaned teenage girl becomes an online recording sensation, she and her sisters embark on a music-drive scavenger hunt, one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father.

A mix of music, art, technology and fairytale, the story reimagines Jem for a new generation with themes of being true to who you are in a multitasking, hyperlinked social-media age.

Clearly Hasbro have a great deal to talk about. As James Walker concluded, “We’re excited at the opportunities and developments for our existing brands and the potential that new launches, such as Jem, provide. In 2013, our retail sales of licensed products reached $4.4 billion and, with the new opportunities for our brands, we look forward to continued success.”

Tanya Doyle Commercial Manager Licensing Hasbro Australia Limited tanya.doyle@ap.hasbro.com

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Strange Hill High Freaky ain’t the word for Strange Hill High, a breakout comedy adventure series with a twist which fuses every day classroom antics with fantastical and mysterious goings on. Set in an all-but-forgotten inner-city school with many secrets and mysteries, the show follows a team of three students – Mitchell, Becky and Templeton - as they investigate all manner of bizarre occurrences with hilarious and absurd results.

Currently airing on ABC3, the second series of Strange Hill High is recording its best ratings to date!

The series is also complemented by a special Strange Hill High online game on the ABC3 games homepage. The show is also broadcast and is performing well on New Zealand’s TV FOUR. On the toy front, a range of collectible blind bag figures and gooey figures in a special locker will be available from independent retailers, newsagents and ABC shops from September, through Banter Toys. Publishing via Hardie Grant Egmont will launch in October, and DVD’s are out now via Shock.

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The launch of series two on ABC3 has also been supported by a significant PR campaign run by AC Agency.

Excellent coverage including a cover mention has run in key children’s titles including KZone magazine, who are also running the Strange Hill High game online, with a major competition planned for November. Features have also run in the Funday Telegraph and key kids’ titles including Mania & DMag. Opportunities are still available in key categories, so please contact us to hear about more strangeness!

On the toy front, a range of collectible blind bag figures and gooey figures in a special locker will be available from independent retailers, newsagents and ABC shops from September. ”

Tree Fu Tom A huge hit around the world, flourishing pre-school brand Tree Fu Tom is currently airing in 123 territories with a significant product roll out underway across Europe, where toys have launched in a number of countries. Tree Fu Tom’s strong consumer appeal quickly attracted some of the highest profile-licensing partners in the UK and there are currently 25 licensees on-board.

This month the colourful action adventure series made its debut on prestigious broadcaster ABC4Kids on air weekdays at 8.30am. The series has been supported by significant online promotion including Twitter activity, online game and activity pages on the ABC4Kids website and programme highlights on ABC4Kids’s desktop and mobile homepages. The launch has also benefitted from a targeted PR campaign overseen by AC PR agency, who have secured coverage with key parenting sites, pre-school publications and Mummy bloggers.

Tree Fu Tom continues it’s strong performance in New Zealand on TV FOUR, with further repeats coming soon.

In the digital space an innovative range of chart topping apps are available for Australian and Kiwi kids including the augmented reality Tree Fu Tom 3D Adventures, storybook app Squizzle Quest by Cupcake Digital, and a further release, Magical Moves set for the app store this December.

Aimed at pre-school children between the ages of three to six, Tree Fu Tom is set in the magical world of Treetopolis and follows the adventures of an ordinary eight-year old boy Tom who, when he puts on his belt and performs a special sequence of magic action movements transforms into a mighty but magical super hero.

Tree Fu Tom’s combination of magic and movement combined with the consumer products’ mix of role-play and interactivity has given the brand a unique ability to connect with children across all media wherever they are. Key categories remain open for license in Australia & New Zealand, so contact us now to add some Tree Fu magic to your product line. Initial product lines are planned to launch Easter 2015.

Liz Burnett Director, Consumer Products FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment (AUNZ) liz.burnett@fremantlemedia.com www.fremantlemedia.com

Our story goes beyond the screen

Join us for the next exciting episode!

Liz Burnett Director, Consumer Products E: liz.burnett@fremantlemedia.com.au Tree Fu Tom © BBC and FremantleMedia Limited MMX. Strange Hill High © BBC and FremantleMedia Limited MMIX. Ella the Elephant © CJ Ella Productions INC. Grojband © 2012 Grojband Productions (Season I) Inc. All Rights reserved.

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JEAN DE RIVIERES TALKS UBISOFT MOTION PICTURES Assassins Creed motion picture due out in late 2016.

We met Jean in Sydney where he outlined his background and the events, which led to the formation of UMP and to the Rabbids and Assassin’s Creed projects.

Jean De-Rivieres graduated from Wake Forest University (North Carolina) and from the Rouen Business School in France. He started his career in 1996 with Gaumont Buena Vista International, as Head of the Marketing for the Disney movies, he then became VP of the Marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France in 2004.

Jean De Rivieres – Senior VP – International Marketing & Distribution for the newly formed Ubisoft Motion Picture organisation recently visited Australia. Jean was here to conduct a combination of media engagements and high-level meetings relating to both their on going development of TV for the Rabbids property and the exciting

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In 2008, Jean was appointed General Manager of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France. He joined Europacorp in 2010 as Head of International Marketing and Distribution for France.

During his career, Jean supervised the launch and distribution of nearly 200 movies, among which Pixar movies (Monsters Inc., Wall-E, Up), Disney

movies (Pirate of the Caribbean) and others (There will be Blood, Enchanted, The Fox and the Child, The March of the Penguins)Since 2011, Jean is SVP associate Producer of Ubisoft Motion Pictures.

