Co-Publisher Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com
Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com
As anybody who reads Pukeko Pictures Total Licensing knows, Taking New Zealand into China! we are a fully worldwide magazine. Not just in name or the odd news item from a ‘foreign’ company but we believe, and have always believed, that licensing is a truly globalised business and Happy this is also represented Birthday Popeye! within the pages of our publications. Most people, today, understand this. But it hasn’t always been the same. I remember, many years ago as an early officer of LIMA, attending a board meeting and (almost literally) banging my head against the wall trying to explain to very senior US executives on the board that just because something worked in the US didn’t mean it would work in, say, Belgium, Italy or Spain.The solution according to these very senior execs after much discussion? A cocktail party at the Frankfurt Book Fair! I rest my case. How things have changed over the last twenty or so years. LIMA has become a truly global organisations with offices across the world and a nonNorth American membership that rivals their domestic one. How times have changed. We strongly believe that to begin to understand a market you need to visit it, talk to people and look at retail, how it works and what makes it tick. To this end, we’re rather proud of the fact that over the last twelve months, Total Licensing has travelled 135,029 miles (217,308 km) with places as far apart as New Zealand, Russia, China and the USA. To put that into perspective, it’s 5.4 times around the world! It is surprising in all this how similar some of the markets are in their tastes. Peppa Pig seems to be pretty much loved anywhere you go - except for in parts of China where she is seen as a ‘subversive symbol of counterculture.’ And this is not the only example of logic that is, perhaps, strange to most of us. Bob the Builder, TOTAL LICENSING
On a recent visit to Wellington, New Zealand, Total Licensing caught up with Clive Spink, Chief Executive and Alison Heath, Chief Brands Officer at Pukeko Pictures to find out more about the company, and how they are forging new partnerships in China.
Pukeko was founded in 2008 as a partnership between Weta Workshop’s founder Sir Richard Taylor together with Tania Rodger and well-known author Martin Baynton specifically as a company concentrating on the children’s marketplace. Based on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula, Pukeko is part of the World-famous Weta network of creative companies and home to some of the world’s finest filmmaking talent
Clive Spin, CEO and Alison Heath, Chief Brands Officer, Pukeko Pictures
and technology. Weta Workshop, of course, is the company responsible for Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar and countless other major success stories. Pukeko’s first project was the television series Jane and the Dragon, a CGI animated series about a medieval girl and her pet dragon, swiftly followed by The WotWots, an early preschool series featuring extra terrestrial characters who arrive in the middle of a zoo. The WotWot characters were designed by Weta Workshop with live action sequences shot on location at Wellington Zoo as well as Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney. The WotWots has aired in more than 100 territories around the world including The Hub, Netflix, Hulu and Comcast in the US as well as on ABC Kids in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand. The WotWots gave Pukeko a strong basis in terms of consumer products with a broad range of publishing and other product lines. And this is where Alison Heath comes in. “Everybody knows that broadcasting sales alone are never sufficient to generate the income needed on a
property,” explained Heath. “The income needs to be supplemented with clothing, toys, books and games. If the property is popular, consumers will demand products based on their favourite characters.” But the company did not just limit themselves to preschool and animation, as Clive Spink explained. “We have 199 Little Heroes which are five minute programs featuring children’s journeys to school around the world,” he said. “This helps to introduce children to the concept of documentaries.” Cleverman is a further Pukeko production that combines live action with animated creatures created by Weta Workshop. The series, aimed at an older market, is an original drama that sees a group of non-humans battling for survival in a world where humans feel increasingly inferior to them. Comprising two series of 6 x 1 hour episodes, Cleverman tells the story of two indigenous half-brothers who join forces to battle these forces. Pukeko also co-produced the recent remake of Thunderbirds with ITV Studios using a mix of CGI animation and live-action model sets
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ACCESS A WORLD OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH EXPO 2020 DUBAI’S LICENSING PROGRAMME
Companies globally are invited to join the next World Expo as an official licensee, with toys, games and back-toschool items the latest product categories to open up.
Editorial Director Rebecca Ash becky@totallicensing.com
As Popeye celebrates his 90th birthday, Total Licensing talked to Carla Silva, Head of Licensing at King Features Syndicate to find out more about the character’s extraordinary longevity and how they keep their licensing programs up to date and on trend.
