Fall 2015 by The Licensing Book

Fall 2015

CALL OF DUTY

#1 BESTSELLING FRAN FRANCHISE Outselling All Other Console Game Franchises Since 2005 1 Worldwide

GUITAR HERO

#1 MUSIC GAME Franchise of All Time 2 Returns

©2015 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS and stylized roman numeral III are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. 1Based on North American and EU physical game sales through July 31, 2015 according to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-track and Activision Blizzard internal estimates. ©2015 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION and GUITAR HERO are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. 2 According to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-track life-to-date retail sales data for North America and EU.

SKYLANDERS

™

OVER $3 BILLION in Retail Revenue Life-To-Date 3

DESTINY BIGGEST NEW Video Game Franchise Launch in History 4

FOR LICENSING & PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE CONTACT LICENSING@ACTIVISION.COM ©2015 Activision Publishing, Inc. SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. 3 According to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-track and Activision Blizzard internal estimates, including toys and accessories. ©2015 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, the Destiny logo, Bungie and the Bungie logo are among the trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Activision. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. 4 According to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-track and Activision Blizzard internal estimates.

m4e presents wissper Volume 32, number 4

Features 20

Brand Licensing Europe

Our annual look at London’s licensing show, featuring coverage of international brands and properties, and what’s being introduced on the world’s stage.

Dress Your Brand for Licensing

Departments 8 Jackie’s Point 9 Stat Shot 10 Licensing News

Create a strategy for your brand before jumping into licensing.

12 LIMA Update The Digital Age of Celebrity Licensing

Licensing 101

14 Talking Social Media: How to keep your Twitter feed from turning into a customer service nightmare.

Add Twitter to Your Football Marketing Dream Team

15 Blogger Bash Second annual digital influencer conference made a lasting impression in New York City.

10 Tips to Make Great Licensed Products

Jason Dove discusses how a strong social media presence can give you opportunities to find new customers and further engage existing ones.

The WAL: Where Victory Is in Everyone’s Grasp

Ted Mininni and his Design Force team break down the creation of the visual foundation of the World Armwrestling League, from its brand identity to its consumer product licensing program style guide.

Fighting the Fad with Iconic Licenses

The Licensing Book chats with Roots of Fight CEO and founder Jesse Katz about the value of iconic brands and the importance of storytelling in the role of creating a sustainable license.

16 Property Profile: Game of Thrones 18 A Look Inside: The Jim Henson Co. 25 Spotlight On: Rubba Ducks 46 Sports Licensing Showcase 48 Of Counsel Work-for-Hire Pitfalls 50 Directory

LICENSINGBOOK

THE

www.licensingbook.com

JACKIE’S POINT

ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP INC.® Vol. 32, No. 4, Fall 2015 President Laurie Schacht Welcome to the fall issue of Th e Licensing Bo o k . As we embark on our annual trek to Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), it’s clear that taking properties global and finding success on the world’s stage is a bigger priority than ever before. As technology brings the world to our fingertips, launching a property on an international scale remains a challenge for any company. Many have learned the hard way that it takes broad cultural knowledge and awareness to expand a brand into new markets. It’s not just about translating a language; It’s important to take the time to learn about the local culture and what has—and has not—been successful in a new market before investing time and money on a major launch. The smartest thing a property or brand owner can do is find a local licensing agency in the market they’re looking to enter and take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. While it may seem easy enough—and more costefficient—to handle international expansion in-house, it will cost more time and money in the long run, and second chances are hard to come by. Do it right the first time and a property’s

8 • The Licensing Book

chances for success in new markets will be much higher. Check out some of the new properties launching at BLE beginning on page 20. Another broad area of expansion is taking place in sports licensing. Sports leagues have been working hard to expand their reach to kids and families, and are now expanding their licensed product mix to meet the demands of these new fans. Social media is an important aspect of the way in which fans communicate about their favorite teams and players. Leagues should be taking advantage of this activity to reach their fans and communicate with them about new products and local events. Flip to page 38 to learn more. Also in this issue, Ted Mininni profiles the development of a brand identity system and licensing program style guide for the World Armwrestling League. Turn to page 40 for an inside look at how a relatively new sports league developed its visual language and brand identity. We hope you enjoy this issue, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Please email me at jbreyer@adventurepub.com and let us know what topics you’d like to •••• see in The Licensing Bo o k !

laurieschacht@aol.com

Co-Publisher Jonathan Samet jsamet@adventurepub.com

Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Jackie Breyer jbreyer@adventurepub.com

Senior Editors Marissa DiBartolo mdibartolo@adventurepub.com

Ali Mierzejewski amierzejewski@adventurepub.com Assistant Editors Magdalene Michalik mmichalik@adventurepub.com

Varuni Sinha vsinha@adventurepub.com Assistant Visual Media Editor Joe Ibraham jibraham@adventurepub.com Production Director Bill Reese breese@adventurepub.com

Comptroller Lori Rubin lrubin@adventurepub.com ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.® 307 SEVENTH AVE., SUITE 1601 NEW YORK, NY 10001 TELEPHONE: (212) 575-4510; FAX: (212) 575-4521

Fall 2015

The Licensing Book â&#x20AC;¢ 9

Licensing News MUSIC LICENSING

Epic Rights Expands Kiss Franchise Worldwide Epic Rights, KISS’ global licensing and merchandising partner, has secured new licensing partnerships for the Hall of Fame after the successful sellout of Kiss World Tour tickets in Europe and a soaring demand for upcoming performances in Australia and New Zealand. The new list of partners includes Charlotte Olympia for footwear; Four Seasons Designs for T-shirts, electronics, and collectibles; Bradford Exchange for accessories, footwear, home décor, and collectibles; Iconic Concepts for mini-replica guitars, scarves, and collectibles; Legends Socks for men’s, women’s, and children’s socks; Silver Buffalo for drinkware, blankets, wall art, buttons, and lanyards; Yusef for lip balm and lip gloss; Distribuidora de Ropa Viva for Tshirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, and headwear; Winning Moves International for a KISS-themed Monopoly board game; and Toxic for T-shirts, hoodies, leggings, and caps. Epic Rights also renewed licenses with ACCO, Kurt S. Adler Inc., Funko, FIPO, CID, and Angotti Designs.

TV LICENSING

Hoho Appointed Global Licensing Agent for Puffin Rock Hoho Rights has been appointed as the global licensing agent for multi-platform preschool property Puffin Rock. Currently airing on RTE and Nick Jr. in the UK, Puffin Rock is an animated series about a family of puffins who spend their days exploring the natural environment of their island home. The series is co-produced by Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears, and Penguin Random House with support from Northern Ireland Screen and the Irish Film Board. Netflix airs the series internationally in a number of countries, including the U.S. and Japan and to many international broadcasters including SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway, DR in Denmark, RUV in Iceland, and ABC in Australia. A second series is in production for release next spring along with a range of complementary books from Penguin Random House.

10 • The Licensing Book

Get the latest licensing industry news delivered straight to your inbox each week for free! Subscribe to The Licensing Book’s Total Licensing Report by sending an email to subscribe@adventurepub.com, and add that address to your address book to ensure delivery. For up-to-the-minute news, follow The Licensing Book on Twitter: twitter.com/LicensingBook and visit our blog at www.licensingbook.com.

CHARACTER LICENSING

King Features Syndicate Speeds to Retail with Licensing Program for Flash Gordon King Features Syndicate is ready to sign national and international licensing partners to build on Flash Gordon’s retail presence following a resurgence of the character in pop culture since the 2012 film Ted, and comic strips across print and digital media. King Features Syndicate aims to design a full range of Flash Gordon-themed merchandise from basic prints to high-end replicas. New licensees for Flash Gordon include Bif Bang Pow!, Chronicle LLA, Funko, Mondo, and Zynga. Bamford, Boluga, Dynamic Forces, IDW, Just Funky, and Mad Engine are the domestic partners, and Carobna Knjiga, Crown Creative, Ediouro, Editoriale Cosmo, European Games Group, Illyas Erkul, Kid Collective, MC Productions, Sprinter, and Zero Seven Studio Ltd. are the international partners joining the Flash Gordon universe.