Jean was quick to point out that UMP is very much a collaborative effort with his other two Directors, Jean-Julien Baronnet (CEO Ubisoft Motion Pictures) and Didier Lupfer. The studio has also been driven by the vision and the passion of Yves Guillemot who is the CEO of Ubisoft.

He outlined that the two primary projects for the team are first and foremost, the production and marketing of the Rabbids TV series and then the movie Assassins Creed.

The Rabbids TV show has broken solid ground on the Pay TV Nickelodeon platform. There have been 1.4 million viewers of the show in Australia. Ubisoft will announce a free to air partner prior to Xmas 2014 in this market. The new film arm is working closely with the

gaming arm to develop the second series. The new series will air in the US in November on Nick with an additional 26 episodes.

Jean who is the TV Series Executive Producer, pointed out that part of his reason to travel to Australia was to investigate other applications for the Rabbid brand including the possibility of a purpose built ride both here in Australia and in Asia. There is currently one Rabbids ride at Futuroscope, just outside of Paris, which attracts 1.5 million customers per year.

Ubisoft are also looking at introducing other playable platforms for the gamers, which take advantage of elements of the TV, which can be accessed on a tablet device... Pretty cool stuff!

The development of the toy ranges is also of interest as he explained that because of the irreverent nature of the Rabbid’s the toys would follow a similar path. “We want these products to be

very different with elements that complement the personality of the characters.”

In terms of their other priority, the full-length movie Assassins Creed, Jean confirmed that this will be a partnership with New Regency and will be a Fox Studio project. The release date for the movie will be announced shortly.

He will play the role of Executive Producer on this particular film.

The game launched in 2007 and since then Ubisoft has established the franchise into one that truly defines this generation. In Assassins Creed, the small resistance group fights an ongoing battle with the Templars.

Jean was sure to make it clear that their mantra for this movie will be “not to diversify from the game themes but to bolster the appeal of our franchise” he pointed out that they want to make sure their films reflect the brands accurately and consolidate the fan base while

expanding beyond the games primary audience.

“This movie will be of epic proportions and will be a journey for the audience” according to Jean.

Along with their animation studio in France, they also own a hybrid animation house in Canada. “We may use these resources in tandem with our studio for this film.”

There are four other film projects in the pipeline for UMP: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Splinter Cell Ghost Recon Watch Dogs Rabbid’s long feature

Karen Van Arcken Ubisoft Business Development Director karen.vanarcken@ubisoft.com

From a local perspective we can confirm the following details for Rabbids: •

• • •

Our licensee list includes McFarlane Toys, Hotsprings for apparel, Hunter Leisure for carnival plush, Simon & Schuster for publishing and a plush partner is soon to be announced Ubisoft have appointed The Fusion Agency for the Rabbids merchandise program, for all other categories, please call Vincent Jones on +61 2 9439 5511 Our free to air TV partner will be announced imminently Merchandise is planned to hit the market for Easter 2015

Assassins Creed Consumer Products program: • McFarlane Toys for figurines • Licensing Essentials for all giftware and apparel • Ikon Collectables for Funko pop vinyl’s, bobbleheads and custom replicas

• Titan Publishing for the AC art book • GB Eye for posters and prints • Musterbrand for high end apparel online • Penguin for AC novels • Megabloks for construction sets • Winning Moves for board games • For all other categories, please contact Karen Van Arcken @ Ubisoft offices

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Š 2013 Ubisoft Entertainment.

Ubisoft, B U G G All Rights E D IReserved.

T I O N Rabbids, 13 2 0 and 1 4 the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.

MAYA THE BEE IS BUZZING TO THE BIG SCREEN THIS NOVEMBER Everyone’s favourite little bee, Maya, is coming to the big screen in Australia this year in the eagerly anticipated feature film Maya the Bee Movie.

Based on the children’s book from 1912 and the ABC TV series Maya the Bee, this loveable animated movie will be buzzing into Hoyts Junior cinemas nationally from Saturday November 1st to join the over 100 territories worldwide release!

A co-production between Buzz Studios and Studio 100 Media, Maya The Bee Movie introduces Coco Jack Gillies as Maya and features the vocal talents of Academy Award® nominee, Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook), Richard Roxburgh (TV’s Rake), Noah Taylor (Game Of Thrones, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Road) and Miriam Margolyes (Romeo & Juliet, the Harry Potter franchise).

Set against the backdrop of a longstanding conflict between bees and hornets, Maya is born into a hive where conformity rules.

Her funny attempts to fit in and “be a bee” immediately bring her into conflict with the Queen’s Royal Advisor. When Maya stumbles onto the Advisor’s plot to steal the Queen’s royal jelly and blame it on the hornets, the evil Advisor manipulates Maya into leaving the hive.

With her best friend Willy tagging along, Maya buzzes out into the meadow on an exhilarating adventure of self-discovery.

To coincide with the Maya the Bee Movie release, ABC Shops will stock an exclusive range of Maya the Bee products. The release of this great range of Maya and Willy plush toys, Maya collectable figurines, interactive Good Night Maya toy and bath figurines will be available from the end of October onwards exclusive to ABC Retail.

Headstart International will be distributing the Studio 100 and IMC toys, master toy licensee, into the Australian market working closely with Flying Bark and ABC Licensing.

