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Anderson Entertainment Classic content, new concepts, quality products: the Anderson Entertainment directto-consumer strategy Anderson Entertainment, the production company set up by the legendary Gerry Anderson, is looking forward to strong growth in 2021, with new content launching across multiple media platforms enhancing the company’s compelling brand offering. But it’s Anderson Entertainment’s merchandising and retail business that could enjoy the biggest boost in the coming year.
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“We want to turn great ideas into content and products that positively impact kids and adults across the globe. It’s an extension of my dad’s – and my – attitude to programme-making: make things you love. Be positive. Inspire and excite people. Always be interesting. Never be boring.” Writer, director and producer Jamie Anderson (pictured above) has a strong view of what Anderson Entertainment, of which he is the MD, should be all about – and it’s clearly inspired by the ideas that made his father, Gerry Anderson, so successful. On the content side, the classic Gerry Anderson shows from the 60s and 70s – like Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999 – were followed by a second, highly productive phase between 1980 and the early 2000s, one that brought to the TV screen popular shows like the animated New Captain Scarlet, Space Precinct and Terrahawks. New development and production continues to this day but are now targeting multiple platforms rather than just linear TV, with a number of projects under way, including Firestorm, the imminent reboot of Terrahawks, and the full cast audiodrama podcast First Action Bureau. Anderson Entertainment is also in the business of merchandise and retail, and it clearly has a solid content base on which to build. Its ecommerce site, the Gerry Anderson Store, is central to its direct-to-consumer merchandising strategy. Launched in 2015, the online store boasts an expanding list both of licensee-supplied product and new Anderson Enter tainment-sourced items such as Christmas jumpers, apparel, gifts and calendars. While the popularity of the
site is undoubtedly growing among new customers, it can also boast enviable repeat business: over 30,000 loyal customers regularly visit and buy from the online store. In fact results for the financial year 2020 to 2021 are expected, for the first time, to top three quarters of a million pounds. Shopify, the all-in-one commerce platform powering over one million businesses worldwide – and a major force behind independent online retail – has said the store is in its top one per cent of fastest-growing brands worldwide. And there’s much more to come. The store already has a strong online and social media presence but, to support its increasing popularity, Anderson Entertainment has begun investing in additional marketing and product development. In particular it is also building on the strength of its direct-to-consumer business and working with new partners. This year will also see many more products – and product categories – launching on the store’s site and through other online and physical retail outlets. This strategy is already working. “The site saw a 100 per cent lift in sales
month on month between October and November,” says Jamie Anderson, “but,” he adds, “November figures are likely to be overtaken quickly once December figures become available. We’ve had good sell-through from Christmas jumpers and calendars in particular.” There’s another, highly significant reason for this expansion effort. Anderson Entertainment recently signed a new cross-category licence with ITV Studios, the underlying rightsholder for many classic Gerry Anderson properties. Under the terms of the new agreement, Anderson Entertainment is now able to build on the global recognition of the Gerry Anderson portfolio, expanding its ranges of product derived from classic brands like Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space: 1999 – notably in apparel, publishing, toys & figures, homeware and giftware – and sell them worldwide. Importantly, the new agreement also enables the company to build sales opportunities with other retail partners. As Jamie Anderson says: “It’s a sort of perfect storm for us. We have more rights, demand from fans is growing