Fall 2015

CHARACTER LICENSING

TV LICENSING

CNE, Moschino Partner for Powerpuff Girls Collection

Massive Audio Introduces Doctor Who Headphone Collection

Cartoon Network Enterprises and Moschino have announced a collaboration between The Powerpuff Girls and fashion designer Jeremy Scott. The partnership was a part of Moschino’s Spring 2016 collection, unveiled in Milan at Moschino fashion show in September. The collection includes all-over print leggings, a one-piece swimsuit, a line of bags featuring the Powerpuff Girls’ iconic faces, and more. The full range of The Powerpuff Girls x Jeremy Scott collection, including knit tops, skirts, dresses, scarves, swimwear, and accessories for women, will launch in January at Moschino retail stores, department stores, boutiques, and select online retailers worldwide.

Massive Audio Inc. has introduced a Doctor Who Headphone Collection under license from BBC Worldwide. The company released TARDIS and Bluetooth speakers in April, and the followup headphone collection includes the TARDIS and Doctor Who Insignia Bluetooth and wired overthe-ear headphones. The Bluetooth headphones feature built-in buttons for full control over tracks, volume, and phone calls, and has a bass boost option. The rechargeable battery lasts up to 30 hours with continuous play. The wired headphones come with an inline control box with the same features as a microphone. Both include a Doctor Whobranded carry bag and flat, tanglefree wire packed in a collector’s style windowed gift box.

TV LICENSING

TCF Announces The Simpsons x Skinnydip Collaboration Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has teamed up with Skinnydip for a special collaborative collection, The Simpsons x Skinnydip. The Krusty the Clown-inspired collection includes iPhone cases, clutch bags, backpacks, coin purses, makeup bags, pouches, and phone cables. The limited-edition collection is now available at the Skinnydip store off Carnaby Street in London, Topshop concessions worldwide, Selfridges, ASOS, Skinnydip London Gatwick Airport, and skinnydiplondon.com.

Fall 2015

TV LICENSING

Jazwares Appointed Master Toy Partner for Dinosaur Train The Jim Henson Co. has appointed Jazwares as the new master toy partner for the animated series Dinosaur Train. The Dinosaur Train toy line from Jazwares will offer a fresh array of figures, play sets, plush, and role-play products. The line will debut at retail next fall in the U.S. and in select international markets, followed by a full international rollout.

The Licensing Book • 11

LIMA Update

The Digital Age of Celebrity Licensing by Martin Brochstein, senior vice president, industry relations and information, Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA)

ast month’s New York Fall Fashion Week moved from its long-time home at Lincoln Center to lower Manhattan. While the venue may have been different, the parties, runway events, and other activities featured the usual long list of Hollywood, sports, and music celebrities viewing and showcasing their newest lines on the catwalk. Serena Williams, anyone? Celebrities have long been entwined with the world of fashion, from the actresses and performers who walk the red carpet, to those who have lent their names and design sensibilities to their own apparel collections. Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, and Beyonce are only a few of a steady stream of performers who have launched their own lines in the last decade. Celebrity licensing is alive and well in the fashion business, with a steadily changing cast of characters. This year, however, those looking to reach millennials were also paying rapt attention to a much newer

”

More and more, we’re seeing YouTube stars such as Bethany Mota, Michelle Phan, Amanda Steele, and Joy Cho, as well as bloggers such as Aimee Song, take the next step to actually forming or even becoming brands in their own right, whether in the beauty, fashion accessory, or apparel categories.“

12 • The Licensing Book

category of celebrity. While traditional celebrities may get their share of headlines and papparazi, the truth is that the most influential personalities for the allimportant millennials may not be those household names from the concert stage, in the movie theater, or on your TV. To see this new class of influencers and brand-builders, you need a laptop or smartphone. In a recent Variety survey that compared the influence of YouTube stars versus traditional celebrities among teens, YouTube stars captured an eye-popping eight of the top 10 slots. The influence of digital stars on fashion has long been limited to just commenting on and affecting the trends for tweens, 20-somethings, and beyond. Increasingly, that’s no longer the case. More and more, we’re seeing YouTube stars such as Bethany Mota, Michelle Phan, Amanda Steele, and Joy Cho, as well as bloggers such as Aimee Song, take the next step to actually forming or even becoming brands in their own right, whether in the beauty, fashion accessory, or apparel categories. Each of these stars comes with something that traditional celebs cannot match: a media platform with hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of followers who are open to persuasion about what they should be wearing, how their makeup should look, and which of the trends are worth following. This year’s Licensing Expo featured a first-ever Digital Media Licensing Summit starring tastemakers and potential brand stewards such as Jenny Fancy, continued on page 50

Fall 2015

Talking Social Media

A NIGHTMARE ON TWEET STREET Don’t Let Your Twitter Feed Become Customer Service Chaos by Marissa DiBartolo, co-director of digital and social media, the Toy Insider witter gives consumers a really easy way to directly connect with the brands they love—which may not always be a good thing. Consumers will often take to Twitter to complain about a product or service and share their frustration with their followers—and yours. While you should definitely pay attention to these complaints and issues, answering every single tweet with a reply can make your feed look like nothing more than a customer service hotline, and consumers who come to you for other reasons—including to praise you or your products—may be deterred by what they see. Don’t let other people dictate your content, and follow these four easy tips to keep your Twitter timeline from turning into a complaint-ridden nightmare:

POST ORIGINAL VISUAL CONTENT

Twitter now allows your replies to other tweets to fall into a separate “Tweets and replies” tab that keeps them off your main timeline, but this only applies to desktop and not mobile devices. If consumers are looking at your Twitter page on a smartphone or tablet, every single tweet you send—including replies—will be on one continuous feed, which doesn’t make for a pretty picture. Videos and photos go a long way on Twitter. Not only are these forms of visual media much more engaging for your followers, but they take up a huge amount of space on your timeline, which leaves less room for one- to two-line responses to consumer issues. Your followers are much more likely to focus on visually stimulating images and videos instead of short replies to consumer complaints, so consistently post engaging, original content that is in-line with your brand to limit the exposure of the formulaic replies to problems.

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IGNORE THE CRAZIES

While some complaints from consumers may be valid, some will just be completely outlandish and undeserving of a response. For example: “UGH. SO much traffic on the way to @Target today, why can’t you put your stores on less busy streets?!?! #annoyed.” This tweet is #notworthit. Sometimes, consumers’ issues will be irrational and entirely beyond your control, so don’t take responsibility for problems people encounter that you truly can’t do anything about. Only offer responses to legitimate problems, and do so calmly, rationally, and apologetically (when necessary). The space on your timeline is precious, so treat it as such.

SHARE THE GOOD STUFF

If someone sends a compliment your way or posts a creative use of your products or brand, be sure to show your appreciation with a retweet, favorite, or reply. Flood your feed with positive feedback from consumers who love what you do; it makes them feel connected to you and it will inspire others to tweet fun content your way as well.

MOVE THE CONVERSATION

It’s important for consumers to understand there are other places they can reach you to share negative feedback, such as customer service phone numbers or even email—and these places will allow you to deal with the issues out of the public eye. Of course, sometimes this is unavoidable, so keep in mind that addressing consumers’ issues out in the open will ultimately make you look like the good guy. Keep your Twitter feed full of engaging and exciting content that matches your brand voice, and before you know it, the tweets will almost always be positive! ••••

Fall 2015

Second Annual Blogger Bash Connects Brands with Influential Consumers

by Laurie Schacht, Toy Insider Mom, founder, Blogger Bash

he second annual Blogger Bash two-day conference took place on July 16 and 17 at Pier Sixty in New York City. Revolutionizing the way brands and bloggers connect, the event welcomed more than 400 bloggers, 150 members of traditional media, and more than 100 brands to meet and mingle in an exciting party atmosphere. From kids’ entertainment brands to music, high-end fashion, and the best in baby care, Blogger Bash had something for everyone. The event made a huge splash on social media, with more than 325 million Twitter impressions. Brands such as Hasbro, Disney, Peanuts, Ella’s Kitchen, the New York Times, Crunch Fitness, Rite Aid, teleflora, and American Greetings Properties brought their latest and greatest products to show off to the most influential consumers in the digital arena. These brands were able to connect with seasoned bloggers with an average of more than 195,000 UMVs per month and an average Twitter following of 12,700.