“The Maya the Bee brand has been enticing audiences since it was first broadcast in the 70s and we are thrilled to be working with Studio 100, Flying Bark and our valued licensing partners in bringing this much loveable brand to Australia” said Beatriz Seligmann, Senior Brand Manager at ABC Licensing.

A comprehensive marketing plan to include Maya the Bee in-store appearances at ABC Shops, competitions, online and PR activities will support the launch of the licensing program and help build the profile of the already internationally successful Maya the Bee. This December will also see the DVD release of Maya the Bee: The Movie by leading children’s distributor Beyond Home Entertainment across several retailers including ABC Retail. Beyond and ABC Retail look forward to ensuring this quality local production is a break-out success this Christmas.

Beatriz Seligmann Senior Brand Manager ABC Licensing seligmann.beatriz@abc.net.au

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GLOBAL MERCHANDISE SIGN KYLIE Bugg Toys & Licensing were fortunate to catch up with music industry veteran Barry Drinkwater leading into Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2014.

The Kylie brand is a perfect example of a brand that resonates and can be developed further outside of performance.

Which is ground breaking for a tour merchandise product. These and other products will form part of the retail program in 2015.

We notice that Kylie has a very sophisticated manchester range called “Kylie at Home.” It looks great.

What markets is it available in and who are the key retail partners?

We understand she will tour Australia with “Kiss Me Once” in March of 2015.

What plans do you have for this tour and who will you be working with on the ground to maximize the opportunity?

www.kylieminogueathome.com/stockistlocator.php The “Kylie At Home” brand is one of the foundations we are building our retail strategy on.

Barry’s organisation Global Merchandise Services provides a non-corporate, no fuss turn key solution for music artists who are looking for representation and merchandise solutions.

Barry, who was the founder and CEO of Bravado, has worked with many of the biggest names in the business during his career.

Global currently represent One Direction, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, Status Quo and Motley Crue to name just a few.

He recently signed Kylie Minogue. We speak to Barry about his plans for Kylie and all things music.

Barry, Kylie started in the business way back in 1987. She has been a chart topper and fashion icon for over two decades now, what was the key driver for you to sign her to Global Merchandise?

We believe in investing in career artists and iconic performers. Kylie is both of these and then some. When you meet her, you realize why the world has been in love with her for 20+ years; she is authentic and in tune with future trend.

This lady gets it better than most, Kylie will always reinvent herself and push boundaries, which is smart.

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Selective and Australian retailers currently, the next phase is to expand Kylie at Home range globally.

Kylie is currently live with her “Kiss Me Once” tour. Have you been able to activate a merchandise program behind this tour?

Yes, absolutely we will be debuting a stunning “new collection” with pieces designed personally by Hattie Stewart.

All will be revealed soon.

Kylie has global appeal, what plans do you have for a fully integrated Consumer Products roll out now that Global will be driving her core programs?

We have an agreed retail road map which includes beverages, home-wares, fashion, accessories, jewellery, fragrance, health and beauty + limited edition ranges.

In your opinion what will be the 3 biggest markets for Kylie?

Australia, UK and North America.

One of the most challenging issues facing our industry is piracy/ infringement. The revenues which are lost to these activities are significant.

What is the industry doing to curtail and prevent this problem?

Global have invested many 00000’s of dollars fighting this all consuming threat to our industry and we will continue. We recently formed an organisation based initially in the UK, called TRAP (Trademark Rights Holders Against Piracy).

The members are all the music merchandisers and the leading category licensees from Europe, who are having great success with shutting down and raiding factories, stores and E-commerce operations throughout the UK and Europe.

As we said earlier, you are fortunate to represent many of the biggest artists in the business, how has social media impacted on the way you market an artist?

It has been a journey of enlightenment and understanding, and is a space where our future marketing efforts will migrate to. Uniquely it enables us to speak directly to the customer.

What we have to understand is that artists, after a certain period of time, become ingrained in society as a brand.

Think of how many impressions Dolly Parton or Motorhead have had during their careers; the cost to buy that publicity and promotion is not quantifiable in todays values. With the right vision and good fortune they are gold dust.

Over the journey, who has been your most successful artist from a longevity standpoint?

Thanks Barry, trust that the BLE fair is good for you and for Global. It looks like the London fair is going from strength to strength.

I have had many relationships for over 25 years and even our new ones, like One Direction, are mega-successful. So where would I start, it is a tough one, as I love them all and success can’t be counted just in terms of dollars!

Barry Drinkwater Owner Global Merchandising Services barry@globalmerchservices.com

Last month I saw a counterfeiter given a 12-month prison sentence, so we are very pleased at how this is going and would really like the giants of the character world, Disney etc and fashion industry, Nike/Adidas to join us.

It is my dream that eventually TRAP will set up local offices and organisations in most countries of the world and provide effective policing of the black-market, alongside the Judiciary and Police, who currently have either no resource or no interest in this criminal activity yet it costs the industry billions in revenues.

The Global Merchandise team receiving their UK Licensing Award for best entertainment and celebrity licensing program ONE DIRECTION and GLOBAL

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Pioneering design licensing Australian Boutique agency takes on Australia AND the world Based in Sydney Australia, there is a boutique, global intellectual property agency that has a strong enthusiasm and passion for designer brands and helping these brands to commercialise and license their properties on a global scale.

