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Consumer products, activations and collaborations for Nickelodeon in Asia Pacific The Asian marketplace is an important one for Viacom/Nickelodeon and they are forging ahead with consumer product programs, activations and collaborations. To find out more, Total Licensing talked to Mark Kingston, Senior Vice President of International and Jack Yew, Vice President, Location Based Experiences Asia, Viacom International Media Networks. To begin, we take a look at the new Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products group that brings together all consumer products across Viacom brands, including Paramount Pictures.
A Global Consumer Products Organisation In May, Viacom announced the newly formed Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products unit led by Pam Kaufman, President. In her new role, Kaufman has global oversight of the consumer products business across Viacom Media Networks and Paramount Pictures. The unified, global consumer products organization will provide strategic focus to maximize
Viacom’s portfolio of brands and iconic franchise properties, including Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Comedy Central’s South Park, Paramount Pictures’ The Godfather, Grease and Top Gun, amongst others. Consumer Products is a key strategic pillar for Viacom President and CEO, Bob Bakish, and creating VNCP gives the company one voice at retail for ‘Every age, Every aisle, Everywhere around the world’. At the time of the announcement, Bakish commented: “Expanding and diversifying our consumer products businesses around the world is a key strategic initiative that will help drive Viacom’s future growth. The exceptional leadership and vision Pam has demonstrated at Nickelodeon make her a natural fit for this exciting new position, and her appointment will accelerate our efforts in building this important global business.” The addition of MTV, Paramount and Comedy Central brands to VNCP globally feeds into Kaufman’s strategy to develop a diverse intellectual property portfolio. Long known as the number-one entertainment brand for kids and top five licensor; Nickelodeon’s iconic pre-school fran-
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chises from Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues to the current monster hit, PAW Patrol and latest hit series, Top Wing are loved by kids and families around the world. The additional Viacom brands will allow VNCP to develop fashion and lifestyle programs for adults alongside its strength in kids. Under Kaufman’s leadership, Nickelodeon already developed several cutting-edge collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion, sports