Fall 2015

Parent bloggers have become some of the most influential voices when it comes to promoting brands and new products across all industries, and Blogger Bash is the perfect way to connect with them. Whether you want to host a party that is all about you, or if you want to be part of a larger themed party, such as The Toy Insider’s Sweet Suite toy event, or host an off-site mini event to really generate buzz, there’s something to fit every brand and every budget. Blogger Bash will return to New York City in 2016 with a relaxing and fun environment, providing you with the perfect opportunity to grow your blogger network, receive invaluable feedback on new product introductions, and find new brand ambassadors. And—these bloggers know their stuff. In the age of the Internet, social media matters and these bloggers have a lot of influence on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. If you are interested in learning more about getting involved with Blogger Bash next summer, please contact Laurie Schacht at thetoyinsidermom@gmail.com or (212) 575-4510, or visit www.bloggerbash.com. ••••

The Licensing Book • 15

Property Proﬁle

Winter Is Coming… to Fans All over the World “International retail growth has been one of our biggest prihere is no denying that HBO’s Game of Thrones has become a major pop culture and ratings juggernaut. orities for the brand,” says Josh Goodstadt, vice president of After debuting in 2011, the TV series has drawn pro- HBO Global Licensing. “The show has truly become a worldgressively larger numbers of viewers per episode in the U.S., wide phenomenon, and as it continues to spread across the reaching 20.2 million for season 5 this past summer. HBO has globe, we want to be sure there are opportunities for fans in as many markets as possible to find new ways to engage also won a record-breaking 43 Emmys, 12 of which went to with the show.” Game of Thrones, the most to any show in a single season. For the third straight year, there will be a Game of As the bloody saga for possession of the Iron Throne Thrones international exhibition, featuring installaclaims the largest audience for an HBO series ever, HBO tions focused on key locations, characters, and relaGlobal Licensing wants to make sure that fans worldtionships from the series. Scheduled to arrive in Paris wide have access to a robust line of Game of Thrones this month, it will be accompanied by a pop-up verproducts. HBO Global Licensing has already taken steps to sion of the HBO Shop, which will be stocked with expand its retail presence from the UK to the rest of the exclusive Game of Thrones-branded T-shirts, pint European Union (EU). Last year, the network partnered glasses, tote bags, and more. with asknet, a global e-commerce solutions provider, and Fans will also be able to find products from they have since expanded the HBO Shop’s reach to licensees such as Funko, Dark Horse, TVM, more than 30 territories. SD/Dirac, Eaglemoss, and Underground Toys. In addition, HBO Global Licensing has grown its “Since expanding our retail presence in the relationship with Stature PR—which for the past three Tyrion Lannister collectible EU, we’ve found that fans throughout Europe years has been its public relations partner for licensed figure, from Eaglemoss are just as hungry for new Game of Thrones products and the HBO Shop in the UK—in order to extend outreach into France and Germany. The licensor also products as our fans in the U.S.,” says Goodstadt. “We’re really brought on new partners for books, games, board games, and excited to have such great partners with international reach who can help us continue to grow the brand abroad.” more, each with an international presence. ••••

Running Press

Game of Thrones: The Noble Houses of Westeros guides readers through the major Houses that inhabit the Game of Thrones world. This 128-page book provides information on each House’s sigil, history, home, family tree, weapons, costumes, and more. Updated through the first five seasons of the TV show, it features photography and illustrations throughout. Running Press will also release two new mini kits for fans: The Game of Thrones: Three-Eyed Raven Kit, which includes a collectible figurine of the Three-Eyed Raven and a 48-page book on The Sight; and The Game of Thrones: The Collectible Longclaw Sword Kit, featuring Jon Snow’s sword, Longclaw, a sheath sleeve, a stand, and a 48-page book. Both books are illustrated with full-color series photography.

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Fall 2015

Telltale Games

This summer saw the release of “A Nest of Vipers,” the fifth of six episodes of Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game series, developed by Telltale Games and HBO Global Licensing. The events in the series begin toward the end of season three of the TV show, and end right before the start of season five. The game is played from five different points of view, all representing House Forrester, which is caught up in the fight for the Iron Throne. The five perspectives represent either a direct Forrester family member or a person in service to the House, but each has a role to play in saving House Forrester from destruction. Players visit familiar locations such as King’s Landing and The Wall, as well as new ones such as Ironrath, the home of House Forrester.

Stern Pinball

Game of Thrones Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition machines, from Stern, will be available in three models, each featuring an animated, interactive dragon that roars, flies, and breathes fire through all-LED lit playfields. Players can interact with features themed after moments from the series: They can slam the ball into the battering ram in an attempt to break down the castle doors; or activate the animated, mechanical Sword of Multiball to call for reinforcements. The Pro model will include seven multicolor shield inserts that represent Game of Thrones the great Houses of Westeros. Limited Edition Pinball Machine

Winning Moves

Winning Moves, in partnership with HBO Licensing, will introduce Game of Thrones Monopoly. The Standard Edition Game of Thrones Monopoly includes custom tokens, houses, hotels, and a game board featuring locations from the show such as Kings Landing, Winterfell, and Castle Black. The Deluxe Edition of Game of Thrones Monopoly, which includes additional custom features, will arrive later this year along with two versions of Game of Thrones Risk.

Fall 2015

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

A yet-to-be-titled combat strategy game based on Game of Thrones is currently under development with Warner Bros.’ wholly owned development studio, Turbine. Players must prove the wit of their spies and the might of their forces on the battlefield. They can join an alliance rising to power, and then, if they dare, attempt to take the Iron Throne. Turbine is the studio behind other Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s video games based on popular properties such as The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, and DC Comics.

McFarlane Toys

McFarlane Toys’ upcoming line of Game of Thrones construction toys will include sets depicting memorable moments from the TV show, including the Iron Throne Room, Mother of Dragons, and Attack on the Wall. Each set will include scenespecific characters, realistic accessories, and other details.

Game of Thrones Iron Throne Room constructon set

The Licensing Book • 17

A Look Inside

The Licensing Book chats with Federico San Martin, vice president, global consumer products,The Jim Henson Co.

With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, you’re no stranger to the toy world. Do you have any plans in place to expand the presence of The Jim Henson Co.’s properties in the toy space? The way I am approaching The Jim Henson Co.’s business is to divide it into three different categories. The first being the preschool/pre-cool bucket, then HIP (or thirdparty representation), and then the classic properties. My main focus is on our preschool properties, including Dinosaur Train, Doozers, and three properties currently in development: Dot., Splash!, and Word Party. We will focuse on the key toy category for many of these properties.

A lot of your brands are available to consumers on a global scale. How do the licensed lines differ from country to country? Like you said, I’ve been doing this for quite some time, and a lot of my background has been in international. Toys are the category that tends to drive much of our consumer products business in creating a global program. It’s easier now than it was 20 years ago. Today, we have a pretty good sense of what kids will like from country to country based on the success of some properties. Price points are very important, and we have to be sensitive to the niche of each country. With the fluctuating economical circumstances around the world, you want to make sure that the product you are developing meets the needs of the consumer and the retailer. A $20 toy in the U.S. can be within consumer budgets, but that price point can be outside of what is affordable in other countries.

Word Party is set for release on Netflix. Is your licensing strategy any different when launching a new property on SVOD as opposed to a cable network?

18 • The Licensing Book

We are still waiting to see what the correlation is between SVOD and toy demand, but for the moment, it really doesn’t change the way I plan to handle our licensing business. It is still too early for us to determine. There are a lot of companies launching properties now on SVOD and evaluating what that model looks like. When talking to retailers, we have found they are becoming increasingly more open to this launch strategy. We all have to take into account that kids are more frequently consuming media on these platforms. The new Dot. series is very tech-centric. How will the consumer product line reflect this? Depending on the toy partner we bring on board, we may have the opportunity to create a unique interaction with an app. It has been successful for quite a few companies. We have to make sure, however, that we clearly define the objectives and deliverables of the toy and the app. Most importantly, we must create an engaging experience that is relevant for kids today.