USPGA Tour, McDonald’s and CocaCola, now he takes this knowledge and licensing practice and is applying it to this new forum of IP. Gaining support for this new avenue of licensing required bringing together a team of specialists and business capital from keen stakeholders. “From a modest beginning we were fortunate to attract the attention of the Australian Government via their Commercialisation Australia grant and that provided important seed resources to kick start us on the commercialisation path.” Smale reports, “Once we had the government’s support, we enlisted the expertise of John Cookson, SVP Global Partnerships and Asia Pacific, along with other key partners.”

Signature Design Archive (SDA), work on design-centric programs that target all levels of distribution, from mass to luxury, including retail and to the trade.

How they commercialise brands and design libraries, such as Florence Broadhurst is quite unique and entrepreneurial in the licensing world.

Taking a pioneering approach, SDA sets to breakdown the complexities for brands and designers, creating clear pathways for navigating the commercialisation process via licensing of their creativity and intellectual property, allowing them to focus on what they’re best at – creativity.

Mark Smale, CEO, heads this select team of individuals; he says, “Our properties have a rich history, a storyline that has the potential to be a Hollywood blockbuster. And, in the same way, their interpretation can be endlessly ‘retold’ in the merchandise and product categories, that are inspired by them.”

Smale boasts over three decades of international experience in all aspects of brand marketing and licensing. His career was spent working with Time Warner,

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SDA sets to breakdown the complexities for brands and designers...”

Cookson brings with him a career history with Disney and experience of taking their businesses across Asia and the world through travel and tax-free channels. He says, “We very much look at a borderless world of commerce and a flat world of communication…a design which resonates and appeals with our customers in Sydney is shared immediately by Facebook and the many other social platforms with their friends in NYC, Munich or Chester…so we need to be in a position to service that demand” Ensuring their clients have the 24 hour support that businesses require, SDA’s Creative Director, Sara Grace is based in dynamic New York City. Grace says, “The responsiveness of our creative services are welcomed by Licensees, offering peace of mind and collaborative support that streamlines production and approvals, delivering their range to market efficiently and effectively.”

It is a unique skill to see such potential in a brand. To having the keen eye that distinguishes which design library or brand archive has the capability to be interpreted on just about any product; two or three dimensional, and transforming that collection, nurturing, on a path to global recognition and success. All of this is achieved through clever, concise and an impressive strategic commercialisation process. This is what SDA not only specialise in; this space is where they stand out as future global leaders.

Partners of SDA value their sophisticated acumen regarding product, presentation, design and merchandising. Because of their collaboration of talent, brand management, commerce and creative support, each partner is ensured that their brand integrity is upheld and that the future of the brand has longevity in its growth and expansion.

Because of their boutique size, the agency runs a fluid and transparent communication platform that offers a global reach. There is little red tape or layers of management to get things done, they have the network and the knowhow to ensure the commercialisation plan is structured specifically to offer an individualised service to their brand and retail partners.

SDA help their clients by improving the brand’s global reach, increasing their equity by expanding their market territory and encouraging relevant category expansion through the carefully managed licensing platform and other commercial partnerships.

About Florence Florence Broadhurst was an incredible character and her design legacy is at the essence of this aspirational brand.

Born in 1899 in outback Queensland Australia, Florence lived a quiet rural life, however as soon as she was of age, quickly left her home roots and began travelling the globe. During her youth until her 50’s she travelled extensively throughout Asia and Europe living a series of vivid and fantastic lives.

After which she returned to Australia and settled in Sydney where she embarked on her most defining venture, the launch of her internationally renowned luxury handprint wallpaper business. Celebrating success, aristocratic position and recognition, it was only upon her untimely death at age 78 when she was murdered in her Paddington studio did this woman’s amazing life come to an end.

Thanks to SDA, her design legacy can now be found in the consumer world, from Interior Design to home appliances, there is no limitation to the interpretation of these exquisite designs. In hospitality worldwide, Florence’s designs have been

replacing wall art with companion furnishings and décor. Wallpapers and textiles can be seen in nightclubs from Sydney to Reykjavik including London Madame JoJo’s and the Australian Consulate in Dubai.

The extremely successful brand partnership with Kate Spade New York in 2012 saw their “Year of the Pattern” offering a select few Florence designs that were interpreted in an array of fashion and accessory products across the world.

Vogue Living called the partnership “a fairytale collaboration” Smale confirms, “In only a short time, the Florence Broadhurst design archive has increased its brand exposure and penetration in overseas markets, especially in the home and fashion categories. The next 12-18 months will see this brand explode with an even stronger brand presence with new global partnerships. This will put the spotlight on the undiscovered wealth of great Australian home grown design talent and highlight an inimitable opportunity for other designers and brands in Australia and abroad to

embrace the potential of taking their own brand into new spaces and places around the world.”

The team at SDA is impressive, complimentary and is seeking to make their mark in a new world of Licensing.

Breaking down barriers for new talent to broaden their horizons and invest in their IP, offering the brand exposure and longevity. This group is making history and is an agency to follow in the future.

For Florence Broadhurst Licensing opportunities, information about other brand and design libraries or intellectual property commercialisation advice, contact SDA today.

Mark Smale Chief Executive Officer Signature Design Archive mark.smale@signaturedesignarchive.com

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BRAND LICENSING FROM DOWN UNDER Bugg Toys & Licensing engaged our industry leaders prior to Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) and asked them for their views and highlights in their respective businesses and to give us a reading on the current and on-going market conditions in Australia. We hope you find their insights engaging!

Gail Mitchell Managing Director The Fusion Agency It has been a HUGE 2014 so far for Fusion! We have effectively more than doubled the number of Licensors we now work with and we have diversified into properties which have global reach.

