Cover Story

Cover Story: A Winning Mindset

Tom Brady Taps Licensing Giant IMG to Grow Wellness Brand TB12

TB12, the global health and wellness company co-founded by seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and business partner Alex Guerrero, recently signed with IMG for licensing and brand collaborations to enable even more people to live an active and healthy lifestyle with the brand’s proprietary holistic training method. Inspired by a mindset of accepting no limits, the TB12 Method places emphasis on preparing, performing, reinforcing and recovering to ensure you can do what you love better and for longer.

The brand reflects the holistic approach to training and daily habits that Brady and his Body Coach, Guerrero, have developed over their fifteen-year partnership that has empowered the star to shatter records, play better, and recover even faster at the age of 43. Brady and Guerrero now seek to share their philosophy with audiences around the world in an accessible and authentic way to empower people to continue doing what they love – longer than anyone ever thought possible.

Brady embodies longevity and has had unprecedented sustained success on the field

over a 20 year career, with seven Super Bowl victories, five Super Bowl ‘Most Valuable Player’ awards and numerous other NFL records and accolades, including Most All Time Wins and Most All Time Touchdown Passes.

Now in partnership with IMG, TB12 will further democratize the principles that Brady and Guerrero have perfected over the years and share them with new audiences to become the world’s most trusted authority on health and wellness. The TB12 Method focuses on the key pillars of Pliability, Hydration, Nutrition, Functional Strength and Conditioning, and a Winning Mindset.

Pliability - Muscles that are elastic, resilient, and ready for anything.

Hydration - Adequate fluids with the right electrolytes to keep your mind and muscles firing.

Nutrition - Proper food with smart supplementation to fuel your brain.

Functional Strength & Conditioning - Improving your functional strength, stability, and mobility to win the day, everyday.

Winning Mindset - Tools, exercises and activities to increase cognitive performance and strengthen the mind-body connection.

Join the Movement

Together with IMG, TB12 is building a leading global program with products and protocols that empower people to be the best version of themselves by helping them prepare, perform, recover and reinforce healthy daily habits. TB12’s prescriptive approach is perfect for anyone seeking to lead a long, energetic, and vibrant life.

Licensing and retail opportunities include recovery devices and aids, fitness equipment, performance apparel and footwear, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, bedding, white goods and sleep aids.

Contact TB12@img.com to join the movement! And now, the industry is taking notice of TB12’s Methodology:

“At 43, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP title (a league record for both). Brady credits his longevity and success to his strict health and wellness regimen, the TB12 Method…” – CNBC

“Brady has said…he would consider playing past age 45, adding that he’ll know when the time is right to stop playing football. One thing is for certain: Brady’s own lifestyle will not be the cause of any future decline.” – Business Insider

“Brady credits his longevity to his regimented lifestyle. Over the years, Brady has shed light on his diet, exercise and recovery habits, and overall lifestyle with a book, “The TB12 Method,” a documentary, and in interviews...The TB12 Method is built on 12 different principles, from balance and moderation to promoting anti-inflammatory responses in the body. But the most important concept may be the first one on the list: pliability. Brady calls it “the missing leg of performance training.” – Insider

“While NFL players are known for size and strength, Brady swears by a fitness regimen that focuses on “pliability” – a term he and his fitness guru coined – to keep moving. Pliability is a combination of muscle strength, endurance and, most importantly flexibility. As physical therapists, we could not agree more with Brady’s philosophy that muscular flexibility is key to mobility as we age.” – Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine

Licensing – we’re here to last

The Point.1888 tells Total Brand Licensing how they have managed to not just survive but thrive over the last 12 months..

The Point.1888 may not have as long a history as many of its competitors in the licensing industry but the prospect of putting the business “on hold” back in March when the pan-demic struck the UK wasn’t any less

