BRAND TOTAL
AUTUMN/FALL 2020
A TOTAL LICENSING GROUP PUBLICATION
LICENSING
TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
CONTENTS 6
Editorial Comment
29 Pink Key Goes Purple
Thoughts from the editor
7 News
With well-loved Vimto
34 World of Sports
From around the globe
Sporting update
12 Cover Story
36 Tapping into the Times
West Ham - 125 Years in the making
The pandemic means big business for some
16 A Treasure Trove for Nostalgia
37 Influential Celebrities
Exploring the trend
What they mean for one industry
18 Tempting Developments
38 Launches across Category
2020 has been exciting for Tempting Brands
IMG outlines latest news
20 Festival of Licensing
39 Art News
Brands at the virtual event
New signings abound
26 Big Business for Metrostar
40 Delicious Deals
With Kraft Heinz
28 Mouth-watering Deals
42 The Final Page
Big names heading into food & drink
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From the National Gallery
A little bit of fun
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COMMENT TOTAL
BRAND LICENSING
A Total Licensing Group Publication CO-PUBLISHER Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com CO-PUBLISHER Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rebecca Ash becky@totallicensing.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Joanna Cassidy joanna@totallicensing.com OFFICE MANAGER Helen Bowerman helen@totallicensing.com JAPAN AGENT Roger Berman, ZenWorks rmb@zenworks.jp CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cris Piquinela Ian Woods Jonathan Gilpin
HEAD OFFICE Total Licensing Ltd 4 Wadhurst Business Park Faircrouch Lane, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6PT, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1892 782220 Fax: +44 (0) 1892 782226 www.totallicensing.com
Total Brand Licensing is published quarterly by Total Licensing Ltd in the UK. ©2020 Total Licensing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission of the publishers and owners. Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, Total Licensing Ltd nor any of its employees accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities.l images are reproduced with permission from their owners.
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Welcome to the Autumn/Fall issue of Total Brand Licensing. As we all spend our days continually adjusting to the ever-changing times, I thought about this time twelve months ago – and doesn’t that seem like years ago? The industry was gearing up for another Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), and although ever-evolving, not many could have predicted that, in October 2020, much of the world would have spent time in ‘lockdown’, many people continue to work from home, and all the trade shows, conferences and events that shape much of the business calendar moved to virtual or were cancelled altogether. Now, as an industry, many of us are gearing up for the Festival of Licensing (at time of going to press), a month-long celebration of the business we work in and spread out over different continents and time zones. Will this be the new normal? Some people have posed the question. Will we, in the foreseeable future, feel safe going back to crowded trade shows, seminars, etc? Has the pandemic merely accelerated vast changes to our lives that would have eventually happened anyway? Many people have realised that technology enables some to work remotely – indeed, working from home is now ‘working from anywhere’. But while that has been happening, the toll on manufacturers, retail, travel and many other swathes of industry has been astronomic. But not for all. As we outline on page 36, some of the brands and business that have flourished during the pandemic are not surprising – chiefly, home delivery brands such as Deliveroo in the UK and of course Amazon globally. The rise of certain alcohol brands, mainly gin, not least in part due to innovation and clever marketing, is also not a huge surprise to many of us; and streaming brands such as Netflix, Prime and Disney+ have seen huge surges in subscriptions (fuelled by those ordering take-out and sipping on a blackberry-infused gin?) We have said it before in this publication but will happily say it again – the way the industry has risen to this unpreceded challenge has been remarkable and hugely impressive. Deals are still signed, meetings still taking place, brand extensions are still creative and if we can’t meet in person, we will find a way around this – as we will during the Festival of Licensing, which many companies are preparing for with the same fervour that they did, twelve months ago, for BLE. Whatever the future may hold, rest assured that at Total Licensing, we will bring you all the breaking news, analysis, trends and much more. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, we have published twelve global magazines, over 1500 news stories, and much more. Our goal is to ensure that the industry continues to flourish, whatever the circumstances, and bring our readers the information they need to make truly informed decisions. These really are extraordinary times of truly global events – COVID-19 outbreak. Brexit. The US election in November. 2020 stock market crash. Climate change. Mass protests. BLM. Murdering hornets. It can feel overwhelming just to look at the news. In this respect, visit our ‘final page’ for a little something for you, our valued readers and clients… it might take your mind off things, just for a few minutes. Wishing you, your families and colleagues the very best of health for the remainder of 2020 and beyond,
Rebecca Ash Editorial Director TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
NEWS
Celebrating 50 Years of Smiley and Beyond
In 2022 SmileyWorld will celebrate 50 years of Smiley. In addition to celebrating the heritage and everything the company and its partners have achieved in that time, they also take the opportunity to focus as a brand on how they can positively impact the world for the next 50 years. There is a strong program of activations and experiences that play on Smiley’s 50-year heritage and provide unique ways for partners to get involved and help make the world a more creative and positive place. This includes: Limited edition brand identity with celebration logo, an exclusive POS tool kit with collectible packaging and an Instagrammable retail concept that will allow all partners to connect with fun and positivity; Exclusive anniversary style guides will evoke nostalgia and give a sense of Smiley’s heritage, with five-decade specific style guides (the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s). These will inspire and showcase the unique trends, graphic directions and artistic interpretations that have shaped Smiley’s adoption as one of the leading cultural icons of the last century; selection of highly prestigious & visible activations, events & experiences, this includes your chance to be part of 50 memorable limited-edition products independently curated by fashion icon Sarah Andelman. The special ‘50 for 50’ range will feature in concept shops in the world’s leading department stores, a prestigious coffee table book published by Maison Assouline and at a selection of international
ARTiSTORY Brings Unique Business Offering ARTiSTORY is a new venture with a unique business offering with storytelling at its core. Focused on developing content in the art, culture and science sectors by translating objects into usable assets for consumers of today. We’ll do this through our 3 key areas of business: IP asset development, IP licensing and content development. Founded by industry specialists Dave Collins (Co-Founder & Commercial Director), Tamara Dixon (Co-Founder & Creative Director) and Natasha Dyson (Co-Founder & Licensing Director) to provide retailers, licensees and IP Owners an innovative solution to licensing. By tapping into treasured collections at world’s top museums and heritage institutions, ARTiSTORY creates annually refreshed trends, themes and original design assets including illustrations, prints & patterns, which in turn, can be applied onto product and packaging design. ARTiSTORY licenses these design assets to consumer brands and retailers and assist them to introduce compelling products, engage shoppers via digital marketing and offer immersive shopping experiences. Each
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launch events; guerilla projection campaign at key landmarks across the world on the 31st December 2021. This high visibility project will see Smiley and our original message of “Take The Time To Smile’ projected onto: the Houses of Parliament, Tate Modern (London). Broadway/ Times Square, Carnegie Hall, Empire State (NYC), Champs Elysees, l’Arc de Triomphe (Paris); and an Inspiring 2-week guerilla poster campaign from 3-17 January 2022 at key consumer lifestyle touchpoints across nine major cities. With more than 75,000 posters and billboards in over 150 leading consumer lifestyle touchpoint destinations. The campaign will raise positivity during the hardest 2-weeks of the year. The entire campaign will be supported for 12 months by Global PR and Influencer program. product comes with a unique story that consumer brands and retailers can attract more shoppers by leveraging the power of storytelling. By working with ARTiSTORY, consumer brands, manufacturers and retailers will acquire new customers more effectively, both through their online and offline stores, turning shoppers into your loyal fans while providing them with unique shopping experience. The team at ARTiSTORY are pioneers in art and culture IP licensing with track records working with the Natural History Museum, British Museum, the MET, V&A and many world’s top retailers and consumer brands such as Uniqlo, Amazon, Max Factors and Nestle etc.
Mark-it Smart & Authentic Brands Launch Marilyn Monroe and Thomasville Collections
Mark-it Smart has entered into a new partnership with Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner of the Thomasville home furnishings brand and the Estate of Marilyn Monroe, to develop branded product lines for the casino gaming industry. The line will feature a range of items including tabletop, cookware, and small appliances. The Marilyn Monroe collection will include one-of-a-kind bedding, handbags, luxury towels, and beauty accessories that honor Marilyn’s iconic and beloved spirit. All merchandise will be gifted to casino patrons when they come into select locations to play. PAGE 7
NEWS
Van Gogh Museum and Daily Paper Launch Collection
Amsterdam-based clothing label Daily Paper and the Van Gogh Museum are launching a new collection together in October 2020, with a second clothing line featuring a selection of Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces. Daily Paper and the Van Gogh Museum see this partnership as a chance to explore how fashion and art can bring people from different backgrounds together and learn from each other in the process
BrandComply College Announces Latest Signing
Octane5, the company behind the BrandComply College licensing enterprise platform, recently announced the signing of The University of Iowa as the latest BrandComply College client. This continues the overwhelmingly positive market response and affirms the need for a robust licensing enterprise platform tailored to the needs of the collegiate marketplace. Dale Arens, Assistant Athletic Director, Trademarks and Licensing at The University of Iowa stated: “Our goal for the University of Iowa Trademark Licensing Program is to be a leader and trendsetter in the collegiate industry. BrandComply College will help us accomplish that through innovation and streamlined processes that will ensure our team is working smarter with best in class technology behind us. I am excited for what the future holds”. “Our partnership with The University of Iowa continues to validate what we’ve known all along,” said John Mybeck, President of BrandComply College. “Institutions are hungry for a solution that lets them manage their entire program in one powerful portal. Especially considering the rapidly changing landscape for colleges, they need smarter ways to manage their Product Approvals, Royalties, Contracts, Assets and Brand Protection in one place. As I’ve said before, BrandComply College is a real game changer and we’re gratified that storied institutions like The University of Iowa clearly see the value and support we bring their programs.”
NHRA Speeds Into Home Décor with Precision Metal Art
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has partnered with Precision Metal Art, a home décor brand specializing in high quality metal art designs, for a full line of NHRA themed metal art. The licensing partnership was secured by JRL Group, NHRA’s licensing agency. The exciting new metal art collection taps into the rich history, heritage and brand of NHRA speed and motor culture. Each metal art piece is crafted from eighteen-gauge American steel and cut on precise laser technology, printed with high-quality, UV and water-resistant ink and uses only the highest-quality powder coat finishes to lend to the piece’s longevity and durability.