Having had conversations with many licensees, retailers and promotional partners recently, it is obvious that our market is still not an easy one. We are not alone in looking for brands where global rights are available and, although these can be exciting opportunities, we have to make sure we stay focussed on our local market. Our #1 property right now is Dragons from DreamWorks Animation.

The movie was a huge success but it is the on-going TV and excellent ratings that keeps the product flying off the shelves.

We are also now well into our Where’s Wally? campaign. We have recently launched Where’s Wally? Havaianas and have just had some very exciting news on a music collaboration between Wally and a local artist we all know and love. Just quietly, In The Night Garden is also very strong for us. This beautiful pre-school classic continues to win the hearts of a new generation of children.

Lastly, we have Mister Maker due to tour Australia in January and June/July 2015, which will make our fan base very happy!

BLE has become a very busy fair for us. We have meetings with all of the rights owners for the properties I’ve mentioned and are excited to be meeting with new partners to tie down rights for new properties for 2015 and beyond.

Liz Burnet Director, Consumer Products FremantleMedia We are now entering a really exciting phase for FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment (FMKFE), with four of our shows now on air on ABC (AU) & TV FOUR (NZ). Tree Fu Tom recently launched on ABC4Kids and resulted in amazing ratings, with kids around the country learning all about Tree Fu Magic. Strange Hill High is gathering more fans with each new episode of Season 2, backed by a strong PR campaign in print and digital platforms.

Ella the Elephant is capturing the hearts of young girls with her sweet storybook style and Grojband has all the young boys in stitches with it’s distinctive animation, wridiculous story lines and crazy jokes.

In the UK, our newest show, Kate & Mim Mim, has launched to incredible ratings success on CBeebies. We’ve also let the cat (or mouse) out of the bag, that we are rebooting the much loved DangerMouse franchise in 2015! Retail is showing signs of regaining momentum in the lead up to Christmas 2014, with everyone holding their breath for a strong sales period in licensing, and, in fact, overall. The greatest challenge for us is launching new brands in a retail landscape that is still trying to minimise risk after a tough few years of business.

2015 will be a big year for FMKFE, with toy launches for Tree Fu Tom & Ella the Elephant, and a further roll-out of collectables and publishing for Strange Hill High. We are positive that we have the right strategies in place to see great success amongst our brands.

Elie Mansour Head of Consumer Products BBC Worldwide Given the current tough trading conditions it is difficult for newer properties to break through particularly on children’s brands. There are still very strong opportunities for brand owners who are committed to supporting the brand through offering a broad experience. We are in a lucky position here at the BBC Worldwide with the growing popularity in Australia and New Zealand for British content and product in the market. This bodes well for our already very strong properties such as Doctor Who, Sherlock, Top Gear and Charlie and Lola.

BBC Worldwide take a 360-degree approach to licensing: working with key partners that understand the brand and our approach. This means not just securing retail space for

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product but ensuring that the brand is supported via broadcast on key networks AND our own channels; strong marketing, digital and social media campaigns; Live Events which we manage in house; Promotion and Sponsorship and in-store theatre. By managing the 360-degree approach, this ensures longevity of our brands.

Offering our key retailers exclusive and new products is key.

We continue our own retail initiatives including Pop Up Shops and the BBC Online Shop is our key focus in the lead up to Christmas 2014. The BBC Online Shop is a unique platform that will create a new channel for business to connect, communicate and trade with customers. It is a very exciting time for us here at BBC Worldwide.

Tim Everitt Director of Licensing and Sales Warner Bros. Consumer Products Warner Bros. Consumer Products Australia and New Zealand (WBCP ANZ) continues to focus heavily on retail as we grow our business. As a brand and retail driven company, WBCP, along with its licensees, focus on building retail penetration at key sites that engage consumers and deliver strong sell-through results.

Key highlights for our business include; • Continued strength of DC Comics brands across various retail channels; including DC Comics Costumes, as well as the new DC Super Friends pre-school range which has provided strong growth in the toy category • Batman and Superman products are our top brands across all categories • Success from key softlines collaborations such as those with funky fashion label Black Milk and sleepwear brand Peter Alexander • Achieving closer alignment with retail partners and licensees • Innovation we’ve seen from licensee new product development

Australian retail is becoming significantly more competitive with the influx of new global entrants to our market including H&M, UNIQLO and Zara. This drives retailers to review brand, range and price strategies, which will ultimately benefit the consumer. Licensed brands will remain a very important component of a complete product solution at retail-level.

WBCP sees plenty of opportunities for end-of-year marketing and promotional plans for existing products to drive pre-Christmas sales, for example, stocking filler options are popular and achieve last minute impulse sales.

Managing the ever-changing retail landscape is a constant challenge for us, as well as continually building new relationships. Managing transitions and the continuity of business is vitally important at every level.

Peter Bird GM & VP Consumer Sales The Walt Disney Company Australia The red hot box office that has seen Marvel and Disney-led titles lead the charge for film lovers has clearly paid dividends for our Consumer Products (CP) division. Merchandise featuring Marvel’s superheroes, Disney’s princesses, Pixar’s Toons and Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars’ helped Disney record $40.9 billion in global retail sales in 2013, topping the results of 2012 and 2011 respectively.

For the rest of 2014 and upcoming 2015, we are ramping up several major product pushes around ‘Cinderella’, the animated films ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Big Hero 6’, Marvel’s ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’, ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ and the highly anticipated ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ coming out through the end of 2015.