painful. Our team of 20 people had spent the last five years establishing a company known for its ambition, bravery and ingenuity and as a result, things couldn’t have been rosier pre-Lockdown with a solid pipeline of new business as well as product launches and client signings every other week. The determination Will Stewart, our founder and MD, and the rest of the team had shown up to that point was probably the main reason we were able to devise a Lockdown plan so quickly. We may not have had “pandemic” in our contingency planning but we were sure as hell going to make sure our business survived. No, not survived….. thrived. And if the last quarter’s results and award wins are anything to go by, we did it. So how did we achieve it? Pre-pandemic, we made no secret of the fact that we were an ultraflexible business which meant that as well as offering our staff unlimited holidays, they also had the freedom to work wherever and whenever they wanted (as long as they put in the required hours). This enabled us to hire and retain the industry’s best people across the UK – from Essex to Chichester to North Wales and it ensured that we were already experts at video calls and remote working. First transition of the lockdown – done. The other important goal for us was to ensure that the tools we considered key to a suc-cessful brand licensing programme could still operate. Meetings with clients, retailers and manufacturers were shifted over to Zoom or Teams but that left us with the predicament of how to run our all important Immersion sessions. Pre-pandemic, the team would spend several days on site with a client, getting to grips with their values and purpose first hand. Without this, mistakes further down the line could happen. There was also the vital Immersion Events at which potential retailers and licensees could hear from the brand, ourselves, and any marketing and PR support about the plans for the licensing programme. We proved back in September with our Meet Moomin virtual event that it can be done online with 82 attendees and shared enthusiasm across the board for what we are sure will be a very successful programme. We also held an event for our client Moonbug Entertainment in November attended by 225 guests from far and wide- Poland to Turkey, Spain to the UAE! We have four more virtual client events planned over the next six months. Brand licensing aside, how did we keep the other elements of our business going such as finance, HR and communications? Honesty and integrity. We didn’t sugar coat the situation – it was tough and some of our team were furloughed. But, we paid every invoice. We fol-lowed every commitment. We ensured every member of our team still had a job to get back to. We’ve also learned a lot from this year’s challenges and will be approaching 2021 more efficient and prepared. Brand licensing has a huge role to play this year and we’re ready.

PLUS LICENS APPOINTED AS EUROPEAN AGENT, EXCL. UK, FOR CAMBRIDGE

The University of Cambridge, via its commercial rights subsidiary FME Ltd, is pleased to appoint Plus Licens AB as its licensing agent for Europe, except for the UK. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the fourth-oldest university in the world. Among its alumni it has 110 Nobel Prize Laureates, 47 Heads of State and 190 Olympic Medallists. The University of Cambridge is rich in history – its famous Colleges and University buildings attract visitors from all over the world. But the University’s museums and collections also hold many treasures which give an exciting insight into some of the scholarly activities, both past and present, of the University’s academics and students. Its reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known worldwide and reflects the intellectual achievement of its students, as well as the world-class original research carried out by the staff of the University and the Colleges. With alumni that include Newton, Keynes, Hawking and Darwin, Cambridge has always been and continues to be a place of where curious minds make great discoveries including gravity, DNA and evolution to name a few. “FME Ltd manages both the University trademark programme and the commercial rights of the rich collections of its museums. In the UK, FME Ltd has retail, online CuratingCambridge.com), wholesale and licensing divisions and, with the support of Plus Licens, it would like to give the opportunity to the rest of the European based licensees and consumers to enjoy a unique Cambridge experience. It is proud to be working with Plus Licens, its very first licensing agent for the territory,” commented Len Dunne, Chief Executive Officer, Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises Ltd Plus Licens added, “We are extremely proud and happy to have been appointed the pan-European agent by University of Cambridge! The University and the great museums represent everything that the world needs now more than ever: education, history, art and science. Plus Licens is committed to long term relationships and we now look forward to start a brand program based on the good values and fantastic art programs available from The University of Cambridge.”

VALERO ENTERPRISES TO LICENSE KRAVET HOME FURNISHINGS BRAND

Valéro Enterprises, a major US branding firms, has entered into an exclusive agreement with world renowned home furnishings brand Kravet Inc. The Kravet brand has a 100 year reputation as being the ultimate “go to” for discerning customers seeking luxury design. From classic to whimsical, Kravet embodies the current trends with quality and excellence at the forefront. Kravet’s well established brands have become synonymous with trusted and beloved home decor and a favorite of leading interior designers. The Kravet umbrella of brands includes Kravet, Lee Jofa, Brunschwig & Fils, Donghia, GP & J Baker, Mulberry Home and Threads. Over the years, Kravet has also captured the imagination of customer’s by partnering with top designers including Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Spade New York, Echo, Nate Berkus, Lilly Pulitzer and Jonathan Adler. With over 40 showrooms in the US alone, Kravet brands have also created retail partnerships with top brick and mortar destinations including H&M, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and The Shade Store. Susan Valéro, President and CEO of Valéro Enterprises states, “My team and I are so excited to have the opportunity to bring this celebrated brand into new lifestyle categories. The rich colors, themes and patterns in the Kravet brands lend themselves beautifully to a myriad of categories. We can’t wait to introduce these new categories to customers everywhere.” Available categories include kitchen textiles, dinnerware, glassware, serveware, tabletop, bedding, bath, tiles, flooring, apparel, footwear, bags, scarves, headwear and bridal.