Laura Ashley Partners with Britannica Home Fashions
Laura Ashley, one of the world’s best-loved fashion, lifestyle, and home furnishings brands, is proud to announce a new licensing partnership with Britannica Home Fashions Inc., a leading force in the home textile industry for over 40 years. The deal will allow Laura Ashley to grow its basic bedding collection with retailers nationwide and on lauraashleyusa.com. Designed with iconic prints from the Laura Ashley archives, the line of pillows, duvet inserts, mattress pads, and blankets offer options for all sleep styles due to Britannica Home Fashion’s innovative technology. “Britannica Home Fashions is proud to add the Laura Ashley design and lifestyle esthetic to our family of brands and lifestyle collections. Laura Ashley is unique in its simple beauty and classic patterns, the perfect lifestyle for basic bedding and fashion throws. Our new introductions include bed pillows, comforters, protectors, and blankets, in addition to reversible throws in signature Laura Ashley patterns and colors. We are also planning a home fragrance collection including candles, melting cubes, and gifts. Our down and feather products are RDS certified; and our core Laura Ashley products are Oeko-tex standard 100 certified, bringing this modern lifestyle collection in line with the needs of millennial consumers,” says Laura Ashley USA President Penne Cairoli. The collection just launched on Dillards.com as well as on Laura Ashley’s website. Other national retailers will launch soon. PAGE 8
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NEWS
Valero Enterprises Secures Representation for Paul Frank North America
Licensing industry expert and veteran, Susan Valero owner of Valero Enterprises has been named the agency of record for Paul Frank, North America. Valero was instrumental in the initial licensing efforts in 2010 and growing the brand into a 100 million entity with its iconic character Julius the Monkey. Graphic designer, Paul Frank rose to branding fame with eye catching imagery and whimsical positive messaging. This re-launch could prove to be even more successful than its original iteration. “This time around we are excited about collaborations with premier brands. Also we are taking into account the change in the retail landscape with on-line so prevalent and off price now being considered mainstream.
Just selling products at a discount doesn’t cut it anymore. We need to be innovative in how we reach our audience while creating more compelling products.” says Valero. This relaunch will take the beloved imagery of the Paul Frank brand and introduce it in an exciting way to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. At the same time, it will reimagine warm memories for the millennials who grew up with the brand. While many deals are pending at this time, there are still categories open. Valero and team are looking to create a fully immersive lifestyle brand across both category and retail tier. “With e-commerce being such a strong retail force, we see consumers shopping across traditional pricing. They seem to want everything from fast fashion to high end limited editions and designer co-brands. We see Paul Frank as one of those rare brands that can live in all of those areas,” according to Valero.
Williams Sonoma Launches Holiday Collaboration with Dolly Parton
Williams Sonoma has announced the launch of a new collaboration in partnership with Dolly Parton. The new collection is inspired by Dolly’s holiday traditions and includes Dolly’s signature sugar cookie mix and a replica gingerbread log cabin reminiscent of her childhood home. Customers and fans of Dolly will also be able to celebrate the holidays with festive aprons and linens decorated in a patchwork design inspired by Dolly’s ‘coat of many colours’. “Sharing my families’ Christmas traditions is a dream come true, and who better to partner with than Williams Sonoma. We joined together to create a whole bunch of goodies that will fit in perfectly with your family celebration or get you started on creating new traditions that will last a lifetime. My mama always made us feel loved by making us treats in our little mountain cabin around the holidays. Now I get to invite all my nieces and nephews and their kids for what we like to call ‘cookie night’. It’s the perfect way to spend time with the special people on your Christmas list.”
G-SHOCK in Second Partnership with Ministry of Defence
Casio Computer has announced the Royal Air Force x G-SHOCK GRAVITYMASTER will be the second timepiece to be released as part of G-SHOCK’s partnership with the Ministry of Defence, in a deal brokered by IMG. G-SHOCK is an unbreakable timepiece built from a ‘Never Give Up’ philosophy that makes it TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
perfectly equipped to support UK Servicemen - both on and off-duty – all over the world. G-SHOCK is already the watch of choice for many in the Armed Forces, and this limited-edition release further cements the partnership as an official licensee of the Ministry of Defence. Designed in conjunction with the Royal Air Force, the watch has been built to accommodate the severe environments faced by pilots using a carbon core guard structure. PAGE 9
NEWS
Synthia SAINT JAMES Signs Worldwide Agreement with East Coast Graphics
World renowned multicultural artist Synthia SAINT JAMES has just licensed East Coast Graphics as a major publisher and global distributor of fine art reproductions of her paintings. Synthia SAINT JAMES, whose artistic career spans over 50 years, is most noted for designing the first Kwanzaa Stamp for the U.S. Postal Service in 1997 and the national and international cover art for Terry McMillan’s book Waiting To Exhale. SAINT JAMES’ art has been featured in U.S. Embassies since the 1990’s through the Art in Embassies Program, and a mere sampling of her clients include The House of Seagram, Coca Cola USA, Maybelline, Essence Communications, Glendale Memorial Hospital, YWCA of Greater Los Angeles, Barnes and Noble and AARP. Her most celebrated collectors include Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Alice Walker, Glynn Turman, Brenda Russell, Regina Taylor, Charles Fuller, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Jenifer Lewis. Awards created by Synthia SAINT JAMES include the “We See You Award”, the “Mosaic Woman Award” and the “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented to His Excellency Nelson Mandela from Africare in 2010. East Coast Graphics, a newly formed division of Crystal Art Gallery, specializes in supplying prominent middle market retailers with highend fine art reproductions on canvas. On their recently launched website - FineArtCanvas.com - they now offer a collection of Synthia SAINT JAMES’ artworks to the public as well.
Interlimsa Announces Expansion
Interlimsa has made available to the male clothing sector, the philosophy, technique and style concentrated in the James & James brand to achieve worldwide dissemination of it that will honor the exceptional work of this great multidisciplinary tailor. The return of the classic style; the rise of sartorial craft brands and bespoke; the resurrection of dormant fashion brands; Paul Poiret (2018), Elsa Schiaparelli (2013) or Charles James in “Phantom Thread” (2017), and the audience increasingly fascinated by the British Royal Family (“The Crown” 2016 & Prince Harry’s wedding) are the true evidence that it is the right time to relaunch the Frederick Scholte fashion brand. This work has been commissioned by Scholte’s descendants to Interlimsa in order to protect and relaunch the legacy of Frederick Scholte. PAGE 10
Brand Central Goes Full Send
Full Send/Nelk Boys announced that they have selected global consumer products agency Brand Central to extend their brand into retail and develop strategic collaborations. Full Send is the popular global lifestyle brand created by a portfolio of massive content creators. “Our team is thrilled to go all in with Brand Central as they are the go-to licensing experts in digital, lifestyle, and pop culture representing brands such as Jake Paul and Ninja,” said Full Send’s business manager, Drew Hill.
LMI Embracing ‘New Normal’ in 2020 with Several Deals
British Motor Heritage in particular; Austin, Austin-Healey Morris and MG will feature in Microsoft’s new Woodstock video game and Lusso for a range of metal signs. BSA is to continue its partnership with Poetic Brands and its significant sales through George. Catsline has recently signed TNT SPORT Korea for Golf products and VIVAT in Ukraine for Backpacks. The 50th Anniversary of the famous ‘That’s the Way It Is’ has sparked new interest in Elvisly Yours. International Space Archives continues to thrive, new licensees include Marcom Force for marketing merchandise for Dell computers and the newly released DM-2 SpaceX-NASA Mission patch has surged a spate of renewals and with-it submissions. Sahinler and MLP have reported spectacular sales. Highclere Castle and SD Biotechnolgies’ relationship continues to expand, and new product launches include Dress Perfumes, Diffusers & Towels. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is taking further steps into the ‘brave new licensing world’ with Ermoda Tekstil for apparel, accessories, home textiles & footwear. Other IPs currently in our portfolio include Fabergé, Hobgoblin, Mayflower 400, ODD SQUAD, PGA, Tarzan, The American Collection, The Day Henry Met and ZORRO.
SELF Magazine Expands Further into Licensing and Commerce
SELF magazine, an authority on health and wellness, has announced the launch of two new seals— SELF Certified and SELF Fave, as the brand expands further into the licensing and commerce spaces. SELF magazine readers turn to the brand as their trusted source for everything health and wellness, including the products the brand recommends on the site, its social media platforms, and in the commerce newsletter, “SELF Shops.” SELF magazine is also announcing a new collaboration with JimmyJane, a leading sexual wellness brand. The collaboration will include an exclusive line of products for personal sexual health and care and will be available for purchase in early 2021. By organically building deep audience trust through its rigorously reported, science-backed, and relatable content, the brand has created the opportunity for e-commerce revenue growth. TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
DISCOVERY
Adapting, Growing and Recognising Opportunity Ian Woods, SVP, International Licensing at Discovery, Inc., talks latest announcements, growth opportunities, and the future... Can you outline some of your activities within the last few months? We have been proactively working with our partners across the industry to ensure we can provide support where needed and maintaining communication when it made sense. Additionally, in partnership with licensees and retailers, strategically shifting launch dates of key products where relevant looking beyond 2020. We decided to launch a handful of collections in markets such as India and the U.K. across Animal Planet and Eurosport. You’re announcing the WROGN x Animal Planet launch in India – can you tell us more about this? This collection is a great opportunity to tap into the causal nature of Animal Planet with a smart collection in partnership with WROGN. The unique designs allowed us to shed light on endangered species in an accessible way with an endorsement message from Virat Kholi, one of the world’s most famous cricketers, to help underline the message in partnership with the local Discovery teams. Is India an important market for you? We’re seeing this market as a growing opportunity across multiple categories, most notably apparel, outdoors and gaming. And tell us about the Eurosport x Le Col launch? This was our second season with Le Col, a great, premium partner for Eurosport. The first launch, we sold out in less than 48 hours and we really wanted to build on that success. We introduced a women’s range as part of the new collection, and we are thrilled with the success. The first drop, which was released in the summer, sold out within 48 hours, the women’s kits going first. We’re maximising this success by releasing another range in September with Le Col manufacturing even more products to ensure we can tap into the popularity of Eurosport as ”The Home of Cycling”. The recent uptick in cycling activity as well as the return to the world of live sports has proven to be a benefit for this collaboration and other Eurosport initiatives. TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
How has Discovery worked around these last challenging few months? Speaking on behalf of my department, it’s been tough, but I have a smart, resilient team and all quickly adapted to working remotely. As well as each other, the priority was to support our existing partners encouraging communication as frequently as made sense. We have also shifted our focus in line with how behaviours began to change: prioritising our digital gaming studios to cater to those fans that were suddenly spending more time playing games and looking at product categories that would enhance consumers’ lives. For example, leaning into the powering people’s passions messaging and focusing on categories like health and well-being, nutrition, “lockdown” fast fashion and education. Finally, making sure we keep communicating with our industry colleagues. These last few months have impacted all us and more than ever we need to be there for each other where we can. What positives that you might not have expected have you noticed emerging during the pandemic? Working from home has allowed the team to be more focused and in many ways, more efficient and effective. We’re an international team and the flexibility that this has brought about, coupled with increased communication and sharper focus has actually resulted in a productivity boost required to navigate the
current state of the markets. It has proven that we have a truly international network both within the team and partners and it has resulted in more focused targeting and ultimately more accessibility to potential clients and decision makers. Consequently, the quality of conversations has been a positive takeaway. Due to our ability to operate flexibly, we have also been able to engage with a number of high-profile brands, partners and retailers that we are planning to work with as we get closer to the new normal. And what about predictions for the future, specifically in licensing – how permanent do you think some changes will be? That’s tough, who can possibly predict anything right now. As an observation we’ve seen consumers and manufacturers gain higher levels of consciousness around sustainability and health and wellbeing. I would hope these trends continue to shape how people consume and I feel will be something that has to form part of any future licensing strategy in order to partner with the right brands across the right products. I hope we see sustainable and causal brands/products continuing to influence consumer choice. I also hope we will see shifts in manufacturing and we start recognising the geographic options increasing for many licensees. How great would it be to see more home grown products on the shelves in the future.