Does nostalgia play in the success of your brands? A lot of people do not correlate Jim Henson with the properties we are currently developing, but there’s always a feeling when you hear “Jim Henson.” It’s a feeling of approval. It makes you think “Wow, if it’s a Jim Henson project, it’s done well.” I want to make sure I capitalize on that and let people know that all of these properties are from The Jim Henson Co., giving them that seal of approval. To parents, more than to kids, at the moment, the Jim Henson association gives them a sense of trustworthiness. They feel confident allowing their kids to engage with our brands, and kids love them without even knowing the legacy of The Jim Henson Co. ••••

Fall 2015

Dot. is a new property based on author and tech expert Randi Zuckerberg’s debut picture book of the same name. The Jim Henson Co. will develop an animated series along with an accompanying global consumer products program, targeting 4- to 7-year-old girls. The series follows inquisitive and exuberant tech-savvy Dot, who embarks on adventures to satisfy her imagination, curiosity, and latest passion. Each episode ends with Dot giving viewers a call to action to get inspired and explore what excites them digitally and practically.

Splash! is a new children’s brand that aims to transform the relationship between children and the ocean through broadcast content, digital content, community engagement, and consumer products. Currently in development, the animated series plunges into the diversity and wonder of the natural undersea world. Splash, an inquisitive Yellowtail Fusilier fish, leads his friends on different currents, whisking them off to explore the ocean. Kids ages 4 to 7 will join Splash and his friends on comedic adventures to discover more about marine life and ocean phenomena.

The CGI-animated preschool series Doozers, inspired by the characters from Fraggle Rock, is a modern series that encourages kids to design, create, and innovate. The consumer products program is ramping up with a new regional (EMEA, Latin America) toy partner and additional licensees to be appointed. Simon & Schuster is signed on for publishing in the U.S., with three new Ready-to-Read titles published this year, and NCircle is the home-entertainment partner, with a new Halloween title launching this fall. Doozers debuted in the U.S. as the first Hulu original series for kids.

Fall 2015

Word Party is a new vocabulary-building show that follows four baby animals as they sing, dance, and play. The series invites preschoolers to help teach the baby animals new words, learn these new words themselves, and celebrate their achievements with a word party. Word Party is produced using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, a proprietary technology from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop that allows puppeteers to perform digitally animated characters in real time, which makes the animation more lifelike and spontaneous. The Netflix-exclusive series will premiere internationally next year.

The Dinosaur Train brand is gathering steam worldwide with Jazwares signed on as the new master toy partner. The toy re-launch is anticipated for next fall in the U.S. and will roll out internationally thereafter. A fourth season of the series is currently in production. At BLE, The Jim Henson Co. will meet with potential international licensing partners across multiple categories.

The Licensing Book • 19

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE Musical Legends Ride with Epic Rights

At Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), Epic Rights is looking to meet with established and potential licensees, retailers, and promotional partners to discuss business opportunities, including the international licensing debut of AC/DC, which kicked off the North American portion of its latest tour on August 22. Through Epic Rights and Perryscope Productions, AC/DC has attracted a plethora of new licensing partners, in categories including gaming, spirits, costumes, sporting goods, and electronics. There will be a focus on expanding the brand worldwide, and developing innovative products utilizing newly developed brand guides and artwork, in addition to iconic album covers, single sleeves, photographs, and posters. Woodstock has left an indelible mark on society worldwide, and in 2019, Epic Rights, in partnership with Perryscope Productions and Woodstock Ventures, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary three-day outdoor concert with a global licensing program that kicked off last year domestically, and will expand globally. Woodstock already boasts approximately 50 global licensees encompassing apparel, accessories, home dĂŠcor, stationery, gifts, collectibles, and other key categories. The licensing program is also supported by a new social media and e-commerce platform. The KISS licensing and merchandising program continues to grow, consisting of more than 70 licensees to date, including Charlotte Olympia for footwear worldwide; FIPO for apparel, accessories, and home goods in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Winning Moves International for a KISS-themed Monopoly board game worldwide; Bradford Exchange for accessories, gifts, and collectibles in North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand; Silver Buffalo for drinkware, wall art, and giftware in the U.S. and Canada; Iconic Concepts for collectibles and barware worldwide; Yusef for cosmetics in the U.S.; Legendary Socks for socks in the U.S.; Toxic for apparel in Mexico; and Four Seasons Designs for electronics in the U.S. Epic Rights continues to push the envelope for KISS, exploring licensing and merchandising opportunities in the digital realm through social media and collaborative cross promotions. The company is taking a strategic approach to target multi-generational consumers with new product lines across all categories, including fashion apparel and accessories, gift and collectibles, toys and games, apps, home dĂŠcor, and more.

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Fall 2015

UP&L Explores The Secret Life of Pets At this year’s Brand Licensing Europe, Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) will showcase The Secret Life of Pets, which explores the lives pets lead after their owners leave for work or school each day. Spin Master has signed on as global master toy partner and will develop a line that includes plush, figurines, and interactive and motorized items. The Secret Life of Pets is scheduled for theatrical release next summer. UP&L will also focus on two of its blockbuster film franchises, Minions and Jurassic World, refreshing them with ongoing marketing campaigns. Minions will feature licensees such as Thinkway Toys, Hasbro, Mega Bloks, and Electronic Arts, while Jurassic World will partner with Lego and Ludia. The two programs will lead into Despicable Me 3 and the Jurassic World sequel, scheduled for release in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In addition, UP&L will introduce the next chapter in its Fast & Furious franchise, slated for release in spring of 2017.

The Secret Life of Pets

Discovery Expands Animal Planet and More

Discovery Consumer Products (DCP) will explore new licensing and brand extension opportunities for its core properties, including Discovery Channel, Discovery Adventures, and Animal Planet. In addition to its core Discovery Channel brand, DCP will feature product offerings across key properties under its flagship network brands, including Shark Week and How It’s Made. Paladone Products Ltd. will create a Discovery Channel range, featuring interactive gifts and gadgets aimed at adult males and boys ages 8 to 11. In addition, Paladone will introduce a science and nature range in the UK and European markets—including Shark Week products—for launch next April. With the annual Shark Week summer TV event growing in popularity around the world, DCP seeks partners to expand the brand across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. DCP will also focus on its outdoor adventure property Discovery Adventures, featuring product extensions intended to make outdoor exploration and adventure possible. The brand aims to encourage men, women, and kids of all ages to channel their adventurous spirits and get outdoors. Discovery Adventures will debut a range of hard goods and travel products within the outdoor living category—including camping, luggage, travel accessories, and more—that gives families the tools they need to expand their horizons. This year, the Animal Planet brand will partner with Chrisco in Denmark and 151 Pets in the UK to launch a line of Animal Planet pet treats intended to appeal to its core pet-lover audience. As part of a strategy to establish partnerships across the EMEA for pet toys, bedding, accessories, and housewares, DCP will also partner with Wild Republic Europe for Animal Planet plush and toys, as well as items based on Shark Week. The line will debut this fall, and represents an expanded partnership with Wild Republic, which is currently developing and distributing product for the U.S. market. In Israel, a new deal with Retail 3000 will focus on toys, games, and kids’ dress-up items, with the retailer sourcing from DCP’s existing licensees.

Fall 2015

The Licensing Book • 21

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Joan Marie Art Launches Eye Candy with Trunk Candy

Trunk Candy will distribute apparel from Joan Marie Art, fusing her abstract art background with her more classically trained, detailed paintings. Ed Cook, the founder and CEO of Backward Pipe, will produce the line, which is aimed at women and teens. The apparel will include T-shirts, hoodies, and tank tops available in early September at Trunk Candy, Amazon, and select brick-and-mortar retailers. A social campaign featuring the products will support the line through the fall and holiday shopping seasons. Featuring more than 20 designs at launch, Trunk Candy is looking to expand the line even further. For Joan Marie Art’s Trunk Candy collection, Trunk Candy will hand wrap each item in vibrant tissue, insert an artist bio card, and carefully safety pin an original hangtag to each product before it ships.