Leading up to Christmas 2014, we will be focused on the ‘Frozen Spectacular’, an incredible offering at all major retail in Australia that offers fans and families a chance to immerse themselves in all things Frozen. The demand we have seen for the Frozen franchise is unprecedented and we see this trend continuing.

As we continue to raise the bar in what we offer to Disney fans and consumers, we must be flexible and responsive to where they want products and continue to drive the innovation in our creative execution.

We are coming into a period of incredible storytelling and we are poised to give fans and consumers the experience at retail and through our innovative products a chance to own their favourite piece of Disney, Marvel and Star Wars.

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Claire O’Connor Director, Consumer Products Nickelodeon and MTV Networks Australia & New Zealand The Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products/Haven (NVCP) portfolio is ‘100% more awesome’ and continues to deliver ‘something for everyone’. Last month we launched a range of toys from our new action packed #1 rated Nick Jr. pre-school show – PAW Patrol and in November will soft-launch apparel, with a major roll-out in March 2015. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just gets bigger and bigger with the movie ranked #1 after its opening weekend at both the Australian and New Zealand box office; it’s still the most popular boys action figure toy and sells strongly cross category. Nickelodeon and Channel 11 will broadcast new TV animated episodes in October and well into 2015. It’s been 15 years since SpongeBob SquarePants dived onto our screens and with his latest 3D movie release - Sponge Out of Water to be released 2nd April 2015 and all his iconic collaborations with Pharell Williams, Moschino and Johnny Cupcakes, we know that yellow will be the new black for 2015.

In an extremely competitive marketplace, the biggest challenge we all face is lack of shelf space. Luckily NVCP/Haven are fortunate to have a well balanced portfolio providing retailers and consumers new evergreens and brand extensions on well loved brands backed with the support of television, digital and outdoor activations, which allows us to support CP with 360 degree marketing campaigns.

In order to achieve success it’s all about understanding the promotional opportunities on offer, and how we can drive better off-location plannograms with core licensees. Our major Christmas campaign this year will be around Turtles and PAW Patrol and will then ramp-up our attention to SpongeBob and Dora in the New Year when we have lots of great plans to share.

Last but certainly not least, Dora The Explorer is about to embark on her greatest adventure yet with new pre-school series Dora and Friends: Into The City! launching on Nick Jr. 3rd November, with her biggest advertising campaign yet and extensive Consumer Products (CP) plans into 2015.

Mark Scott Licensing Director Mattel Australia The Australian market continues to be volatile as retailers evolve their consumer positioning and price/product strategy in an increasingly competitive and challenging environment. With brand and range rationalization continuing amongst the major retailers, only strong, everyday brands are receiving support across the market. The Mattel brand portfolio is filled with the strongest ‘365-days-a-year’ brands and will be supported with engaging and unique marketing initiatives over the remainder of 2014 and throughout 2015.

Monster High continues to gain momentum and is set to own Halloween 2014 and build for Halloween 2015 with the DVD release of the first ever musical, Boo York, Boo York. Ever After High is Mattel’s newest brand launch with strong toy sales in Target during the ‘Toy Cat’ season followed-up with the exclusive release of apparel and publishing in Target.

Thomas is the number one pre-school boys brand in the market and has a strong year ahead with an engaging new brand campaign and a 70th anniversary celebration planned for 2015. Fireman Sam is also in expansion mode as the next big brand emerging in the pre-school boys segment following strong sell-through of the toy range. Hot Wheels is also gaining traction outside of core toys with strong marketing activity driven by the collaborations with Luke Hodge and the AFL Players Association and one of the most popular motorsport athletes in Australia, Matt Mingay and his Stuntz Inc. Team who perform at nearly every motorsport event in the country in their Hot Wheels branded vehicles.

At Mattel, we continue to Think Differently and drive our strong core brand portfolio in the market offering retailers differentiation and engaging marketing activations to drive consumer sell-through of our products. We are growing our Consumer Products business double digit in 2014 and expect that to continue in 2015.

Our girls portfolio continues to strengthen with a reinvigoration of the number one fashion doll brand, Barbie in 2015, with strong entertainment support including the first half release of Barbie in Princess Power - a really different look for Barbie than you have ever seen before.

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Fisher Price remains the number one infant brand in Australia and continues to engage parents with innovative, trusted products with more incredible product releases and an exciting new marketing campaign launching in 2015.

Tom Punch Managing Director Haven Licensing We’re excited as Haven heads into 2015, with lots of big initiatives locked and loaded across our portfolio! Retail is improving, and licensing remains a key strategic focus for the majors. Target is re-energized with lots of initiatives driving their new marketing focus. Big W has new management bringing a fresh approach to key events and brands, Best and Less is doing licensing execution as well as anyone in the market and Kmart is coming back – and strong! It’s a good time for licensing in Australia.

In addition, the upper end independents are really driving licensing, and really establishing entertainment brands as key platforms for their sales. Peter Alexander is, as always, making beautiful products, and executing as well as anyone in Australia, and we are happy to say we just launched another wonderful program with them in September. And Cotton On, with more than 1,300 stores now globally, is kicking ass!

As always, we love to push the creative envelope to find fun ways to market our brands and drive revenues. We love our recent Sesame Street/Australian Football League collaboration launched with a range of supporters apparel and hilarious video skits featuring Elmo and Big Bird which went viral - go online and have a look! And, something that fits well with Haven... We licensed BEER! Duff Beer! We had a great time launching the first-ever official Duff Beer (mmmm...) celebrating with our friends at Fox and securing strong Duff merchandise programs off the back of retail for Father’s Day across apparel and gifting.