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WEST HAM UNITED
The Heritage, The History, The Future... With their attractive style of play, claret and blue jerseys and a catchy anthem, West Ham United are certainly a unique beast in the football world. Since the early 50s, the club has been known as “The Academy of Football”, with many young and talented players coming through their ranks. With a proud tradition in English football for playing entertaining, attacking football. It is an approach that has thrilled millions since the east London club was formed It is 125 years since the Football Club now known throughout the world as West Ham United came into existence. Even though the club was reformed as West Ham United FC at the turn of the twentieth century, their roots go back to 1885 and the foundation of Thames Ironworks FC. The club was founded by Arnold Hills, the director of the Thames Ironworks shipyard department, the huge shipyard and ironworks famous for its 1860 launch of HMS Warrior, at the time
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the biggest warship in the world; the idea was that a football team would improve the relations between the management and the workers. Their humble beginnings as a works team are a big part of West Ham’s history, which is most evident in the club’s most popular nicknames (the Hammers and the Irons), as well as in the club’s crest, which still features a pair of crossed rivet hammers. Thames Ironworks FC’s first-ever match took place at Hermit Road on 7 September 1895, with the opposition being Woolwich Arsenal’s reserve team, Royal Ordnance and ending in a 1-1 draw and followed by a number of friendlies against local opposition. The Ironworks then played their first competitive match on 12 October 1895. Chatham were the hosts in the FA Cup, with the tie being switched to Kent after the opposition claimed the Hermit Road pitch was ‘unsuitable’. Although the 5-0 loss wasn’t the start Thames Ironworks FC would have wanted, by
the season’s end, they had secured their first silverware, beating Barking in the West Ham Charity Cup final. In addition, the Club pioneered floodlit football, with the Hermit Road pitch being surrounded by light bulbs attached to poles! The steady improvement in the Club’s fortunes since its inception, included the 1904 move to the famous Boleyn Ground. West Ham’s first game at their new home was against Millwall on 1st September 1904. It drew a crowd of 10,000, the majority of whom were rewarded as West Ham ran out 3-0 winners. In the early years the club played in London League, Southern League and Western League. In 1919, West Ham became a member of the Football League and participated in the second division the first season after the war. Four years later, the team was promoted to the first division. The same year, they would partake in a legendary game. It was the first FA Cup final to take place at Wembley Stadium and would later be known as ‘White Horse Final’. There, on 28 April 1923, an estimated 240,000 spectators turned out to watch the final, which Bolton Wanderers won 2-0, but not before a grey horse named ‘Billy’ had helped to clear TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
WEST HAM UNITED
the pitch of people. ‘Hammers’ or ‘Irons’? West Ham United’s most famous nickname is probably the Hammers but in reality the Club were originally known as the Irons, which is not surprising given the foundation of the Club. However, in 1933 Ogden’s, who were part of the Imperial Tobacco Co. issued a series of 50 caricature supporters cards entitled AFC Nicknames. Card 49 depicts a caricature supporter carrying a huge hammer. The cigarette card proved so popular at the time it was reprinted and is still the most widely used nickname today. Football League War Cup winners West Ham United won the Football League War Cup at Wembley in 1940. The Football League War Cup competition was held with the aim of helping to fill the hole left in English football by the suspension of the FA Cup. Charlie Bicknell became the first West Ham United cup-winning captain at Wembley Stadium after they defeated Blackburn Rovers 1-0. Thousands of fans braved the possibility of a German air-raid to attend the match and see West Ham presented with the trophy. After the final, a number of players returned to their service units, while others returned to The Boleyn public house in Green Street for a reception! Things starts taking a turn for the better Up until the 50s, West Ham were a fairly unremarkable club, albeit with a passionate fan base. It wasn’t until Ted Fenton took over as manager that things finally started taking a turn for the better; during his eleven years with the club, Fenton made the club’s youth school an integral part of the club’s identity. This change in philosophy led to West Ham forming a talented team led by Bobby Moore, who would soon become one of the greatest football stars of his era. The 1960’s saw the most-successful period in TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
West Ham’s history with the Club winning the FA Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and, so say many, the FIFA World Cup (with home-grown heroes such as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters) The first major trophy arrived in 1964, when future England Manager Ron Greenwood guided his side through a tricky FA Cup run to beat Preston North End at Wembley 3-2. The following season, 1964/65, West Ham swept aside all before them in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, defeating West Germans TSV 1860 Munich 2-0 in a thrilling final at Wembley, a game described by many commentators as one of the finest football matches of all-time. To cap a memorable hat-trick, Moore, Hurst and Peters returned to the national stadium in 1966, with each playing an influential role in England’s FIFA World Cup success. Moore captained the side, while Hurst bagged a hattrick and young midfielder Peters scored in the 4-2 win over West Germany in the final on 30 July 1966. After sixteen seasons, West Ham Legend Bob-
by Moore departed for Fulham and West Ham found themselves facing him in the 1975 FA Cup final at Wembley. An emotional occasion was settled 2-0 in the Hammers’ favour by two goals from an unheralded 21-year-old centre forward Alan Taylor. Taylor had previously scored braces in both the quarter and semi finals of the competition. The 1975 West Ham team remains the last all-English team to win the FA Cup. In 1980, having swept aside three top flight clubs, another FA Cup final meeting with was set up, this time with high-flying Arsenal. The Gunners were considered hot favourites on a warm and sunny afternoon at Wembley on 10 May 1980, but West Ham rose to the big occasion and lifted the trophy courtesy of Trevor Brooking’s first-half header. The Boys of 86 A season that included an FA Cup run that featured seven ties, including three replays, and inclement winter weather left the Hammers with no league games between 2 February and 15 March 1986 and a fixture backlog in the final weeks of the season.
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WEST HAM UNITED Between 19 April and 5 May, West Ham played their final seven Division One fixtures, winning six of them, but Liverpool had already clinched the title when they lost 3-1 at Everton to fall to a third – still a record-high finish by three places. With a side comprising Cottee, McAvennie, Ward, Stewart, goalkeeper Phil Parks, fullbacks centre-halves Tony Gale and Alvin Martin, midfielders Alan Devonshire, Alan Dickens, Neil Orr, Geoff Pike and George Parris, the ‘Boys of ’86’ remain revered as one of the finest sides West Ham have ever produced. Unfortunately, circumstances conspired against the Hammers, who were unable to compete in European competition the next season due to the ban on English clubs following the Heysel Stadium tragedy. Bubbles West Ham’s association with the song ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ dates back over a century. Well known in London’s music halls, it was adopted by the club some years later. Billy J. Murray, a player for the local Park School was nicknamed ‘Bubbles’. He had taken the name due to his resemblance to a fig-
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ure in Millais’ painting ‘Bubbles’, which was being used in a soap advert at the time, and headmaster Cornelius Beal would take it upon himself to break into the song ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ when the team excelled. Being a close friend of West Ham manager Charlie Paynter and knowing several of the West Ham players through schoolboy football, simply by the coincidence of this relationship, fans took it upon themselves to begin singing ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’, and the song has stuck. Over the years, it has taken different forms. In 1980, the Cockney Rejects recorded their own Punk version and it was even used in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Bubbles are now a major part of home match days with the team running out to the song accompanied by the now famous giant bubbles. The Premier League era In the early Premier League days, West Ham had a talented team with players such as Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, and Joe Cole. The club stayed a midtable club for some years before a relegation 2002-2003 season and when the talents were grabbed by
the top clubs. West Ham has, however, managed to establish themselves in the 2000s as a Premier League team with only brief disruptions. After a disappointing loss in the 2004 playoff final, at the second time of asking, Bobby Zamora’s goal sent the Hammers back up in 2005 However, it was in the 2006 FA Cup that made the biggest headlines with a third consecutive trip to Cardiff, where they would face Liverpool in the final. A thrilling final ended 3-3, with only Steven Gerrard’s added-time stunner denying the Hammers a fourth FA Cup triumph. The tie went to a penalty shootout, which the Reds won 3-1, but West Ham had more than played their part. In 2016, West Ham moved to the new Olympic Stadium after over hundred years at Boleyn Ground. The new Olympic Stadium would swallow 60,000, almost twice the capacity of Boleyn Ground. West Ham Women After the huge success of last year’s campaign, West Ham and the Women’s team are once again proud to be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month. In partnership with breastcancernow.org the Women’s team will be wearing this year’s charity shirt throughout the month of October. The shirt will be on sale at West Ham stores and online at officialwesthamstore.com with all profit going to the charity. TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
NOSTALGIA
Curtis Licensing Offers a Treasure-trove of Nostalgic Art
If 2020 has taught us anything is that life can be challenging at times, and that things can change in an instant. As we find ourselves yearning for an easier, simpler time, it is only natural to reach for the things that bring us comfort…an old favorite t-shirt, the warmth and flavor of a home cooked meal we used to love as kids. It is this longing for the things that make us feel safe and that remind us of a happier, more uncomplicated time that is fueling a renewed interest in nostalgic licensing properties. Nobody understands the power of nostalgia like Curtis Licensing. As the licensing division for America’s oldest magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Curtis has an arsenal of nearly 200 years of nostalgic content including an archive of over ten thousand illustrations. In fact, the wholesome, often humorous images that graced the covers and pages of the magazine were the cornerstone for the publication’s
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success in the first place. Over the years, artists like John Falter, Stevan Dohanos, J.C. Leyendecker and George Hughes created portrayals of daily American life that captured the public’s heart and mind for decades to come. However, no artist was better at idealizing daily family life and what meant to grow up in America than Norman Rockwell. Rockwell created over 300 covers for the Saturday Evening Post and more than 100 inside illustrations. These delightful images keenly capture the innocence, dignity, pride and also often the humor of life in decades past. Since they were first painted and through the work of Curtis Licensing, these images have been featured on thousands of licensed products and countless promotional campaigns, both in the United States and internationally. Product categories include seasonal and every day home décor, stationery and gifts, games and hobbies, publishing, educational uses and apparel. “Our images are classic and they evoke feelings that can’t be easily recreated by modern artwork”, said Cris Piquinela, Director of Licens-
ing and Business Development at Curtis Licensing. “People look at our images and they can’t help but smile. It is interesting because even if the scene displayed does not match the customer’s actual past experience, it usually still stirs an emotion that translates even to our international customers…that longing and appreciation for a simpler, safer time”. A perfect example of an iconic nostalgic image according to Piquinela is Norman Rockwell’s famous “Freedom From Want”, which he painted in 1943. “While the current day reality of a Thanksgiving family dinner may look very different from Rockwell’s portrayal, the idea of a happy, loving family gathered to celebrate together around a lovingly prepared meal is what most of us want for ourselves, so it is very relatable still today. That is why that image is so popular when it comes to licensing.” With a range that covers wide variety of themes including holiday, patriotic, farm, glamour, nautical and many others, Curtis Licensing has images to cover everyone’s needs. You can see a sampling of their vast collection at www.curtislicensing.com
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NOSTALGIA
Greg & Company Cruising By With New Designs Artist Greg Giordano is offering new images and collections for licensing under his business, Greg & Company. Currently working with more than 75 licensees globally, Greg & Company continues to expand their collection of art styles and subjects. The latest designs feature adaptations of vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Recent collections of Heartland America and Nostalgic America have been popular and successful with manufacturers and consumers worldwide. The Heartland America collection includes vintage pick-up and work trucks and tractors. Images from this collection feature beautiful landscapes, rustic barns, and a variety of farm animals. Nostalgic America showcases classic American settings featuring vintage automotive subjects. The artist found inspiration for this line by attending vintage and classic car shows with his 1966 Chevy Pickup. “When I go to car shows, a real
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sense of community is communicated by the people that collect and care for their vintage and classic cars,” says Giordano. “I tried to translate this sense of pride and nostalgia into
my art for this collection.” Both collections have been licensed for various home accents, including blankets, wall décor, garden flags, tin signs, and pillows. Additionally, these images have been licensed for many everyday products, such as jigsaw puzzles, calendars, bookmarks, t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards and other stationery products. Greg Giordano was commissioned by his licensees to create images featuring the Volkswagen, Ford, Dodge, Indian Motorcycle, Chevrolet, and Jeep brands. Greg & Company continues to have success with a multitude of other styles and subjects including vintage farm and patriotic themes, along with widely recognized and treasured adaptations of wildlife, garden birds, pets, seasonal and holiday images. PAGE 17
TEMPTING BRANDS
Tempting New Developments in 2020
Tempting Brands tells us why 2020 has been an exciting year for the company, despite the global challenges, with new deals signed and brand strength confirmed Many exciting things happened during the Corona crisis at Tempting Brands, Lidia Furnica tells Total Brand Licensing. Like everywhere around the globe, highs and lows succeeded each other continuously – but overall a relatively positive feeling is what remains from the past 6 months. They had heart-warming conversations with all of their Italian and Spanish partners who were struck by Corona first and so very hard. Here is an overview of the most important new developments at Tempting Brands.