ITVS GE’s Thunderbirds Are Go Is Still Going Strong

The boys’ action-adventure series Thunderbirds Are Go will lead ITV Studios Global Entertainment’s (ITVS GE) slate heading into Brand Licensing Europe. A remake of the 1960s TV show, Thunderbirds Are Go garnered strong broadcast figures when it debuted on TV earlier this year in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The series will soon debut in Japan, Israel, and the Middle East. ITVS GE has assembled a licensing program for Thunderbirds Are Go that spans key categories, including toys, digital, publishing, apparel, accessories, gifting, stationery, personal care, housewares, and more. These products have already begun rolling out in the UK and international markets, and ITVS GE looks to present licensing opportunities in anticipation of the TV show’s second series, which will launch next year. ITVS GE will also showcase opportunities for its new TV property Poldark, a British period drama based on Winston Graham’s book series. The licensor seeks to assemble a consumer products program to launch at UK retail in the fourth quarter of this year, as well as partners in apparel and accessories, housewares, gifting, stationery, and personal care. ITVS GE’s other properties include Classic Thunderbirds, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year; the iconic toy property Playmobil; the Playmobil-inspired kids’ TV series Super 4; the digital game Cut the Rope; and the ’70s music brand Village People. DC Thomson Consumer Products will also be on-hand, showing off an extensive portfolio that includes The Beano, a long-running comic that has been entertaining fans in the UK since 1938. The brand has inspired a merchandising program targeting the gifting markets. DC Thomson also continues to build a range of consumer products around the children’s property Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, including books, toys, accessories, apparel, gifts, stationery, and digital products. The licensor is also bringing back Jackie, the weekly British teen magazine that reached the height of its popularity during the ’70s, as a label targeting fans of all ages. On the heels of a fashion range with retailer ASOS this past spring, there will be a Jackie musical touring theaters next year, as well as CDs, stationery, accessories, and apparel from various licensees. Finally, Imperial War Museums (IWM) will present licensing opportunities for its program, which is inspired by the museum’s archive. A partnership with The Caledonian Brewery will continue into the end of this year, and a new beer inspired by pilots from the Second World War launches at Brand Licensing Europe. Thunderbirds Are Go

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Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Beanstalk Helps Brand Owners Evolve Through New Opportunities

Beanstalk has added several new clients to its roster while launching a proprietary online tool, the Brand Extension Indicator (BXI), under its dedicated consulting division Blueprint— Powered by Beanstalk. The BXI is designed to help brand owners evaluate prospective brand extension opportunities, using proprietary quantitative and qualitative metrics to guide them through opportunity and partner selection processes. On behalf of Diageo, Beanstalk now represents global iconic brands Baileys and Guinness, and is tasked with the management and expansion of the brands’ extensive licensing programs, which include more than 40 licensees globally in the categories of food, gift, fashion, and lifestyle. Beanstalk has also signed internationally renowned pop artist Romero Britto for representation, with the goal of strategically extending the brand—featuring Britto’s iconic visual style and universal themes of love, happiness, and hope—across both Europe and North America. Beanstalk’s dedicated digital division Tinderbox has added several titles from Microsoft Studios to its games roster. In a partnership brokered by Tinderbox, the Microsoft-owned games developer Turn 10 Studios has teamed with apparel manufacturer Level Up Wear SA to produce a range of branded apparel, headwear, and accessories for the racing game series Forza Motorsport. The collection will arrive at retail this fall, and will be available through online distribution channels as well as specialist offline stores in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Turn 10 Studios has also partnered with C-Life Group for Forza Motorsport-branded men’s and boys’ clothing, including T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, and hoodies. The collection launched at U.S. retail this fall, coinciding with the release of Forza Motorsport 6 on September 15. Tinderbox has also helped to facilitate a partnership between Microsoft’s fighting game franchise Killer Instinct and Eighty Sixed for a collection of men’s T-shirts. The range, featuring the game’s iconic logo as well as prints based on its visuals and distinguishable characters, first launched at The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) this past July, and is distributed through Eighty Sixed’s own e-commerce store. Originally made popular as a 1990s arcade game, an updated version of Killer Instinct launched on Microsoft Xbox One in 2013. In addition, Tinderbox has been appointed the licensing agent for the science-fiction franchise Halo, supporting development studios, Microsoft Studios, and 343 Industries in further expanding the game’s licensing footprint in Europe. The agency will also collaborate with Mexico City-based licensing experts Tycoon Enterprises on pursuing consumer products opportunities for Halo in Latin America. In addition, Tinderbox has signed the action-adventure video game Ori and the Blind Forest for global representation, while kicking off consumer products programs for several existing clients within the Microsoft Xbox portfolio. Tinderbox continues to pursue licensing opportunities across a wide range of categories for the other titles it represents within the Microsoft Studios Xbox portfolio, including Fable and State of Decay.

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Spotlight On

The Licensing Book spoke with Mark Boldt, CEO of Rubba Ducks, about the company’s plans for expansion in the year ahead. What are you trying to accomplish with Rubba Ducks? We set out in 1997 to bring character rubber ducks to life; Rubba Ducks was really the first company to do that. We believe they are the quintessential collectible, and would do well everywhere from specialty, to drug and grocery, airport gift shops, and any place people go to buy gifts. They are uniquely designed to communicate their individual personalities and characters, ranging from traditional-themed ducks dressed as police, firemen, and animals, to specialized hobbies, interests, and even holidays. They are also perfect for sports fans. In the ProDucks assortment, we offer just about every sport: football, basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, wrestling, and auto racing, and we are getting into licensing, too. What’s new in licensing with Rubba Ducks? We are diving into licensing and just signed our first deal with Foamation Inc. for the Cheesehead brand. Following the 2015 Licensing Expo, we worked together to quickly develop a series of Cheesehead Rubba Ducks launching this November at retail just in time for the holidays and the 2015 football season. We expect these Cheese-

Fall 2015

head ducks to sell well all year long online, and especially at gift and specialty shops catering to sports fans in Wisconsin. We also did a Cheesehead Dairy Cow Duck that we think people will get a kick out of. We expect it to do well at small gift shops throughout the region. What are you looking to accomplish this year at Fall Toy Preview in Dallas? Rubba Ducks is looking to expand at retail extensively. To introduce the new line, we’ve partnered with some of the best toy sales people in the business that are ready to dive in, and are looking for more representation globally, as well. Our goal is to build retail programs based on the appropriate themes for each retailer, not assume that one size fits all. For example, our outdoor sporting assortment would be great at many retailers, including Meijers, Big5, and Bass Pro Shops, while others such as DuckSpa, Mr. & Mrs. Duckbells, and Merduck could be for specialty shops anywhere. How are you addressing seasonal opportunities at retail? Rubba Ducks is the absolute perfect seasonal product. New for this year is a full assortment of holiday Rubba Ducks for Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more. They are the ideal size as a stocking stuffer, or a great non-candy addition to Easter baskets. We are bringing in domestic inventory for late holiday orders, so they are available for this holiday season. ••••

The Licensing Book • 25

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Entertainment One Adds Peppa Pig Licensees

Entertainment One expands the licensing program for Peppa Pig with new licensing partners and a more extensive product assortment from master toy licensee Jazwares. Cra-Z-Art, Accutime Watch Corp., Tin Box Co., Pamson, and Zak Designs are among the new licensees for the preschool brand. In addition, Jazwares is expanding its offerings to include all-new Peppa Pig Construction toys for the U.S. and Canada. Jazwares’ new Peppa Pig construction offerings will include Peppa Pig’s House Construction Set and Peppa Pig and George’s Pirate Ship Construction Set. Cra-Z-Art is developing a wide range of craft and activity products, including paint-by-numbers kits, activity fun packs, velvet posters, and make-your-own and color-your-own activity sets, a coloring and activity backpack, a transfer tattoo maker, stickers, Magna Doodle, pop beads jewelry, learn-to-lace, and more. The lineup includes Peppa Pig Mold ’n Play 3D Figure Maker, featuring seven colors of Softee Dough modeling compound, four 3-D figure molds of Peppa, George, Mummy, and Daddy, and punch-out accessories. Accutime Watch Corp. will make 12 new watches, including The Ageless Time Teacher, a fashionable assortment of analog watches with Peppa at the center of the timepiece. Tin Box Co. will offer various tinware items such as decorative tins, storage boxes and more, including the Peppa Pig Large Embossed Carry-All and the Peppa Pig Tin Purse with Beaded Handle. Pamson is developing a wide range of seasonal summer products, including jump ropes, a racquetball set, sprinklers, bubbles, and sand and garden toys. Included in the new lineup is the Peppa Sidewalk Chalk Set, featuring molded character pieces. Zak Designs is developing a broad range of mealtime products, including trays, gift sets, and water bottles. The offerings include the Peppa Pig 3-piece Boxed Set and the Peppa Pig Perfect Flo Toddler Cup. In addition, licensee TCG Toys is expanding its Peppa Pig collection to include the Peppa Pig Jumbo Mega Mat, a full-color floor mat that is 3.5 feet wide by 5 feet long and made of durable EVA foam. The set includes two Peppa Pig vehicles for extended play.