Carla Silva Vice President/ General Manager, Global Head of Licensing, King Features
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Business Development Manager Jo Cassidy joanna@totallicensing.com
Office Manager Helen Bowerman helen@totallicensing.com
Japan Agent Roger Berman, ZenWorks rmb@zenworks.jp
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 enquiries@totallicensing.com
© 2019 Total Licensing Ltd All illustrations are reproduced by permission of their owners. No part of this magazine may be copied or quoted without permission from the Publishers first. Total Licensing Ltd does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy or legality of contents, images or advertisements submitted to the magazine. Opinions of the contributing writers are their own and do not reflect the opinion of Total Licensing Ltd. Printed in England
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Can you tell us something about Popeye’s beginnings?
Originally appearing in 1929, E.C. Segar’s Popeye character first debuted in “The Thimble Theatre” comic strip in the New York Journal-American, which was at that time owned by Hearst Founder William Randolph Hearst. Popeye’s introduction was a small “walk-on role”, but as soon as readers discovered his famous first line ‘Ja think I’m a cowboy?!’ he was an instant hit and soon became a regular character in the strip that eventually became known as “Popeye” in 1967. There are 1000s of comics in the historical archive, and new Popeye comic strips are released weekly. After Segar’s passing in 1938, the strip was kept alive through the talents of
Over time, the much-loved character developed alongside his cast of friends before making his film debut in 1933 and television debut in 1960. For 90 years, the Popeye character has resonated with audiences of all ages and 600+ Popeye cartoons are in existence. “I Yam What I Yam” was the first cartoon in the Popeye series produced by the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1933 and 1942. Popeye was originally voiced by William Costello and later by Jack Mercer, and his first animated appearance also introduced his theme song, “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,” composed by Sammy Lerner,
which gave birth to Popeye’s most famous line “I’m strong to da finich ‘cause I eats my spinach.”
When were the first licensed products produced? Were they aimed at adults or children?
In less than two years, Expo 2020 Dubai will open its doors to the world, bringing millions of visitors and 190 nations together to explore the very best ideas, innovations, cuisines and culture in one place. The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region will run from 20 October, 2020 to 10 April, 2021 and is expected to record 25 million visits. With an unprecedented 70 per cent of visitors anticipated to come from outside the UAE, the six-month event is an invaluable opportunity for businesses to expand their reach to a massive international audience. There will be more than 200 participants including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institu-
tions taking part. Already, 190 countries have confirmed their participation in what will be the first World Expo to implement a ‘one nation, one pavilion’ policy, giving each participant a platform to showcase their achievements, aspirations, culture and more.
Expo 2020 Dubai is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. Its theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, is supported by three subthemes, Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
Reaching the world through Expo 2020 Dubai’s licensing programme
Expo 2020 Dubai’s licensing programme will include up to 70 licensees from across the globe, who will create approximately 5,000 branded products.
Twenty-three licensees already have been officially signed up in categories including apparel, homeware, souvenirs, regional food and spices, collectibles and precious metals, corporate gifting and holograms. They include prominent Middle Eastern brands such as Emirates (a range of model planes),
Splash (apparel), Patchi (chocolate gift boxes), Bateel (gift boxes of dates) and Gallery One (specialty souvenirs).
The first Expo 2020-branded products are on sale, including speciallydesigned gift boxes of dates by one of the GCC’s most recognisable brands, Bateel, and artisanal chocolate bars by Emirati SME Mirzam Chocolates. In the first quarter of 2019, Expo 2020 is widening its scope to include toys, games and back-to-school products,
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cartoonists such as Tom Sims, Bela”Bill” Zaboly, Bud Sagendorf, Bobby London. Today, Hy Eisman’s Popeye strip is printed in newspapers in 9 countries around the world.