great success due to the direct link between the ROUTE 66 brand and cars / travel. This summer, Primetta and Tempting Brands celebrated the 25th anniversary of ROUTE
66 sunglasses in Germany. Available at every gas station, the ROUTE 66 products are selling better year after year. Primetta and Tempting Brands therefore also agreed to
ROUTE 66 – Feel the Freedom Assured Products Limited produces a wide range of high-quality cleaning and odour control products. The cooperation with ROUTE 66 will cover a full line of car care and car accessories products that will be launched throughout Europe. ROUTE 66 car waxes, cleaner for cockpit, cleaner for upholstery, wheels cleaner and bug & bird dropping remover are just a few examples of the licensed products.What is probably the most logical brand extension – the car care line of products promises to be a PAGE 18
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TEMPTING BRANDS
extend the license for another 5 years until 2026. A new license agreement with Iconospheric will lead to the availability of ROUTE 66 products in new territories such as Australia and Canada for print on demand for a wide range of licensed products. An extensive line of products for ROUTE 66 leisure wear including T-shirts, polo shirts,
hoodies, shorts, underwear, caps and shoes has been developed for the Brazilian market and will be available this summer season throughout Brazil. Marie-Antoinette – Je Suis Moi We have great news in regards to the Marie-Antoinette brand. A new collection of 20 different models of Marie-Antoinette toiletry bags and cosmetics bags will be launched this holiday season. The collection will be available in more than 1,600 stores, in time for the Christmas shopping season. The collection is developed and produced by the Spanish company Jugavi– Licensing specialists who are passionate about design. Jugavi has been manufacturing toiletry bags, bags and cosmetics for more than 30 years and has more than 15 years of experience in licensing with licenses such as Disney, Miffy, Sesame Street – and now Marie-Antoinette. Jugavi is preparing to launch soon also a ROUTE 66 beauty cases collection.
Pierre de Coubertin will be launched with 200 concepts and designs. A lot of time, work and investments have gone into securing the trademark rights and design of their new brand ‘Pierre de Coubertin’. A quintessential French name, they aim to bring this brand to categories such as elegant, casual and sportwear, fashion accessories and bags and luggage items. Licenses for Europe are already available and Tempting Brands is working on other parts of the world including the United States and Australia / New Zealand. Interested companies can contact Tempting Brands to get an exclusive introduction to the style and the brand essence of Pierre de Coubertin.
Pierre de Coubertin This fall, the very first full style guide of TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
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FESTIVAL OF LICENSING
Brands Flock to the Festival
Adapting nimbly to the ever-changing times, many well-known and new brands will take booths at the virtual show, bringing exciting licensing and extension opportunities. Caroline Mickler Limited is bringing some new representations – and some famous established clients – to the 2020 Festival of Licensing. The line-up includes new signings The Masked Singer and Norman Parkinson, along with Paul McCartney’s children’s book Hey Grandude! and long-term Caroline Mickler successes The Beatles, Yellow Submarine and Fifty Shades of Grey. The Beatles and Yellow Submarine have remained strongly performing brands over many years and are constantly being discovered and embraced by new generations. The licensing programmes are tiered to appeal to all ages and price ranges, but quality is the constant. Lego Art, the latest collaboration with The Beatles, allows fans to create pop art
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portraits of the Fab Four, and was the focal point of a retail installation in Harrods. Norman Parkinson is one of the most important and celebrated fashion photographers of the twentieth century, with a portfolio of wonderfully elegant and instantly recognisable photos. His more than 30 years at the top – from the 1950s to the 1980s – included a long and legendary collaboration with Vogue Magazine. Lifestyle brands licensing agency Art Ask Agency are exhibiting at the first edition of The Festival of Licensing, launching its new representation of the Nordic lifestyle brand Finlayson. Beautiful patterns and iconic designs give this lifestyle brand huge scope across all categories. The Uniqlo launch of apparel ranges for women, girls and babies in 2020 gave the brand a flying start in licensing out. Finlayson is a leading Finnish design company since 1820 with roots in social responsibility, innovation and striking design. In its early days, Finlayson rapidly became the largest industrial company in the Nordics with its own church, hospital, school and fire brigade. Finlayson was the first company in Finland to employ women and offer them an opportunity for an independent livelihood. Finlayson continues to bear responsibility for society by focusing on sustainable business operations and taking a firm stand on behalf of a better world. In addition, Art Ask Agency will be showcasing its other top lifestyle brands, namely Anne Stokes Collection, Frida Kahlo, Brandalised, TVBOY, Pets Rock, IA London, The
Camden Collection, VisseVasse, Route 66 and Marie-Antoinette. Banijay will be bringing an extensive slate to this year’s Festival of Licensing, following its recent acquisition of Endemol Shine Group. With the largest international content catalogue, comprising 88,000+ hours, Banijay holds brand licensing rights working in a number of categories including consumer products, gaming and gambling initiatives. The Banijay portfolio now includes the world’s most successful cookery television format, Masterchef, which airs in over 200 territories and is watched by over 300 million people globally; Temptation Island; Peaky Blinders; Survivor; Deal or No Deal; Big Brother; Tipping Point; Operation Triunfo; Eat Well for Less’ Simon’s Cat; Mr Bean; recently refreshed heritage cookery brand, Ready Steady Cook; Black Mirror; local French beauty series, Miss France; gameshow classic, Wipeout, and physical gameshow, Crystal Maze. Brainbase is a technology company that helps globally recognized brands manage and monetize their intellectual property. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and is backed by leading investors in San Francisco, LA, New York, and Europe. Brainbase’s flagship platform, Brainbase Assist, helps companies manage any licensing, partnership or sponsorship agreement from end-to-end in a single platform. With unlimited user seats, Assist allows you to collaborate with all of your colleagues and licensing partners and handle the legal, financial and creative touchTOTAL BRAND LICENSING
FESTIVAL OF LICENSING points all in one place. Key features include contract management, royalty reporting, creative approvals, digital asset management and analytics. Assist can integrate with your existing apps, is built on the latest tech stack, lives on the cloud and is available on any browser and device. Brainbase’s global customer base includes some of the largest brands and licensing agencies in the world including Sanrio, BuzzFeed, kathy ireland Worldwide, MDR Brand Management, Rights and Brands and IMC Licensing. Brand Central are showcasing their roster of industry-leading clients at this year’s virtual Festival of Licensing. Brand Central works with world class brands to create powerful brand extensions that spark cultural conversations, build brand love and generate significant revenue for their clients. Their portfolio of clients range from food and beverage brands (Tapatio Hot Sauce, Cap’n Crunch, SONIC Drive-In Restaurants, Kraft Heinz and Mondelez brands), to popular entertainment and digital brands to trending lifestyle brands. Their mission is to help clients unlock the full potential of their brands to enhance value while generating substantial revenue. This year, the agency will also feature Brand Central Insights, their customized trend intelligence service that provides up-to-date insight reports on the latest industry trends for leading licensors, media companies, manufacturers and retailers. Brand Central Insights offers actionable recommendations to clients based on deep industry knowledge on how trends emerge, evolve and achieve resonance. It also provides features such as extensive retail analysis and industry insights about the “next big thing.” It’s been exciting year for Brandgenuity in Europe. G2 Esports, one of the leading entertainment brands in esports, partnered with Brandgenuity to strategically expand its global licensing program, and has since signed 2 new licensees. The first is Difuzed, for a line of apparel that will have multiple design drops. G2 has also partnered with The Koyo Store for a range of collectible logo and player cards, pins, keychains and coins. 2020 has been another strong year for the PAGE 22
NFL Players Association in Europe with 2 new partners, Dein Design and Butterfly Effected. Dein Design will produce NFL player branded mobile phone cases and Butterfly Effected has launched mobile themes across all android mobile theme stores. Finally, Panini launched the 2020 NFL/NFLPA sticker book collection at Asda, Sainsbury’s and WHSmith’s stores across the UK. Brandgenuity has partnered with global FMCG company, Unilever, to represent their Heartbrand ice cream portfolio as part of a new licensing program. Licensed product will feature assets from the vast portfolio of Heartbrand ice creams including favourites Cornetto, Twister, Calippo and more. Recently, two new partners were signed on, Bro Licensing and Sabor. Bro Licensing will develop fun and vibrant apparel ranges for young adults to launch in 2021, while Sabor will focus on Algida branded apparel and nightwear for high street in the Italian market. The Brand Liaison has announced its recent representation of Luxury Floral Illustrator Grace Ciao. She is a renowned social influencer and illustrator known for her many collaborations with luxury brands, has appointed The Brand Liaison to lead its licensing business in North America. Featuring her distinctive watercolor style incorporated with multi-dimensional floral petals, Grace Ciao art brings colorful, mood-lifting designs to life. Collaboration partners that have featured Grace Ciao art on consumer products and ad campaigns include international brands such as Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, JW Marriott and many more. Grace has also been invited to illustrate at the luxury events of Chanel, Dior and Jaeger-LeCoultre. More recently, Grace Ciao partnered with Korean skincare brand, Yehwadam on their limited edition skincare sets that are sold in TheFace-
Shop stores worldwide. Now, as part of its tiered licensing strategy, the Grace Ciao brand has appointed The Brand Liaison as its licensing agent to manage its licensing program in North America. The Brand Liaison will continue to feature prestigious luxury collaborations as well as licensed products designed for department and specialty stores, off price and mid-tier retailers, and mass merchants in various categories such as home goods, tabletops, gifts, wall art, social stationery, greetings cards. The new Master licensee for global celebrity Brigitte Bardot, one of the most beautiful women of the world is at the Festival this year. B.B embodies strong values: joyous sensuality, at once authentic and bold, and her respect of nature and animals is resolutely inspiring. The company is looking for licens-
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ees in a wide range of fashionable and quality products. Bulldog works with a number of the world’s leading brand owners to develop merchandise programmes ready for the international and domestic licensing markets. Working with both the owners of existing brands to develop and enhance their consumer products programmes, and with the owners of more nascent IPs to help create brands that are fit for purpose in the highly competitive world of brand licensing. Bulldog has grown since its foundation in 2007 to become one of the leading agencies in Europe. Bulldog has an excellent reputation and contacts throughout the world of retailing and licensing in the UK and the Managing Director is a regular contributor to industry trade press articles and seminars. The company works with a network of the world’s leading licensing agents to ensure a cohesive approach to branding and product quality. Celebrities Entertainment GmbH, a full service agency, specialized in Licensing and Brand Extension and with a strong expertise in iconic Rock n Roll licensing, will exhibit at this year’s Festival of Licensing. The German-based licensing specialists will showcase their portfolio which is loaded with the who’s who in music history. For example, TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
AC/DC – the veterans of Rock n Roll - are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their album Highway to Hell, which turned out to be singers Bon Scott’s last studio album. And the next anniversary – 40 years Back in Black in 2020 – the bands most successful studio album is just around the corner. In addition to AC/DC, Celebrities Entertainment represents a wide range of truly iconic IP’s for the European territories including David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Police, Kiss, Def Leppard, The Cavern Club and Woodstock. Further properties include Godzilla, Route 66, Atari and Football’s Coming Home.