Nickelodeon is on fire! Turtle power is dominating down-under with the blockbuster brand taking our market by storm and driving sales. It is amazing what Nick are doing with their brands. The SpongeBob movie is set to hit our cinemas at Easter 2015, and we think it will be the one that really resonates (from what we have seen it is HILARIOUS) and we’re ramping up with retail events and collaborations for both.

There’s lots of buzz around Dora & Friends and also the exciting new pre-school series Paw Patrol which we’re set to roll-out here in 2015 off the back of amazing initial toy sales.

We’ve got loads planned at a grass roots level, with Hello Kitty set to hit the streets dishing out hugs in celebration of 40-years, a fantastic initiative by Sanrio, who are putting their unique marketing brilliance into it!.

In-tank activations and character appearances for Captain Barnacles and Co in an Octonauts partnership with Sea Life, and a major national live tour planned for Eric Carle (to be narrated by an Australian Academy Award Winner no less!).

Also the Cartoon Network portfolio is cranking - and it’s out there – to say the least! Adventure Time continues to power in our market, with an incredible program at Jay Jay’s, and their forward slate of brands is out-of-left-field, as are the rest!

In a new area for Haven, we’re excitedly delving into art and design licensing with Artestar, who represent popular designers including Keith Haring, and also Tokidoki for which we see big opportunities here off-the-back of major international collaborations.

So it’s a big year ahead. We have amazing partners, and we, as always, are seeking and striving to create powerful licensing programs, and unique marketing initiatives, to keep our brands top-of-mind, and drive their success.

As always we love the trip to London - the opportunity to meet with our partners, enjoy the odd cheeky pint and keep up-to-date with European trends is invaluable.

Alan Schauder Managing Director Merchantwise While the retail market for licensed merchandise continues to be challenging for many brands and properties, Merchantwise is super-busy and optimistic about 2015 and beyond. Retro music and entertainment properties are enjoying strong apparel sales at both specialty and mass retail. We are also getting a great response to the launch of several major new children’s properties from the UK:

• Bing!, a beautiful new pre-school series featuring three-year-old Bing Bunny and friends, is already dominating the ratings on Cbeebies in the UK and will launch twice per day on ABC-TV from October 2014, with a major toy program from Fisher Price and books from Harper Collins.

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Thunderbirds Are Go! from ITV Studios is the hotly anticipated new boys’ action TV series based on the classic UK sci-fi TV series from the 1960’s. The show is being made by the New Zealand special effects wizards that produced Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It will broadcast on Channel 9’s GO! from April 2015 and HeadStart is releasing the major new line of vehicles and other great toys from Vivid from late 2015.

Merchantwise is also pleased to now be working with Sony Pictures Entertainment on its slate of new films and TV shows, as well as classic retro properties. Current highlights include Emmy Award Winning TV show Breaking Bad, forthcoming sequel Better Caul Saul and new movies Hotel Transylvania 2, Goosebumps (starring Jack Black) and classic video game Inspired Pixels.

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Nick Callander Business Manager Wild Pumpkin It has been a busy several months for the team at Wild Pumpkin (WP). Retail excitement around key properties, Minions Movie and Jurassic World is extremely promising, but we are trying to be more pragmatic in our approach working with key retailers and our licensees to build unique programs that won’t polarize these brands. We want consumers to have choice and variety (which is key in licensing) and create key destinations with a point of difference.

Other key programs making some noise are Paddington Bear, Peanuts and Skylanders and while some retailers are reducing their line share in licensed goods, others are opting to take a more rounded or ‘clean air’ approach to offering their customers choice across numerous brands.

Opportunities leading into Christmas 2014 If you are still pondering on this, then chances are you are definitely too late for this Christmas! At this stage the opportunities are in planning what the year ahead in retail might look like. At WP we are having several discussions with major retailers, our stakeholders (our licensees) and principals on what can be initiated and what niche segments we can carve out to help build pathways to stores through well executed licensing programs - big or small.

Retailers require a point-of-difference and there are many ways we can enhance the consumer experience through bespoke brand and licensed activations.

Therefore the opportunity lies in the execution.

Biggest Challenge

We are always hunting for new opportunities and wins such as the Epic Rights roster for Kiss, Woodstock, Aerosmith, Billy Idol, John Lennon and Gary Baseman will further add another dimension to how we can engage with various retailers in a mass and boutique way.

If you have seen the movie Divergent where communities are formed and segregated based on virtues, our current mass retail environment draws some parallels by profiling and looking at consumers the same way, but through tainted red, white and blue lenses.

My take on the current market conditions; Hmmm... should I tell you what I really think or take a more diplomatic approach?

For some years the challenge, at least here in Australia, has been the ability to work with our major partners in a consistent and measured way… the ‘engine’ has certainly not been firing on all cylinders!

The word ‘Gladiator’ comes to mind. Some days it seems like you are shackled and other days you come out swinging at the beast… you look up and there is one person wearing a bedazzled gown with arm extended and thumb down, but often there is a sweet little thing standing to the side with a sparkle in the eye… can I be more cryptic than that?

Long gone are the days where distribution is king. Today it’s all about CONTENT and that’s what brands provide. The task at hand now lies in how we can get retailers to truly embrace and understand that ‘retailment’ or ‘retail theatre’ will be key to their success.