Bulldog Showcases Shopkins

Bulldog Licensing will showcase a diverse portfolio of properties that includes Shopkins, which has sold more than 100 million toy characters to date. The large and rapidly growing Shopkins program stretches across categories such as toys, apparel, publishing, bedding, arts and crafts, games, posters, and plush. Top licensees include Blueprint, Flair, Aykroyds TDP, Spearmark, Winning Moves, Danilo, NJ, and Icon. Iconic Images represents the portfolios of renowned photographers who have captured the biggest names in movies and music over the past six decades, and has negotiated image rights with David Bowie, Faye Dunaway, Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, and more. The current roster of partners includes Brulimar, which will produce eyewear and accessories, and NJ Screen Prints for apparel. In the U.S., Body Rags and Euro Graphics have signed on for apparel and puzzles, respectively.

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Fall 2015

Brand Licensing Europe

Ink Global Bears Down on BLE

Ink Global’s Masha and the Bear features a hyperactive little girl who befriends a retired circus bear. The bear craves a quiet life, but Masha has other ideas and twists him around her little finger with humorous results. The show airs worldwide through broadcasters including France TV, Rai YoYo in Italy, Turner Cartoonito in the UK and Latin America, Turner Boing in Spain, ABC in Australia, Canal Panda in Spain and Portugal, and Minimax in Central Europe.

PROPERTY SHOWCASE Rovio Looks to Draw Flocks of Licensees

The Angry Birds Movie will hit the big screen in May, produced by Rovio Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is also managing the film’s distribution and marketing. With the full-length movie, Rovio takes a stride toward becoming an all-encompassing entertainment company. At Brand Licensing Europe, Rovio will reaffirm its long-term commitment to the Angry Birds franchise and toward building relationships with best-inclass partners and expert licensing agents with deep local knowledge. At 5 years old, Angry Birds is currently the most downloaded game of all time with a total of 3 billion downloads. To date, the consumer products program for The Angry Birds Movie has attracted Spin Master and Lego, and Rovio will be at Brand Licensing Europe on the lookout for more licensing partners.

CNE Showcases Adventure Time, Powerpuff Girls

Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) will feature a portfolio of brands led by Adventure Time and The Powerpuff Girls. More than 43 million fans tune in regularly to watch Adventure Time across EMEA, and the franchise currently boasts more than 100 licensees in the region. CNE will use Brand Licensing Europe to share details of the brand’s journey from underground phenomena to mass-market proposition that offers long-term licensing opportunities across all key categories. CNE introduces two of its most successful franchises of the past decade, which are on course for revivals next year. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup will star in a reboot of The Powerpuff Girls, to be supported by a new toy range from global master toy partner Spin Master. In addition, the new-look Ben 10 will be introduced to a new generation of fans, with Playmates confirmed as the franchise’s master toy partner. Through its programming, CNE offers licensees and retailers an opportunity to connect with discerning youth, as well as family audiences. Its presentation Adventure Time slate will also feature the comedy sitcom The Amazing World of Gumball and the new animated series We Bare Bears, which launched across EMEA in September.

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NMRN Has Military History to Offer Licensees For the second year in a row, the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) returns to BLE, seeking to grow its licensing program, which utilizes materials from five different museum sites, as well as an archive of materials detailing the history of the Royal Navy and its iconic figures. Currently, the organization has 19 licensees on board, including Airfix, Bradford Exchange, Star Editions, and SDL Imports. Recently, NMRN reached agreements with The Old Board Co., which will be using original HMS Victory timbers for wooden products such as cheeseboards, carving boards, wine racks, book ends, tablet stands, and gentlemen’s trays. In addition, NMRN will collaborate with Westminster Collection on coins with copper from the HMS Victory, to be inserted into new silver £5 and £10 coins. Deals have also been struck with Haynes for manuals detailing the history and construction of both the HMS Victory and HMS Caroline, and with Portfolio Group for themed souvenirs.

A Rainbow of Kid-Friendly Brands Comes to BLE

Rainbow offers a portfolio of brands, including the animated TV series Winx Club, which has enjoyed success among girls ages 4 and up, as well as tweens and teens. The seventh series of Winx Club arrives worldwide this year. Co-produced with Hahn & m4e, the live-action, CGI-animated series Mia and Me chronicles the adventures of a 12-yearold Mia in the land of Centopia. A full range of merchandise was launched in several international territories, including a toy line from global toy partner Mattel. Other partners include Ravensburger, Egmont, Unilever, Nestle, Panini, and more. Regal Academy is a new animated take on fairytales that involves a school founded by famous fairytale characters whose goal is to pass on wisdom to new generations. A live-action production, My American Friend views Italy, its culture, and its people through the eyes of Meg, a young American girl who dreams of being a fashion designer. The series is set to begin shooting in Italy this September.

HMS Victory Commemorative £10 Coin

WBCP Leads with Batman v Superman

As Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) returns to BLE, it will highlight key developments from its iconic entertainment franchises. DC Comics heads WBCP’s slate with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which fronts a lineup that includes nine additional DC-inspired movies set to launch through 2020. DC Comics will also highlight DC Super Hero Girls, a multi-platform universe of animated shorts, books, apparel, and toys featuring Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl for kids ages 6 to 12. On the classic animation front, new Scooby-Doo content will roll out across EMEA. WBCP also builds upon its 15-year relationship with Character Group with the launch of new toy lines and distribution in new markets. In addition, Looney Tunes enjoys new partnerships such as Hare Jordan with Nike, and haute couture apparel and accessories with Moschino. WBCP is also partnering three of its classic Warner Bros. Animation shows—Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production, Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, and a new version of The Tom and Jerry Show—with top-tier licensees. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, from Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling, is the first in a new film series inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook of the same name.

Winx Club

Fall 2015

The Licensing Book • 29

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Nelvana Brings Kids’ Properties to BLE

Nelvana enters Brand Licensing Europe with several children’s animated and liveaction properties, including Little Charmers, which has been sold to broadcasters such as Nickelodeon worldwide, France TV in France, and Frisbee in Italy. This fall, Spin Master will launch a Little Charmers toy range across all major retailers. Partners such as Scholastic, Rubie’s Costume Co., Baby Boom Consumer Products, and Bakery Crafts will launch products throughout next year. Based on the successful book series by children’s author Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales) and published by Simon & Schuster, Trucktown features characters who learn through rough and tumble play. It centers on Jack, his best friends Dan and Max, and their other truck friends. In partnership with Moose Toys, Nelvana represents the licensing and merchandising rights for the Shopkins brand throughout Europe (excluding the UK and Ireland), the Middle East, and Africa.