properties including The World of Eric Carle featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Dick Bruna’s Miffy; Rainbow’s 44 Cats.
Dependable Solutions is avidly participating in the Festival of Licensing as it aims to connect, learn and do business on an international stage. From a digital supplement of Brand Licensing Europe, FOL has now transformed into a month-long initiative and the most anticipated event of the year. In addition to feeding educational and regional specific content and having attendees engaged in activities, we are confident that FOL is going to be a seamless platform to celebrate brand licensing industry with colleagues, coming from every part of the world. The teams are excited with the opportunity to showcase the company’s services, connect with professionals and strike deals, in key territories, throughout the event. Dependable Solutions is the the Gold sponsor of Global C-suite summit.
Metrostar has signed up for the Festival of Licensing and will be working with a new client, Kraft Heinz to use the event as a platform for a hard launch of its brands into licensing. (Please see the separate interview with Claire Potter in this magazine!) The two companies, along with agent, Brand Central, have been working with Kraft Heinz brand teams on strategies for each of the brands in the UK and have identified their key priorities for the show. A variety of Heinz sub-brands will be on show, including Tomato Ketchup, Baked Beans, Salad Cream, Cream of Tomato Soup, Spaghetti Hoops, as well as other brands in the portfolio such as HP Sauce, Lea & Perrins, Amoy and Bull’s Eye.
The Joester Loria Group is a global licensing agency recognized for executing award-winning brand extension program, delivering dynamic brands collaborations and for pioneering experiential licensed programs. JLG’s diverse roster of client includes McDonald’s, Pepsi-Cola North America beverage brands Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Aquafina; Frito-Lay’s Cheetos and Doritos brand; Constellation Brands Beer portfolio including, Corona Extra and Modelo Especial; Kellogg’s portfolio of cereal and snack brands including Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Cheez-It and Pringles; Entenmann’s baked goods; Jack Link’s meat snacks; WeWearCute, TikTok’s leading kid content creators, and children’s literary and entertainment
LMCA is a global brand extension licensing agency. With over $7.25 billion in annual retail licensed sales and more $100+ million licensing programs than any other firm, LMCA has been helping the world’s leading brands grow and generate new revenue in the United States and around the world for over 3 decades. Brands to be showcased include Compaq, Sharper Image, Admiral, George Foreman, Westinghouse, Fruit of the Loom, among many others.
The National Gallery Company is the commercial arm of the National Gallery. Their purpose is to generate income for the Gallery, enhance the visitor experience in the Gallery and reach markets beyond the Gallery, so that future generations are able to enjoy the paintings. Every licensing deal supports the National Gallery. They like to partner with licensees to create the best possible products and experiences, including international cafes and pop up shops, all showcasing images of some of the best-known paintings ever created. They have over 40 partners in the following categories - gifting, art prints, accessories, jewellery, homewares and interiors, apparel, flowers and book publishing, and are always looking for new categories and opportunities to bring master paintings to life in a contemPAGE 23
FESTIVAL OF LICENSING porary way. They also have a strong licensing programme in the Far East and would like to build on this success in other international regions, across key categories and also food and beverage with their Delicious Art sub-brand. The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world. In January 2020, the Museum launched a new strategy in which it outlined its mission to create advocates for the planet: individuals who feel sufficiently informed, confident and motivated to make a positive difference to the global future. The Museum’s licensing programme is closely aligned with this strategy and its recent capsule collection with Finisterre is a great example. Other recent successes include the launch of The Dinosauria Collection, a collaboration with The Royal Mint that saw dinosaurs featured on UK coins for the first time, and a childrenswear collection with Japanese global retailer Uniqlo. This year at the Festival of Licensing the team are launching the Wildlife Photographer of the Year brand, an international showcase of the very best in nature photography; a brand that invites people to experience the uniquely emotive power of photography. The team are keen to meet with potential new partners to discuss the exciting activities planned at the Museum over the next three years, to share their brand-new style guides, and to explore how together they can work to build on an already successful licensing programme. Independent agency Sagoo will be exhibiting its wide range of properties ranging from children’s brands such as Rilakkuma, through to adult properties including three newly represented Endemol series and innovative art brand, Keith Haring. In a recent deal, Sagoo was named as the French agent for three global properties from Endemol Shine Group, including culinary talent show, MasterChef; multi award-winning BBC post-war British drama, Peaky Blinders and popular animation, Simon’s Cat. The first licensees are PAGE 24
due to be revealed shortly. Sagoo also works with Miffy. On the music front, Sagoo is proud to add to its portfolio of legendary artists such as The Beatles, AC/DC, Blondie or David Bowie, the iconic Jazz and Soul Legends: Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. The Smiley Company has carefully crafted a unique business based on co-creation with like-minded partners who share its passion for creativity and positivity. Partners looking to utilise Smiley’s original position as one of the leading cultural icons of the last century and leveraging Smiley’s ‘always on’ design studio. Today The Smiley Company works with over 420 licensees, brands and retailers across its portfolio of IPs that include; SmileyOriginals, SmileyWorld, Smiley Baby, The Smileys, Newmoji and Rubik’s Brand Ltd. As a full subsidiary of tesa, Tesa Scribos is a part of Tesa SE within the Beiersdorf Group. Beiersdorf works in nternational brand management with its own global brands such as Nivea, Hansaplast and Eucerin, with strong experience as licensors of Walt Disney or football clubs like Paris St. Germain plus the expertise of Tesa with market-leading adhesive solutions, merged with the pioneering expertise in intelligent marking solutions and digital tools of tesa scribos. Clients include world-leading companies such as Peugeot, Bosch, Castel, Danone and Chloé. TSBA Group is one of the UK’s leading sport and brand licensing agencies. Their team of licensing experts work on a global basis to deliver award-winning licensing programmes for brands including Transport for London, FIA Formula E, The Open, Jaguar Racing, Extreme E, Nissan Nismo, DS Techeetah, FIA World Touring Cars and the National Portrait Gallery. The award-winning licensing programme of the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) offers an almost infinite source of design inspiration for a multitude of product categories. Despite its challenges, 2020 has seen some fantastic launches for the V&A. After an amazing reaction to the V&A’s
March launch with Blinds 2Go in the UK, there was a further launch with Tuiss Décor Japan over the summer. The collections of made-to-measure blinds and curtains feature 8 beautiful William Morris patterns. Plans are now underway to introduce the range in Europe this year. Exciting debut ranges in the UK this autumn include Cherry Glass Design’s bespoke decorative glass panels for bathrooms and kitchens, crafting fabrics with Visage, and The Branded Tile Company who are reintroducing the popular V&A wall and floor tiles. Meanwhile, ethical fashion licensee People Tree will launch a new capsule collection inspired by the Museum’s textile archive. Asia is still a key focus area and the team continue to work with their licensing agents in China (Alfilo Brands) and South Korea (Infiniss) on expanding product categories, launching new ranges and growing brand recognition. Collaborations in China include a cosmetics range with beauty brand Lansur, accessories with She’s, and a collection of Alice in WonTOTAL BRAND LICENSING
FESTIVAL OF LICENSING derland themed tableware with ceramics specialist Joyye. Whilst in South Korea the team launched a range of women’s apparel with premium fashion brand Michaa. With over 85 licensees, the long-established programme shows no signs of stopping and continues to welcome opportunities to broaden its offering and create new collaborations. WildBrain CPLG was appointed as the licensing agent for Harvard University in Europe, Middle East and Russia earlier this
year. Under its dedicated Lifestyle division, the agency is now developing a strategic licensing programme targeting adults, teens and kids across categories including apparel, accessories, bags and stationery, which will be inspired by the university’s heritage and iconic global status. WildBrain CPLG has launched the brand into fashion retailers including Stradivarius and Zara. The agency is in discussions on further deals for apparel, bags and homewares to tap into the on-going retail and pop culture trend for products
Bethan Garton, Commercial Director talks exclusively to us about retailers and licensing agents - creating a relationship that works for everyone. The Point.1888 is exhibiting at Festival of Licensing. Bethan will be taking part in two ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions being held live on Tuesday 6 October & Thursday 8 October from 11-12pm. The Covid-19 pandemic may have hit the retail industry hard, but this isn’t the first challenge the sector has had to overcome. As history has shown us, retailers are masters of resilience and agility, evolving their approaches and goals for survival as well as success. Part of this comes down to the relationships they’ve fostered with experts in supporting industries - such as brand licensing - who they can rely on for honest advice and assistance in seeking out the best opportunities. Retail buyers have their day job to do and also the added job of working out which brands to back – it’s a minefield that we at The Point.1888 are only too happy to help them with, ensuring they don’t overbuy on certain brands. We don’t want retailers sitting on stock they cannot sell; we want product at the right stock levels which sell through and get a repeat order. Because retailers are having to move the goalposts so often, it’s a job in itself for brand licensing agents to keep up. You have to work with them very closely to ensure your plans stay aligned with theirs. Gone are the days when you can just speak to a retailer once or twice a year to understand their strategy - you have to be in constant dialogue, whilst being careful not to waste their time. To make it work, licensing agents need to have a dedicated resource for retail - we wouldn’t be without this. While the entire team engage and have relationships with buyers and two of our senior team are ex-buyers, that’s not enough these days. Our Head of Retail, Hannah Stevens, understands retail more than anyone else in our team and she works tirelessly to ensure retail buyers at all levels feel valued and that every stage of the product process is working as it should. You may not be able to see the benefit of a retail head count on your P&L but for us it’s a MUST. It’s a lot of work getting around all of the retailers and multiple buyers, week after week. Having expertise within the team is key. Retailers find it hard to sign up new suppliers and we feel this is vital as new partners bring innovation and fresh
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inspired by universities. Yale licensed merchandise is an important part of the Yale mission, serving to help promote the Yale brand throughout the world. Committed to working with licensees that share the institutions vision of product excellence, the merchandise range speaks to the rich traditions of this university. The global approach to licensing includes working closely with each partner, to help ensure their Yale experience is mutually successful for the university and licensee.
perspective. We’re not afraid to go back to basics when needed either. It’s wrong to assume everyone understands brand licensing which is why Hannah runs regular sessions with retailers to talk them through how it all works. In fact, we offer retailer buyers the opportunity at any time of the year to spend the day with us so we can bring them up to speed on all things licensing. We also take part in the Licensing International (BLE) Retail Mentor scheme. With the current restrictions on face-to-face contact, it may seem hard to build relationships but that shouldn’t be an excuse. The last few months have actually been good for our retailer relationships as we’ve been able to talk to four or five per day rather than one previously. Instead of spending hours on the road, we’re strategising on a Google Meet or Microsoft Teams meeting, saving us and the buyers so much time. You can’t beat a face to face every now and then but until that’s possible, we’ll make this work. And you can too.