In all seriousness, the licensing industry is at a tipping point. Consumers crave brands and brands are a lifestyle. It is unfortunate that consumer choice (I use that word a lot) is being somewhat choked, dictated and decided by individuals that use spreadsheets and buying models that benchmark whether a brand is successful or not.

Thankfully shopping centres such as Melbourne’s Chadstone and the newly opened Emporium (which dials up the premium landscape) understand the environments that need to be created, where the path to purchase is not purely dictated by price, but rather the experience wrapped around the brand.

The industry needs to build measures and lobby (if need be) to ensure that Australian companies in toy, brand licensing and distribution have a minimum representation and transparent baseline of support across the major retailers.

Sure there is a commercial reality to everything we do, but the scales have been tipping too much to one side and it’s time to reset and build a sustainable and holistic approach around licensing.

The landscape is so much more competitive, so by taking advantage of what licensing has to offer, blended with a dash of home brand, this will wet the appetite of consumers and build a platform for sustainable retail. If this is not adopted then we will simply continue to plug holes as international companies continue to arrive on our shores and online channels move and shape consumers interaction and purchasing decisions.

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WHERE BRANDS COME TO LIFE Are you looking for new partnerships that could transform your business? BLE 2014 is the only event in Europe where you can meet hundreds of leading brand owners and discover thousands of the hottest brands, characters and images available for license.

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2015 2015 THE WORLD’S LEADING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REFERENCE THE WORLD’S INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE DIRECTORY FORLEADING THE BRAND LICENSING & BUSINESS MERCHANDING INDUSTRY DIRECTORY FOR THE BRAND LICENSING & MERCHANDING INDUSTRY Referencing over 28,000 property listings with their owners/representatives worldwide.

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LIMA AUSTRALIA INTRODUCES NEW INITIATIVES Since the Las Vegas Licensing Expo at the Mandalay Bay Exhibition and Convention Centre in June, the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) Australia has made significant progress in a number of key areas of the business.

Our LIMA Australia member recruitment program has continued to bring new members into our business, we successfuly launched our LIMA Licensing Breakfast program and will soon launch our first Webinar to the Australian licensing industry.

Education

Events

Webinars

As education is a very important platform for the LIMA organisation we have included several initiatives into our program here in Australia.

We recently conducted another LIMA Licensing Breakfast event in Sydney this past August, with a strong crowd of 70 guests. We worked closely with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and ran the event from their Hong Kong House function room.

LIMA Australia is close to launching its first Webinar entitled – The Anatomy of a Promotion. Our partner is Disney and will focus on their global partnership with Qantas and Planes.

We recently conducted an industry survey to understand the need for this type of forum. We received a positive response.

Our plan consists of offering:

• One-day educational courses for junior licensing execs. This will conclude industry debate with an evening cocktail party. (Similar program to the UK) Lima will source speakers to cover the basics of licensing.

• One-day educational courses for more senior execs. This will conclude with an evening cocktail party. LIMA will source speakers to offer an educational and informative program.

We are also in discussions with Mr. Steve Ogden-Barnes - Retail Industry Fellow at the Deakin University. Our aim is have a licensing module introduced as part of a marketing degree. This will give people who wish to make licensing a career move the opportunity to study the vocation professionally (LIMA already has curriculums developed and available).

We are also in discussions with key LIMA partners, including Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, BBC Worldwide and Warner Bros., to provide some seed funds to develop a commercial opportunity in licensing with the university.

Brand Licensing Europe Booth - L100

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Our major sponsor was BBC Worldwide who transported their Tardis to the event, where photos were available!

Other sponsors included the HKTDC, Dependable Rights and Showtime Attractions.

We were able to assemble a panel of key industry figures including: Mark Scott - Mattel, Claire O’Connor Nickelodeon, Elie Mansour - BBC Worldwide and Wassim Gazal - Hot Springs Clothing Company.

We have another event planned in Melbourne in October. This will be another breakfast event with a special guest speaker.

Membership Our membership engagement program continues to net solid results with several new members joining our Chapter.

Our current progress sees us reach 43 members. Recent memberships include:

• Rubies Deerfield • Entertainment One • E3 Style

Kylie Watson Wheeler will front the Webinar on behalf of Disney and Tony Bugg from LIMA Australia will moderate.

It is planned to promote this as an Asia Pacific live opportunity with the finished product to be archived.

Local Newsletter We are continuing to develop our own local newsletter. This has been aimed at engaging our local members on the ground with commentary and information that will have LIMA top of mind on a regular basis.

(Left to right) Mark Scott, Tony Bugg, Elie Mansour, Bonnie Shek, Claire O’Connor and Wassim Gazal

Research We are currently developing a framework to conduct some in depth market research into the Licensing Industry here in Australia. We are discussing models with NPD here in the local market and looking at collaborating with some key industry contacts who have the knowledge base to provide us with data that will allow LIMA to assemble a report that will finally give some sort of official document on the shape and value of the market here in Australia.

LIMA Global Awards We have a current plan to engage our membership to nominate for the 2015 global LIMA awards.

We will introduce this plan early and then call upon our membership and those abroad to vote on our 2015 entries.

Our goal for 2015 is to have a winning entry from our market. This will be a first.

Tony Bugg Managing Director LIMA Australia tony@buggsolutions.com.au

LIMA Australia Licensing Breakfast at Hong Kong House in Sydney

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