PUBLIC AND TERRITORIAL BRANDS The strength of public access and regional brands

PUBLIC AND TERRITORIAL BRANDS

The strength of public access and regional brands

By Andrea De Amicis

In every part of the world, there are many public and regional brands. They are important because they can promote local resources, raise awareness, and create value for otherwise unused assets.

There are many ways to promote a public institution or region: creating and extending a dedicated brand is one of the most effective. Creating a brand helps highlight appealing characteristics and establish a more interactive relationship with the people who visit these institutions or regions. These sort of brands certainly have limitations, because the interest they generate is limited to the place or public resource they represent. To a certain extent however, this is the same for all brands, which by target or interest necessarily exclude some demographics: but this selection can also be a strength. Using the example of some high profile companies, we can see how a public or regional brand can be developed.

Ipanema Licensing is an agency that deals with managing the brands of cities, places and monuments in France. It is one of the top two agencies specializing in licensing Monte Carlo for Gucci

and branding of French public institutions. Ipanema’s director of licensing, Bruno Guillen, has very clear ideas about this sector and how to enhance these brands: “Even if Entertainment continues to reign in the licensing market, there are now a plurality of different brands who wish to develop under license, and who are at their level capable of providing original content and leading many forms of collaboration. Ipanema specialized almost 10 years ago in the institutional brand licensing segment, a niche market that has experienced a significant growth in recent years. The desire of cities and institutions to better control their image, as well as to find new sources of income in the face of the growing need for self-financing, has fully validated our positioning. These brands are managed with care and require a specific approach that we implement every day to promote realities such as the Monte Carlo for Skoda

Principality of Monaco, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, St Barts and the city of Lyon.”

Ipanema has managed to create profitable deals for its brands, giving life to successful products like Monaco Parfums, available for men and women. Created by great perfumiers and sold under license for several years in Europe, it has been particularly successful in Eastern Europe. Or the collaboration of Monte Carlo with Skoda, an great success in several countries. After the licensed launch of the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo in 201, the brand decided to extend the partnership to its entire range. This year Monte Carlo has also partnered with Gucci for a mini collection of accessories. For the famous Arc de Triomphe Paris, some products have been developed under the brand Le Fabuleux Shaman, intended for the public that most visits the Arch, the under 40s. For the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel a

Arc de Triomphe, collaboration with Le Fabuleux Shaman

Mont Saint Michel for Saint James licensing agreement was signed with the Saint James brand, well known in France and Europe for its high quality marine themed Made in France products. Some brands linked to local universities represent an excellent opportunity to reach students, families and supporters. In Italy, the University of Ferrara has developed its Unifeel brand, a line of clothing and merchandising dedicated to Unife and each of its departments. The project also includes a physical store in the city center, the hub of all activities, and crowdfunding to promote Ferrara’s academic excellence. The #unifenomenale line, which supports university research, is particularly dedicated to the latter. By purchasing one of the #unifenomenale products, 15% up to 40% of the proceeds are donated to Unife’s crowdfunding Unifeel clothing and merchandising

campaigns for research. The line includes items of clothing and widely used objects: from brooches, shopping bags, and mugs to USB stick and t-shirts. Clothing #unifenomenale Milanesi skincare is a brand that takes inspiration from the Italian city of Milan. It was designed with the desire to create a collection of effective, natural and safe products which correspond to the current need of a skin increasingly exposed to climate change, external aggressors, urban pollution and stress. Milanesi skincare designed its products around the cultural identity of the city, its historic districts, inhabitants and continuous evolution and innovation. Milanesi created three

different product lines (Navigli, Brera and Milanesi skincare

Montenapoleone) that reflects the full array of Milan’s spirit and the different types of skin it encompasses. Each product line contains a main ingredient that characterizes it and connects it to the Milanese soil. For example, the purifying and decongestant coffee, used in the Navigli line and roasted right in the heart of the district itself. Or saffron, rich in antioxidants and minerals, for the Brera line, grown in a small field just outside Milan.

V&A collaboration with People Tree

The London V&AMuseum is renowned for its award-winning licensing program which creates beautiful products inspired by its rich archive, drawing inspiration from over two million objects. It has a team dedicated to product licensing, consults a trend agency to identify macro and micro consumption patterns, and generates nearly 1400 products a year. An example of this work is the collaboration with the pioneering fair trade fashion brand People Tree to create two capsule collections V&A Manicure Set William Morris

based on textile models of the 1930s. Other products available include a new kind of welcome pack with items essential for this period, a shopping bag, mask and sanitizer, to the manicure set with Double Bough motif by the artist William Morris. There is also a new collection of Moda Fabrics, based on the work of Mary Morris (daughter of William), an embroidery designer and pioneer. Twhich includes the jelly roll, an assorted roll of high quality printed cotton fabric, whose 40 pre-cut pieces are perfect for patchwork and other craft projects. Van Gogh Museum - Daily Paper The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam strongly believes in licensing and is always looking for partners to collaborate with. Thanks to the artist’s global popularity, licensing partners are active all over the world (China, Korea, Japan, the United

States and Europe), and appeals to every market and culture. By supporting selected partners with its extensive knowledge of Van Gogh’s life and work, the museum constantly finds new and unique approaches to make the artist’s work accessible to a large audience. It also offers support at every stage of the process, from product design to launch, with strict requirements that ensure that every collaboration with Van Gogh results in high quality products. For example, there have been very successful collaborations with the fashion brand Daily Paper, Vans and Monopoly.

Van Gogh Museum - Monopoly

The latest with Samsonite features a collection inspired by Van Gogh’s iconic sunflower paintings. Another beautiful sunflower-themed collaboration is with Bedding house, which makes luxurious duvet covers. There are also many objects produced directly by the museum such as chocolates, Christmas decorations, masks

and toys.