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FOOD & DRINK
Big Business for Metrostar with Kraft Heinz Metrostar’s Claire Potter talks to Total Brand Licensing about the company’s partnership with Kraft Heinz and why it is a perfect placement
You’ve been signed by Kraft Heinz to manage its brand licensing in the UK and Ireland – how did the deal come about? Brand Central LLC is the exclusive licensing agency for Kraft Heinz for the United States and Canada. There was an opportunity for Brand Central to expand their territory into the United Kingdom and they decided the
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best approach was to partner with a local UK agency. Fortunately, they chose Metrostar as their UK partner for this opportunity. We had worked previously with Brand Central on Krispy Kreme so we knew we had the combined expertise, relationship and process to build a successful program. We were selected by Kraft Heinz UK and we announced our joint representation in June. Why is Metrostar perfectly placed to work with Kraft Heinz? We have fmcg food experience and big brand management experience gained from working in senior brand management roles in bluechip firms. So we’re brand managers first and licensing agents second. When I set up Metrostar in 2004, I brought the skills and processes gained from working in global food companies like Unilever and Dalgety. They underpin our strategy planning and ensure the brand promise is delivered effectively and also naturally in each licensed product. Kraft Heinz were also keen to extend beyond their traditional grocery retail base. We have always had a strong retail focus, which has helped us to secure a large number of DTRs and retail ex-
clusives for our brands. What are your immediate plans for the brand in UK and Ireland? We have just completed strategy planning with each brand team at Kraft Heinz to identify their key product categories for both food and non-food opportunities. We’re fortunate to have a long list of iconic brands such as Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Heinz Beanz, Heinz Salad Cream, Heinz Tomato Soup, Heinz Pasta, HP Sauce, Lea & Perrins, Amoy and Bulls-Eye.
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FOOD & DRINK There are merchandise categories that extend across the brand portfolio so we have already had some promising conversations in apparel and gift. We will quickly start extending our reach into other areas such as homewares, beauty and stationery. The natural brand extensions, however lie in food licensing and we will be approaching a select list of partners in the highest potential categories for each brand starting at the Festival of Licensing. Obviously it’s a very well-known brand name across the globe. Will you be working on any worldwide campaigns with other agents? Many of the brands we work on are British in origin or have a unique history in the UK market, such as HP Sauce. Brand Central and the global licensing team have begun the process of exploring potential sub-agents across the globe in key territories where Kraft Heinz has strong brand equities, distribution and local marketing offices. And what are you most excited about in your new partnership? We’re especially excited about the potential these brands have to extend into big consumer goods food categories like snacking, chilled
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and frozen. The brands have emotional resonance with UK consumers which goes back decades and are some of our most trusted food brands. YouGov lists Heinz as the UK’s most popular food brand. If you’re a UK food company interested in growing market share, the Kraft Heinz portfolio presents a unique and valuable opportunity. They’re also brands with great personalities and a rich history so there’s opportunities for imaginative and playful merchandise. On a general level, 2020 has of course been a disruptive year – how are you overcoming the challenges that Covid-19 has brought, for example not being able to attend trade shows etc? It’s been the most challenging year for Metrostar since we started in 2004. Every category and market has been affected to some extent. What is most chastening is talking with colleagues in developing economies where government support for businesses and individuals has been very low. We are so very lucky by
comparison. It has been hard not to be able to meet with partner agents and licensees in Asia, Europe and the US but video conferencing has been invaluable; it’s kept us connected and enabled us to take part in events. I very much enjoyed contributing to Licensing International’s Licensing Essentials Programme and we’re looking forward to the Festival of Licensing where the Kraft Heinz brands will be a big feature for our agency. And what issues do you think the brand licensing industry has to overcome these strangest of times? I think a big issue facing British retail stores – especially outside of grocery - is offering difference as well as value. People haven’t shopped in so long. They need reasons to come through the door. Licensing offers an enormous range of brands and working with a license is a great way to differentiate your offer and appear more interesting and exciting to shoppers. Likewise licensing could be more retail-oriented. I love the way Informa connects UK retailers and brand owners through the Retail Mentoring Programme. It would be great to see more opportunities for retail and licensing to connect.
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FOOD & DRINK Baileys Marbled Celebration Cake
Mouth-Watering Deals Abound in Food & Drink Numerous brands are tapping into the rewards that food and drink deals can bring
From top food brands to those entering into partnerships with food and drink licenses, this is a hugely growing area of the brand licensing business. Innovation and creativity are the order of the day, with many brands stepping up the food and beverage plate with gusto. WildBrain CPLG has secured a deal with Kikkoman Corporation’s master global agent, Tact Communications, to represent the brand Kikkoman in Europe. WildBrain CPLG will build Kikkoman as a lifestyle brand in Europe targeting adults with a focus on fashion collaborations, apparel, accessories, kitchenware, and food gifting categories. Tokyo-based ZenWorks facilitated the deal and is on board as a consultant. Victoria Whellans, Group Brands Director at WildBrain CPLG Lifestyle, said: “Soy sauce is a staple condiment in households and restaurants across Europe, with Kikkoman’s PAGE 28
iconic brand being instantly recognisable and celebrated for its quality. We look forward to working closely with Kikkoman Corporation and Tact Communications to assemble an engaging lifestyle consumer products programme which captures the rich heritage of Kikkoman.” Shunsuke Tamura, President of Tact Communications, commented: “We are pleased to partner with WildBrain CPLG Lifestyle and look forward to building a strong licensing programme for Kikkoman in Europe with them.” Kikkoman has been supporting the development of Japanese food culture since the 1600s. Since its establishment in 1917, Kikkoman has held a management policy to blend its deep-seated traditions with a sense of innovation that is both responsive and perceptive. Kikkoman’s motto is to promote the international exchange of food culture. Whether introducing Japanese food
culture to the world, or bringing Japan in contact with the food cultures of other countries, Kikkoman is committed to the ongoing fulfillment of this goal. In the world market, Kikkoman has been dedicating efforts to familiarise people with Kikkoman Soy Sauce, which is essential to Japanese food culture. In fact, today the word “Kikkoman” has already become synonymous with soy sauce – a taste that is enjoyed all over the world. Kikkoman Soy Sauce is shipped to over 100 countries from its seven overseas factories, located in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Kikkoman also distributes Asian foods through its global wholesale network, serving up Japanese and other Asian foods worldwide to enrich eating styles and satisfy any taste. Bahlsen, the German family-owned biscuit company, has announced the launch of two of their most luxurious biscuits yet -- Bahlsen Choco Leibniz Baileys and Bahlsen Baileys Squares, the product of a partnership brokered by Beanstalk, Diageo’s global brand extension licensing agency. The new, limited-edition biscuits have been created in collaboration with Baileys and have been expertly crafted to include complementary textures of smooth chocolate and crisp TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
FOOD & DRINK biscuit with Baileys flavouring that consumers know and love. Harvest Hill Beverage Company, owner of iconic beverage brands SUNNYD, Juicy Juice and Daily’s Cocktails has engaged New York-based Seltzer Licensing Group to help expand its line of renowned, beloved beverages into new product categories. Seltzer Licensing Group will work closely with the teams at SUNNYD, Juicy Juice and Daily’s to secure new licensing partners across multiple categories. Categories include apparel and accessories, health and beauty, snack,
frozen novelty, and other food & beverages. Harvest Hill Beverage Company, based in Stamford, CT, is owned by private equity firm Brynwood Partners, and acquired the SUNNYD brand from J.W. Childs in February 2016. Television host Robert Irvine has announced a launch of his new cookware line with leading kitchenware manufacturer Cricket Product Labs, a division of Halex Holdings, LLC to debut on QVC starting in the later part of 2020. Under the new license, Cricket will be devel-
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oping collections of pots and pans including skillets, cast iron pans, bakeware and bar-bque tools and accessories, that are designed to simplify your life and make every day cooking a pleasure. The new Robert Irvine cookware products will debut on QVC with Robert Irvine live appearances slated for later this month and will be available for further retail distribution Spring 2021. The Robert
Irvine, Cricket Labs license was created by The Brand Liaison, as Robert Irvine’s licensing agent. “Every great meal starts with careful preparation and the right kitchen tools,” said Chef Robert Irvine. “I personally inspected their products and met with the team at Cricket before we ever even considered this license.” The Robert Irvine brand has already experienced success with his FITCRUNCH Protein Baked Bars and Snack Bars, FITCRUNCH Collagen Peptides, FITCRUNCH Protein Powder, and recently launched, vegan bar FITBAR. Robert also offers healthy meals and snacks under the brand Robert Irvine Foods. Perrier has announced a new, vibrant collaboration with renowned artist Takashi Murakami, inspired by the pop and colourful universe of the artist and the creative and pioneering spirit of Perrier: Perrier x Murakami. In early October 2020, two premium Limited Edition Perrier screen printed glass bottles featuring original artworks by Takashi Murakami will be launched around the world. In early 2021, the full Perrier Original range will be released in the colours and motifs of Murakami, followed by a Roland Garros Limited Edition to be released only in TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
FOOD & DRINK
France. Takashi Murakami’s signature smiling flowers will bring an extra pop of colour and joy to the iconic green bottles, Cake manufacturer Finsbury Food Group and Diageo are celebrating their successful partnership by introducing the Baileys Marbled Celebration Cake to the ever-growing Baileys range, just in time for the cosy autumn months. Since 2018, Finsbury Food Group has been working closely with Diageo on its Baileys and Guinness brands to introduce the first range of adults-only cakes to supermarket shelves. Successfully launching the Baileys Freakshake Cake, Baileys Chocolate Yule Log, Bailey’s Salted Caramel Cupcakes and most recently, the Wimbledon inspired Baileys Strawberries and Cream Cake, Finsbury has now created a product that celebrates the signature flavourings of Baileys, teamed with the new, trending, marble technique. Jack Cook-Broussine, Brand Manager for Finsbury Food Group, said: “As our Baileys range continues to do so well, demonstrated by the retailers’ response, we’re keen to continue working hard, creating delicious cutting-edge cakes that deliver something different to the cake fixture. As the autumn months approach, we want to give consumers a product that echoes current trends in the baking industry, at ease. Think, sat by the fire on a drizzly day with a piping hot cup of tea and slice of Bailey’s TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
Marbled Cake. We see huge opportunities to build on the momentum of the range and continue to add more exciting SKUs in the future.” BBF Limited has continued its partnership with Nestlé Professional by announcing a brand new Rolo celebration cake.