Shopkins

Saban Grows Core Brands, New Properties

Saban Brands has partnered with Millennium Entertainment International for a first-of-its-kind live Mighty Morphin Power Rangers experience, which will launch at the Dubai Mall. It will mark the first Dubai presence for the brand, and will include a Power Rangers Academy session for kids, an interactive live performance, and a memorabilia exhibit. This fall, global master toy licensee Bandai America Inc. will release new additions to the Power Rangers Dino Charge toy line, to go with themed merchandise from hundreds of licensees. Saban will also partner with StoryToys on a new Power Rangers Dino Charge mobile app, which will launch on iTunes in August. Saban Brands has re-imagined the ’80s toy line Popples as a Netflix original series for kids. A full consumer products program, including plush from global master toy licensee Spin Master, will accompany the series beginning this December. Komar has signed on to launch girls’ pajamas next year. Saban Brands and Cirque du Soleil Média will team up for Cirque du Soleil—Luna Petunia, a Netflix original series for kids. Saban will also launch Emojiville as a full TV series in 2017, handling its distribution, marketing, and licensing. Julius Jr. has new distribution deals with Lagardere in Russia, ATV Turkey, and TF1 in France, to go with placement on Disney Germany, Frisbee in Italy, and Disney in the EMEA. La Banda, launched by Saban Brands with Univision and SYCO Entertainment, has been greenlit for a second season next year. The licensing partners for La Banda include Jerry Leigh for apparel and accessories and Just Toys for collectible photo cards, trading cards, posters, and event memorabilia. Power Rangers Dino Charge Paul Frank continues to expand on a global scale, extending its partnership with Scottish R&B singer/songwriter Tallia Storm, who is featured in the brand’s current campaign. This year, Saban Brands has entered into a long-term licensing partnership with Grand Union International Trading Co., which will serve as the master licensee and retailer for Paul Frank in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This past May, Macbeth, a member of the Saban Brands portfolio, entered into a year-long partnership with the magazine Alternative Press to target the publication’s key music and lifestyle audience. Mambo, the iconic Australian clothing label and fashion brand, recently announced a new design collaboration with Australian fashion designer Emma Mulholland.

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Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE m4e AG Has Plenty to Wissper About

Based in Germany, the brand management and media company m4e AG will introduce Wissper, a new TV series set to debut on the UK’s Milkshake! early next year. A co-production with Absolutely Cuckoo, Telegael, Discreet Art Productions, and Bastei Media, Wissper will be featured at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) alongside Mia and Me and Tip the Mouse. m4e AG will also show off Tobot, a new acquisition, which is the No. 1 boys’ action property in Korea.

Wissper

Aardman Celebrates 40 Years at BLE

For its 40th anniversary next year, Aardman will focus on reliving classic moments from Wallace & Gromit, Creature Comforts, Morph, and Shaun the Sheep, to satisfy existing fans and build new audiences. Plans are in place for special events, exhibitions, and merchandise tied to the occasion. Aardman will expand its portfolio of upcoming live events, exhibitions, and attractions for the UK, Europe, and Asia next year. It is also exploring broadcasting original content on digital platforms for its worldwide fan base of more than 6 million people. This year has seen the global release of Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep movie, a new Shaun the Sheep series, and production on Nick Park’s new feature film Early Man. Aardman’s rights and brand development team continues to develop an extensive international licensing program for all of its properties across a number of core categories, and plans to present new product opportunities and style themes to current and potential partners at BLE. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie

DreamWorks Casts a Wide Portfolio

DreamWorks Animation will feature a global franchise portfolio with film-, TV-, and online-based content across multiple categories. Trolls will be featured in a new musical comedy arriving in theaters next year, followed by the small-screen properties Noddy and DreamWorks’ Dragons. Noddy has a new series scheduled for next year, Noddy Toyland Detective, while DreamWorks’ Dragons was featured in the recently launched television series Dragons: Race to the Edge. Shrek enjoyed recent activations in the UK, including the grand opening of the fully immersive Shrek’s Adventure! London, as well as the DreamWorks DreamPlace holiday experience, which debuts in multiple locations this holiday season. DreamWorks will also look for opportunities for its first original TV property, Dinotrux, which features characters that are half-dinosaur, half-truck. DreamWorks’ licensing efforts are spearheaded by a UKbased, international team with in-market support in China, France, and Australia.

Noddy

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Sponsorship packages available Contact Laurie Schacht at thetoyinsidermom@gmail.com or 212-575-4510 ext. 2320

Brand Licensing Europe

FCP Is on a Collision Course for BLE

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products (FCP) will showcase its portfolio of entertainment brands available for multi-category licensing programs. Ice Age: Collision Course, the fifth film in the Ice Age franchise, is due in theaters in July. FCP will also feature film franchises Independence Day and Planet of the Apes, as well as the next Alvin and the Chipmunks movie Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip. In addition, FCP’s TV properties, including the Fox series Empire and Scream Queens, will be showcased alongside animated brands The Simpsons and Family Guy. FCP is also gearing up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the science-fiction film Aliens next year.

Santoro Turns 30 in Style

Over the past year, Santoro has celebrated its 30th anniversary by teaming up with more than 50 international collaborators in categories such as apparel, publishing, collectibles, luggage, footwear, dolls, and more. For its newest collection, Kori Kumi, Santoro has released a premium line of fashion and lifestyle accessories. International partners have been secured for apparel, back-to-school, puzzles, and dated products. Further licensing opportunities are available in categories such as publishing, accessories, collectibles, footwear, and toys. In addition, the first Santoro Junior apparel collection, developed in collaboration with Italian licensee Preca Brummel, was unveiled this past June at Pitti Bimbo in Florence.

BRB Internacional Counts Animated Trio Among Roster

BRB Internacional will show off a trio of properties based on cartoon series The Hive, Invizimals, and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. The Hive, from Space Enterprises, centers on the adventures of a family of bees, and is intended to help little kids understand daily life in a simple and positive way. The brand is backed by a licensing plan that features master toy partner Mookie. Sony Computer Entertainment’s Invizimals, which is currently available on Netflix in the U.S. and premieres on TVE’s Clan this fall, will continue to expand internationally. IMC is finalizing the launch of its Invizimals toy. BRB Internacional manages the brand’s rights for both the Iberian Peninsula and Greece, as well as for the TV series globally. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, from 41 Entertainment, is currently preparing its return to the small screen, following a summer in which it was the starring brand at the Liberbank pavilion at the Feria de Muestras de Asturias, and formed part of the activities at the Feria de Albacete. BRB Internacional manages the licenses for Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures—as well as The Hive—in both Spain and Portugal.

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Licensing 101

Dress Your Brand for

LICENSING

by Christine Cool, area licensing manager at Perfetti von Melle Licensing Division s it the right time to start licensing your brand? Brand licensing can be a strategic move to benefit from the hard work you put into creating your intellectual property. It can bring in new revenue and increase your brand’s exposure. Sounds good, doesn’t it? However, there are also some loopholes you should study and homework you should do before entering into licensing. Your brand is a precious asset. Therefore, you need to create a strategy for your licensing activity before moving forward with any opportunity. This way, you will avoid stepping into brand extensions that may look appealing because of their short-term profit opportunity, but may dilute your brand image in the long run. The first step is to conduct a brand audit and analyze it from different angles. To create a sustainable licensing business, your brand should have a strong identity and awareness in the market you wish to operate. It should raise some kind of emotion or trust from the consumer. You then need to examine who your target audience is and back it up with consumer research about possible extensions. It is also key to define the categories or services you want to associate with your brand. Be clear about where you want to see your brand in the aisles, because taking a wrong step in distribution can damage your brand considerably. To wrap your brand up as a commercial package, you should create a brand deck that describes its essence and personality. When you define your business model and the resources you will employ, you should have people within your organization who can be fully dedicated to the licensing activity. In addition, you should consider turning to a licensing consultant or to local agents to

Fall 2015

help develop your licensing business. To give your licensing entry flair, you should dress your brand for the occasion. Prepare a style guide with clear guidelines of how you want your partners to work with your brand and make sure it’s aligned with the core image. The style guide is a key tool that provides value to your brand in licensing—it facilitates your entry into other categories and can be a great vehicle to leverage trends and help keep your brand activity Every element is an fresh. This is the fun part, where you can tell ambassador of your your brand stories in a brand, so make sure visual way. that you set, communiFinally, create a set of brand tools that can cate, and deliver on communicate what your your brand standards brand’s DNA is all clearly and consistently about. Every element is in every tool you create, an ambassador of your brand, so make sure that from a business card to you set, communicate, social media platforms.” and deliver on your brand standards clearly and consistently in every tool you create, from a business card to social media platforms. Once you have gone through this process and have put the right structure in place to manage your licensing activities, it’s time for the sales team to go out and •••• secure new revenue. Good luck!