at its height was again loved by children around the world. Except Korea where parents discouraged their children from watching it in case they wanted to emulate Bob and become a builder (presumably rather than a more respected lawyer or doctor). A Guide to entering the Russian market All of this is understood by being in the country and talking to people. Failing to do this can result in spectacular errors. When Pepsi introduced their ‘Come Alive with Pepsi Generation’ into China, it was translated, understandably, into Chinese. The result was ‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” Car manufacturer Vauxhall were left similarly redfaced when their Nova model was launched into Spain (where ‘no va’ means ‘it doesn’t go’!) They quickly changed the brand to Vauxhall Corsa which seemed less contentious. And Coca-Cola, translated phonetically into Chinese means ‘bite the wax tadpole’! The list goes on and on. 2019 will see Total Licensing on the road again. Through January and February we, and the magazines, will be seen in Nuremberg and New York Toy Fairs, Melbourne at the Australian Toy Hobby & Licensing Show, Kidscreen in Miami and Moscow for Licensing World Russia. And that’s on top of the Hong Kong Licensing Show that kicks off the month. We hope you enjoy this issue and find it useful in your licensing efforts. Of course we always like to hear from our readers so, if you see any of us at any of the fairs, do stop and say hello. In the meantime, happy travels! TOTAL LICENSING
TOTAL LICENSING
Marina Semenikhina, LIMA’s representative in Russia tells readers the best ways to approach entering the Russian licensing market. For more information, contact Marina at msemenikhina@ licensing.org
The first products featuring Popeye and his friends were collectibles dating back to the early days of the Popeye comic strip, but once the original Popeye cartoons began airing on television the licensing program really took off. Popeye was one of the first animated characters on TV whose popularity inspired demand for product tied to the entertainment and the consumer products program doubled in size by the time the King Features cartoons were airing in the 60s. Products were wide-ranging, from C&A books to costumes, dolls, puppets, toys, lunch boxes, art kits, consumables, and homegoods.
Have you ever thought about the Russian Licensing Market? I am asking because this summer I have started receiving requests about getting into Russian licensing market. I know, it is not statistically accurate to assume that five calls make a trend, however the interest has been registered. Moreover, the recent CPLG purchasing 49% of the Pullman Licensing made the first prominent case of getting into Russia using the acquisition of an existing company. So what is about Russia that make companies thinking of entering its licensing market? Market overview According to the LIMA Annual Global Licensing Industry Survey, Russia takes the 14th place in the global rankings. Moreover, Maura Regan, LIMA president, said in her welcome video at Moscow Licensing Summit in September 2018, there is no doubt Russia has every opportunity to become a Top 10 licensing market. The Russian licensing marketing is quite young. As a country, the Russian Federation has existed since 1991,
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when the Soviet Union fell apart. It took industries almost a decade to adjust to this new reality, and by 2000 the first attempts were made to work officially with intellectual properties. Part 4 of Russian Civil Code that regulates intellectual properties emerged in 2006, but the authors did not embrace licensing practices in full. Today there is still a gap between official law and common business. Having that said it is important to mention that licensing practices have improved a lot as a result of the biggest companies (Disney, Mattel) entering the market and sharing their routines. The two major sporting events - Sochi 2014 Olympics and the FIFA WorldCup in 2018 - have greatly helped to structure licensing.
Oh those Russians! Getting into Russia is not easy… and at the same time not that complicated if you have right partners. Yes, it is important to have local people working for you. The reasoning goes beyond language differences. Culture is also an issue (do not take this literally; we do not have bears walking the streets playing balalaikas). It is mostly about interpersonal relationships. We have a saying: it takes a lot of time to gear up, but the ride will be fast. Russians may look open, spend money excessively, promise to get the stars and the moon (especially while drinking – business talks in restaurants are still common) but this is not a sign of trust or relationships being built. Russians are very generous and it is in their genes to meet people with everything they can offer. It might sound a bit strange and
contradicts all recent external affairs scandals. Firstly Russia has had a tough history over the last 100 years. World War II with a Civil War (4 years of battles in the territory), the rise and fall of Communism, the scary 90s with the first attempts at creating business (using guns and power). The upshot is that we have what we have now. I am not proud of either the political situation or the depression in the economy; but I understand where it comes from. Moreover, I do not have relevant education or experience to judge. I am a licensing professional, so back to the industry.
The industry As I mentioned, the Russian licensing market is young. This has been the opening line for all my presentations over the last five years. Yes, we are more civilized now than 7 or 8 years ago when I started working as a licensee and yet,at the same time, we are not quite mature yet. One of the features of the industry’s infancy is that 90% of the deals are entertainment/preschool character ones. The percentage was even higher; however, the sport licensing’s share has increased because of the FIFA WorldCup. Sport club licensing is developing as well. Local clubs have opened their own stores (a great example is Zenit Football club with a chain of official stores opened first in their home region and then expanded into areas where the club has a prominent fan base). Foreign clubs are also interested in running licensing programs in Russia but the main challenge here is distribution. Where local clubs can offer licensees
Francesca Ash Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge Co-Publisher
With Thanks to this Issue’s Contributing Writers: Gregory Battersby Martin Brochstein Axel Dammler
Jed Ferdinand Philippe Guinaudeau Tom Power
Nick Richardson Jonathan Watson Alice Yang