Set to hit shelves this year across multiple major retailers, including 380 Tesco stores and over 300 Morrisons stores, this never-before-seen celebration chocolate sponge follows a long line of new products from the manufacturer in recent months, including a range of Rolo cupcakes, also in collaboration with Nestlé Professional, at the end of 2019. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Nestlé Pro-
fessional on another exciting Rolo product launch, following last year’s successful cupcake rollout,” comments Jonathan Lill, CEO of BBF Limited. “Despite the challenges of the last few months, our NPD team has been working hard to ensure our product offering remains firmly at the forefront of the industry as we respond to the growing trend for indulgent treats to help celebrate life’s milestones.” A new collection, Lipton X Prima Maria, has been announced from Ukraine. Art Nation Agency developed the creative concept of the new herbal Lipton Natura Botanica line for Unilever Ukraine. The creative agency’s team had a goal to emphasize the natural composition of tea without flavorings, taking into account the overall positioning of the Lipton brand. The history of the legendary tea started in 1880. The Lipton brand continues to grow, using natural resources, like rain, wind and sunshine. These natural phenomena and the
natural ingredients in the new Lipton Natura Botanica line had to be emphasized and keep the brand recognizable at the same time. Art Nation Agency proposed the collaboration with Prima Maria art brand, created based on the outstanding creative work of artist, Maria Primachenko. In a licensing arrangement brokered by Beanstalk, TGI Fridays is moving to aisles of UK retailer Iceland, with a range of frozen appetizers and desserts. Beanstalk is the longstanding brand extension licensing agency for TGI Fridays. As the UK’s leading frozen food retailer, Iceland is the perfect retail partner to bring “That Fridays Feeling” into freezers across the UK. PAGE 31
PINK KEY
Pink Key Goes Purple Vimto is a brand with real pedigree – nationally renowned and proudly from the North it also has a proven licensing pedigree! It all began in Manchester in 1908 where John Noel Nichols created the drink we know and love as a herbal health tonic using a secret recipe combining fruits, herbs and spices from around the world – it was a pick me up, giving the consumer ‘vim’ (energy and enthusiasm) and ‘vigour’ (strength and power). But the brand we know now as Vimto has never stood still. From its rich heritage it has kept itself contemporary by adapting to changes in consumer conditions and tastes and has devel-
oped a versatile product range. There are numerous ways now in which you can enjoy the great taste of Vimto - from the ‘schlurp’ out of a can to hot (yes, hot!) Vimto to fend off those chilly winter nights. Yet, through all these developments, the brand character has always remained constant - a fun loving, high-quality, refreshingly different soft drink. Vimto is no stranger to the licensing world, and has already acquired many food licensees managed by their dedicated Licensing Manager, Helen Hartley, who has brought on board a PAGE 32
number of partners including: • Confectionery with Vimto Bon Bons, Jelly Babies and Juicy Mixups • Frozen foods with Vimto Ice Lollies, Pyramids and No Added Sugar Remix Ice Pops • Dedicated Vimto ‘Factories’ in Selfridges, the Trafford Centre Manchester and the Bullring Birmingham, offering Vimto Slush, drinks and confectionery. Now, for the first time, Vimto is extending its licensing programme to take both the contemporary brand and its rich history and heritage into the non-food arena. Pink Key Licensing has been appointed as Vimto’s exclusive UK agent to develop the non-food programme and will be offering new licensees two brand new style guides. The first will focus on the brand’s history and is packed with visuals of posters, packs and amazing artwork from the extensive Vimto archive including Vimto logos and slogans. Richard Pink of Pink Key says ‘the Vimto archive is extraordinary in its range of colour and usable assets. It’s a brand that I’ve always felt would be an ideal fit with what we do so well, and I’m delighted that Vimto think so too!’ There is no doubt that Vimto seems to naturally fit within Pink Key’s portfolio that includes food brands Kellogg’s, Pringles, SLUSH PUPPiE and The Laughing Cow, alongside the heritage programme that Richard and his team have been running for Pan American Airways. Having said this, Richard is equally excited about the second style guide: ‘Vimto is a brand that has truly adapted and grown, and the contemporary style guide has a richness about it that positions it perfectly to attract core Vi-
mto consumers and fans. It’s really adaptable and bang up to date, which is going to help us develop the fashion based items we think would be perfect as a complement to the food programme’. There are already early discussions going on with interested licensees, however, Pink Key will shortly be attending the Festival of Licensing Europe and is keen to talk to any licensees who want to look at Vimto from either its heritage or contemporary points of view. “Having lived in Manchester myself,” says Richard, “I have an appreciation of just how proud the people are of home grown and developed brands - they are fiercely loyal. And it’s not just anecdotal: Vimto is a nationally recognised brand, but in its home-town its popularity rivals the best in the world!” If you are interested in talking to Pink Key about licensing Vimto you can contact Richard on richard@pinkkey.co.uk
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SPORT BRANDS
Formula 1 Teams with Topps
Formula 1 has announced an exclusive multi-year partnership with Topps to become the Official Sticker and Trading Card Licensee around the world. The partnership will see a range of physical and digital collections featuring all 20 drivers and ten teams in the 2020 season, as well as commemorating the sport’s most iconic drivers, teams and moments. Some collections will also feature all drivers and teams from the FIA Formula 2 Championship, as we celebrate the next generation of F1 stars. Topps has designed a range of innovative card products, including the new Turbo Attax trading card game, which becomes part of the popular Attax brand that already boasts officially licensed football, baseball and wrestling collections. Additional premium sets will include Topps Dynasty F1, which will feature genuine driver autographs and actual pieces of driver race-worn suits and the Topps Chrome F1 collection, one of the most popular trading card products worldwide. F1 Topps NOW cards will feature regularly on topps.com in limited print-on-demand quantities, which offers fans the chance to create a collection as unique and unpredictable as the racing on the track.
Major League Wrestling Enters Licensing for First Time
Sports Snapshot
Featuring some of pro wrestling’s most storied and iconic families, with several 2nd and 3rd generation athletes, Major League Wrestling has become the sport’s blend of modern style mixed with nostalgia. MLW packages its content distinctly for both millennial and Latino fight fans, giving the property broad appeal. With a deep & diverse roster ranging from ex-WWE Superstars, globally known Mexican luchadores and top ranked UFC fighters to the best up and coming talent from across the globe, MLW wrestlers have diverse backgrounds with a cultural connection that makes them relatable and inspiring to fans. Wrestling legacy brands “The Hart Foundation,” “The Von Erichs,” and “The Samoan Dynasty” are among both in-ring performers and company controlled brands available for license in addition to the MLW brand itself. MLW creative is lead by former senior WWE Creative Executive Court Bauer. Court and his creative team are rich in experience producing pro wrestling for WWE, NBC, the USA Network, the CW, Sinclair Broadcasting and PayPer-View outlets worldwide. MLW television series are distributed both domestically in the U.S. and in more than 15 additional territories worldwide.
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PANDEMIC
Why ‘Staying Home’ Means Fast Growth for Certain Brands Unsurprisingly, some online retail, take-out and alcohol brands have flourished during the pandemic £3.3bn) creative communications campaign in support of Age UK and KitKat’s (no.34; $1.8bn; £1.5bn) product innovation and expansion into gifting and seasonal confectionery helped both brands increase their brand value by +8% and attract younger, affluent shoppers.
Online retail and take-away brands Ocado, Deliveroo and Just Eat are the UK’s fastest growing brands according to the 2020 BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands report, launched by WPP and Kantar. Already gathering pace pre-COVID-19, Ocado’s online capabilities and perceptions of strong differentiation from other grocery retailers made it take the coveted title of this year’s fastest growing UK brand, increasing +63% in brand value to $3.3bn (£2.7bn) and reaching no.18 in the Top 75 ranking. Home delivery services threw the UK’s restaurant and takeaway industry a lifeline as it was locked out by COVID-19. Intense competition between Just Eat (no.20) and Deliveroo (no.29) increased due to takeover deals and accelerated consumer demand for home-delivered restaurant and takeaway food over the last year. This allowed Deliveroo to grow by +40% in brand value to $1.9bn (£1.6bn), and Just Eat +19% to $2.8bn (£2.2bn), making them the second and third fastest growing brands respectively.
13% decrease in value in the last 12 months which has fallen behind both the Global Top 100 Most Valuable Brands ranking published in June, and projections for the global economy by a large margin. Yet, despite very challenging macro-economic circumstances, the BrandZ UK Top 75 brands have still eclipsed the performance of the FTSE 100. Despite the impact of COVID-19, the BrandZ Top 75 UK portfolio showed strong recovery, outperforming the FTSE 100 by almost +5%. The top five most valuable UK brands remained unchanged. Vodafone (-13%, $23.1bn; £18.9bn), which recently announced its intention to float its mobile towers business in a deal that could be worth £18bn, maintained its no.1 spot for the third year running. HSBC (-19%; $18.7bn; £15.3bn) and Shell (-22% $16.1bn; £13.1bn) make up the top three respectively. Dyson (no.15; $3.5bn; £2.9bn) is by far the fastest rising brand since the UK ranking’s inception in 2017, fuelled by differentiation, innovation and product excellence.
Urgent call to action for UK brands While some individual UK brands have performed well, growth in the BrandZ Top 75 UK brands as a collective has fallen by more than 15%, or $32 billion (£26bn) since 2017. There is further cause for concern due to a
Pampering during the pandemic Some brands have met the pandemic trends in self-reliance and resourcefulness that have seen consumers amusing themselves and seeking more indulgent moments, particularly during lockdown. Cadbury’s (no.13; $4.1bn;
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The rise of gin Entering the BrandZ UK Top 75 for the first time, at no.70, gin brand Gordon’s ($651m; £531m) commitment to innovation has revitalised the brand’s equity in the UK. Fuelled by flavoured gins and liquors, the category has exploded in recent years, more than doubling its shopper base from 14% in 2015 to 34% in 2020, while helping establish gin as the nation’s favourite tipple. Seeking escapism and excitement, UK consumers also helped to drive growth in the games console entertainment brand Grand Theft Auto (no.53; $1.1bn; £0.9bn) as it crashed into the Top 75 for the first time as this year’s highest newcomer. Other key trends highlighted in this year’s BrandZ UK Top 75 study include: • BooHoo enters Top 75 ranking at no.73 as the share of fashion spend continued to grow after lockdown • Fintech newcomer Revolut (no.75; $582m; £474m) is moving away from traditional banking • Categories in decline - Gambling (-34%) impacted by cancelled sporting events, Cars and Logistics (-32% each) and Travel Services (-27%) • Entertainment category rises by +8%, but BBC and ITV lose brand value as consumers subscribed in massive numbers to online streaming brands • The Top 75 UK brands perform well on each component of ‘Responsibility’ and ‘Inspiring expectations’ but, in a wider global context, credentials must improve in all areas TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
INFLUENCERS
These Boots Were Made for Marketing: The Celebrities Influencing Our Shoe Choices Jonathan Gilpin, Dune offers an insight into some of the most influential celebrities within the footwear industry... The modern catwalk show is as much a pool of celebrities and journalists as it has always been, but in 2020 there’s a new breed of fashionista to contend with - the influencer. Their authority in the fashion world is growing, with their choices dictating which style fits the day, and which brand has seen its last. Influencers achieve this authority through a large following on social media, usually on Instagram, which focuses on image sharing. Of course, what these people influence and how much change they can affect depends on how many followers they have. You need slightly more than just a few thousand likes to arouse any real attention or change - many influencers achieve millions. Esteemed influencers are paid by leading fashion brands to simply wear their products and share their photos. Kylie Jenner, former star of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, was reported to earn around £915k per social media post in 2019. Focusing on shoes, we can evaluate how the social media market affects our fashion buying habits in the UK. Our research aims to find the best ‘shoe-fluencer’ in the country. By scouting the biggest influencers and celebrities on Instagram, we compared Google Search trends by searching for celebrity names ac-
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companied by footwear terms including shoes, trainers, and boots. These were the results… The magic influence of Emma Watson Did you know that this former Harry Potter star and women’s rights activist was the most followed British woman on Instagram? Emma Watson has a heavy hand in the fashion industry, first appearing in Teen Vogue at just 15-years old in 2005. Further to this, she was awarded the British Elle by Vivienne Westwood in 2011. On Google, the term ‘Emma Watson boots’ is searched on average 210 every month. There are a plethora of photos of Emma rocking black boots - a mix of knee-high and ankle boots, Emma is a statement of fashion. Emma Watson’s followers: 57.6 million Bend (and wear) it like Beckham It may be unsurprising to hear that the most followed Brit on Instagram is ex-Manchester United Footballer David Beckham. Since re-
tiring in 2013, he maintains his fashion authority with sleek looks a plenty on his social media. Beckham is arguably the UK’s biggest shoe influencers with search terms including ‘David Beckham boots’, ‘David Beckham trainers’, and ‘David Beckham shoes’ achieving 590, 210, 110 searches on average every month respectively. As football’s most prominent fashion star, David Beckham has maintained an iconic status among men. The trainer days of Beckham’s youth have passed; today you’re more likely to see Becks sporting a pair of Chelsea boots—as much as we’re sure he’d hate to be associated with the Blues in any way. David Beckham’s followers: 63.9 million The high fashion of Sam Smith The four-time Grammy-winning artist, Sam Smith is the tenth most followed UK star on Instagram. Their fashion choices often turn heads on the red carpet. Sam’s shoe choices often cause a sensation, one time standing tall in 2.5-inch heeled boots at the GQ Magazine Awards. In our analysis, the term ‘Sam Smith trainers’ achieved the second most searches, with an average of 320 every month - beating ‘Rita Ora boots’ and ‘Alexa Chung shoes’. However, confusion between the singer and Adidas ‘Stan Smith’ trainers may influence this result. While you may not measure Sam Smith as a shoe influencer, Google certainly does! Sam Smith’s followers: 15.1 million
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PRODUCT LAUNCHES
IMG has announced several new product launches for its well-known brands, across numerous different categories, plus reveals details of an exciting new signing... Heron Preston The Ministry of Defence and creative director, designer and DJ, Heron Preston has launched their co-branded apparel and accessories collection, following its debut at this year’s Paris Fashion Week. Available now, the new line includes outerwear, knitwear, shirts, sweatshirts and accessories for men and women. The collection is inspired by the Ministry of Defence tough look and feel and features a combination of Heron Preston’s brand signatures of fluorescent orange labels, heron prints and Cyrillic scripts. The partnership was brokered by IMG, the Ministry of Defence’s exclusive licensing representative. G-SHOCK Casio Last month saw the launch of Casio’s Royal Air Force x G-SHOCK GRAVITYMASTER timepiece, in a deal brokered by IMG. Following the successful launch of The British Army x G-SHOCK MUDMASTER watch earlier this year, this second instalment from the bespoke collection is available now from Ernest Jones, Beaverbrooks and John Lewis in the UK, priced at £379. Special features include a carbon core guard structure, shock & vibration resistance, an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, digital compass, step count, Bluetooth and more. Christopher Ward This month, Christopher Ward launches its Royal Marines-inspired C60 Lympstone watch, in a deal brokered by IMG. Available from christopherward.com, the feature-packed C60 Lympstone brings together elite Swiss watchmaking with a build quality that ensures it can survive the harshest of conditions. Priced at £875, the bespoke watch is water-resistant to 600 metres, delivers unrivalled accuracy courtesy of its certified-chronometer movement and is PAGE 38
the first Christopher Ward watch to carry an inner-compass bezel. Cosmopolitan The world’s biggest female-focused millennial media brand, Cosmopolitan has a number of new licensed products launching this autumn. Deals brokered by IMG will see Cosmopolitan release a new eyewear collection in France and Italy through major retailers including Optic2000; electrical hair tools, consumer technology and accessories in UK retailers including Boots, Argos and Missguided; bags, consumer technology and accessories across Europe; and a collection of rugs as part of its CosmoLiving by Cosmopolitan range on Wayfair.co.uk and Otto.DE. Esquire On 15 October, Esquire will launch the third edition of the Esquire Edit, a capsule collection of menswear essentials made in partnership with nine of the media brand’s favourite brands through deals brokered by IMG. The collection includes apparel, shoes and accessories from Oliver Spencer, Mackintosh, Cubitts, Bennett Winch, Universal Works, Sunspel, The Workers Club, Spoke, and C. QP. Like Nastya This holiday season, children around the world will be able to enjoy the first Like Nastya lifestyle products from six year-old YouTube sensation Anastasia Radzinskaya. Through new partnerships brokered by IMG, Like Nastya apparel and other seasonal items will be available on Amazon in Q4, with a bigger collection of lifestyle products, including toys by Jazwares, set to launch widely online and in stores in spring 2021. Brigitte Bardot Family Trademark has renewed its representation agreement with IMG to continue expanding Brigitte Bardot’s (B.B.) licensed product offering around the world. Since
being appointed in 2015, IMG has expanded the brand across a range of fashion and beauty products in partnership with a variety of high-profile brands. The agency looks forward to exploring more product collaboration opportunities across existing categories, as well as accessories, homeware and lifestyle. Killing Eve AMC Networks and Sid Gentle Films have appointed IMG as the exclusive worldwide licensing representative for Killing Eve to bring the hit spy thriller show’s first consumer products to market, through selective brand partnerships and collaborations. The new multi-year licensing partnership will see IMG, Sid Gentle Films and AMC Networks build a robust licensing program of products, experiences and collaborations focused around themes fans love most about the show, including fashion, beauty, travel and games.
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THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Delicious Range Blends Art and Innovation
The National Gallery unveiled its new Delicious Art gifting collection, which is available exclusively in Boots across the UK, with high hopes for Christmas gifting. Now in its fourth consecutive year, and following on from the success of previous collections, the food and drink composite sets are available in over 400 stores throughout the UK, in-store and online from September. The sets will also be part of the retailer’s popular 3 for 2 gift promotion. The range includes new designs of favourites including jam preserves, tea mug and biscuit tin, as well as tea for two biscuit tray, tea tidy and spoon set and ceramic measuring cups. TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
All designs include images of well-known paintings from the National Gallery such as Van Gogh’s A Wheatfield with Cypresses and Sunflowers, Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond and Bosschaert’s A Still Life of Flowers in a WanLi Vase. “We have developed a great relationship with the IG Design Group and Boots and, as a result, have been able to evolve and expand the ranges based on the fantastic customer responses we have seen year after year, during the key gifting season,” said Judith Mather, buying and licensing director at National Gallery Company. Steve Morton, md at IG Design Group Gift-
ing Division, added: “The breadth, quality and appeal of the assets available from the Gallery, combined with the truly collaborative approach of IG Design, Boots and the National Gallery has allowed us to deliver innovative food gifts year upon year.”
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ART BRANDS
This is Iris Going from Strength to Strength A return to China, a new artist and new announcements... This is Iris strengthen their international offering with a return to China. Following lasts years successful trip to the Shanghai Licensing Show, UK licensing agency Iris and partners Zespa Media took the decision to exhibit at the recent Shenzhen Licensing Expo. October’s trip secured several deals including one with Family Mart which recently saw the launch of House of Turnowsky range across all 1430 China stores, including gifts, accessories and the rebrand of all their cafes. The Turnowsky collection has gone on to be developed with leading make-up brand Abby’s Choice, with this new ranges of cosmetics becoming available across China over the next two months. “In these extraordinary times it is so encouraging that we are still experiencing growth and our properties are being received so positively in international markets,” says Kaye Hunter of This Is Iris This is Iris also has a new partnership in the form of Rosie Brooks who is an award-winning illustrator working in pen and ink and watercolour from her studio in London. Rosie studied Music before taking up illustration and her musical studies have had an enormous influence on her work. She has worked with a number of prestigious clients including the Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall and Sir Paul McCartney and recently created a jigsaw puzzle with Classic FM to celebrate their annual Hall of Fame. Rosie’s illustrated opera series won a License This! Award in 2019 and she has spent the lockdown continuing to build the collection which now includes more than fifty titles. In further licensing news, Rebecca McCulloch’s brand recently saw the launch of a series of jigsaw puzzles with Wentworth Wooden Puzzles, a bespoke collection with partners Ravensburger. Further development for her new home textile line only last week secured a new stationery & accessory line for Rebecca’s Beyond The Wild collection.
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“We are excited to share Rebecca’s work with our customers around the world. Her designs will complement our contemporary range of wooden jigsaw puzzles very well and we hope this is the start of an exciting journey together,” comments Helena Svozilova, Wentworth Wooden Puzzles. Flame Tree Publishing have had such a great response to Rebecca’s ‘Year of Positivity’ Calendar for 2021 that the designs for 2022 are already signed off. There will be a number of other licensing announcements throughout the last quarter
including an exciting new partnership with a European stationery partner.
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THE FINAL PAGE
Index of advertisers West Ham.....................................1 Tempting Brands ........................2, 3 Discovery .................................... 5 Pink Key .................................... 29, 33
China Licensing Expo ........................... 35 Licensing China .....................................43 Licensing International ..........................41 Smiley ....................................................44
Now, let’s have some fun... This space is usually reserved for all the upcoming trade shows and events. However, given the current situation, and that events are moving to virtual with changing dates, you can find the most u-to-date list on our website, www.totallicensing.com To lighten the mood in what has been a very strange and unsettling year, we wanted to offer a little something fun (and tasty) to our very valued readers. Answers on a postcard,! (Or via email, becky@totallicensing.com to be more environmentally-friendly…) Five winners who submit all the correct answers will have their names drawn out of a hat and be sent a hamper full of goodies from us at Total Licensing… Please include your name and contact details! Q: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? A: .......................................................................... Q: What always ends everything? A: .......................................................................... Q: I have keys, but no locks. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I? A: .......................................................................... Q: I have seas without water, coasts without sand, towns without people, and mountains without land. What am I? A: .......................................................................... Q: Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world? A: ..........................................................................
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