”

Christine Cool is area licensing manager at the Perfetti van Melle Licensing Division, where she has set up the licensing for Chupa Chups, Airheads, Mentos, and Frisk.

The Licensing Book • 35

Licensing 101

10 Tips to Make Great Licensed Products by Andrew Byatt, product and marketing director, Lazerbuilt

here are many reasons to sign a new license. Perhaps it is a hot new brand; maybe it has huge synergy with your category; or you see something no one else did. Whatever the reason, you should have a clear idea of what types of products you will develop from the beginning. Here are some tips for developing products that will excite consumers and make great commercial sense:

“

1. Look for the brand narrative.

How can you weave the brand narrative into your products? Look for key words that are associated with a brand and see how they fit with your product. For example, if the brand is known to be fun and humorous, try to add elements that support this into the design. If the brand is all about performance, make sure your product also delivers great performance in its given task. This can often be the difference between the mediocre and the remarkable.

How can you weave the brand narrative into your products? Look for key words that are associated with a brand and see how they fit with your product.”

36 • The Licensing Book

2. Get to grips with that style guide!

Style guides are a great tool that many licensors develop to help you make better products with brand synergy. Some are better than others, but they usually give you some idea of the essentials to ensure the product has the right elements to tie up with the brand. The best ones are flexible to fit different product needs. Make the most of a style guide, but make sure you don’t go off on a tangent. Remember to focus on the brand’s core values and use product design that works for your category.

3. Innovate, innovate, innovate.

It seems obvious, but developing products that have new and interesting features will always garner attention from retailers. Think about how the customer uses the product. Don’t settle for a label slap—make it better than that. Be aware that the best innovations always add more to value than it costs to include them.

4. Make sure you hit your budget.

Before product development starts, the planning process should include finalizing the retail price point and your margin requirements. Don’t do it later when product development is in full swing and

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your amazing design team is losing sight of commercial imperatives. A superb product that is twice the price of a competitor’s average one will likely never reach the market.

packaging is the frame around your masterpiece. It should be well thought-out, have the right messages on it, and look beautifully designed.

“

10. Learn from your mistakes and successes. 5. Involve everyone.

Make sure sales, marketing, management, logistics, etc. are with you from the outset. These multidisciplinary teams will help you to cover every angle of the product development process.

6. Make sure approvals are handled well.

Make sure that product approvals are worked on in an efficient and organized way. This ensures no big problems later on because you forgot to submit at different stages. You will likely be contractually obliged to make sure nothing reaches the market that is not formally approved.

7. Do your due diligence on factory auditing.

Factory auditing is a key part of many licensors’ requirements. It is understandable for licensors to want to know where their branded product is being made. Ensure that you pick the right factories that are in a position to fulfill the strict obligations of these audits. Every licensor has different requirements, so go into this with your eyes wide open.

8. Learn from other licensees.

Sometimes you won’t be first to market with a new brand, which gives you the opportunity to see what other categories are doing before you dive in. If a particular character or style is working, consider how you could follow this successful model.

9. Packaging is not an afterthought.

Many companies are guilty of doing packaging at the last minute and rattling something out based on a style guide. This isn’t the worst crime in the world (particularly if the style guide is good), but

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There will be successes and failures within your ranges and it’s important to analyze these carefully. In the case of failures: Why didn’t it work? Was it the product design? Was it the graphic design? Did the market reject the brand? Was it too expensive? Was it too cheap? Follow these sorts of questions with, how could it be better? Look at the figures carefully and gather evidence from customer feedback to work out what went wrong. It’s often more valuable to look at what went right and then replicate this formula. It will give you reallife evidence of what works and the ammunition you need to continuously make better products. This analysis should include reviewing figures and, equally importantly, getting out at retail to see product in the wild. ••••

It’s more valuable to look at what went right and then replicate this formula. It will give you real-life evidence of what works and the ammunition you need to continuously make better products.”

Andrew Byatt is Lazerbuilt’s product development director with 12 years’ experience working on licensed product. He studied product design and worked as a designer prior to taking up his current role. Lazerbuilt, based in the UK, is a tech accessories licensee to many of the biggest licensed brands in the world.

The Licensing Book • 37

by Jason Dove, senior vice president, sales and marketing, SocialCentiv ootball season has kicked off for both college and professional teams. The early part of the season is an especially busy time for sports marketers, and it picks up again when teams win conference titles and championships. But if you don’t have a strong social media presence, you could be missing out on an opportunity to find new customers and engage existing ones. Think of social media as a giant tailgate party. As a public forum, Twitter is an excellent tool for that purpose. Using available software, it’s possible to offer fans special discounts and deals at the moment they’re ready to buy. If Twitter marketing seems overwhelming, don’t let it intimidate you. Instead of feeling as if you’re standing on the 50-yard line, attempting to kick the ball between the uprights for a next-to-impossible field goal, think of Twitter marketing software as a way to help you carry the ball straight to a winning season.

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH TOOL IS RIGHT FOR ME? Do your homework. Some apps help companies find new customers on Twitter by mining Twitter for keywords and phrases that sports fans frequently use in Tweets, such as “Can’t wait for the game Saturday!” Marketers can then “@” respond directly with an offer

38 • The Licensing Book

of discounted products or services, such as “@Twitteruser who can’t wait for the game, why don’t you cheer us on in person! Here’s a coupon for 20 percent off your seats for the next home game!” The marketing software tool should also let you target potential customers in a particular geographic area. For instance, you may have found that most of your sales come from within a 150-mile radius of the team’s location, so you can tell the app to search for sports fans within that area. These tools can help marketers reach out to their growing customer bases to offer promotions for ticket and merchandise sales, and even sweepstakes entries. It’s a positive way to keep your name in front of sports fans, and provide offers when they’re most interested.

WHAT KIND OF ROI CAN I EXPECT? The software you choose should not only provide lead generation, but it should also have a revenue traction service. In other words, look for the cost-per-click (CPC), as it’s known in the industry. One software’s CPC for some sporting events clients is under $1. What does that mean? By one measure, 83 percent of fans check social media while watching games on TV, and 63 percent

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Sports Licensing

check updates while at the stadium. A third of all people have used social media for sports information during meetings at work. Another 9 percent have even taken a glance at the score during church. (Source: GMR Marketing) Unfortunately, many sports marketers still lack proven methods for mining social media for revenue. Failure to connect with sports fans in the way they check for information is a big mistake. If marketers don’t reach out to them on their level, they’re losing business they will have difficulty coming back from— even a Hail Mary pass won’t help. Industry analysts agree that online marketing is huge for sports and how efforts in those areas impact fans’ buying habits. In the U.S., an average of 25 to 35 percent of tickets to professional sporting events routinely go unsold. What’s sadder is that 30 percent of the fans who would fill those seats would have gone if they had been aware of the event. (Source: sloansportsconference.com)

YOUR FANS ARE TWEETING ABOUT YOU! Wondering how much fans tweet about their teams? • Nearly 5 million fans tweeted about their favorite teams during the 2014 National Football League season. • Nearly 5 million tweets went out from fans to their teams during the 2015 Major League Baseball season. • More than 10 million fans tweeted about their favorite National Basketball Association team during the 2015 season. • Nearly 5 million fans tweeted about their favorite teams during the 2014 National Hockey League season. (Source: SocialCentiv) Each of those is a captured lead, representing a fan thinking about sports who might be motivated to buy tickets, a team cap, or a team shirt, or enter a sweepstakes. This is the perfect moment to “@” direct reply to the Tweet with a discount “nudge” to make a purchase: “@NFLfan, we’re with you—football season can’t start soon enough. To make sure you’re ready for your first tailgate, how about 15 percent off something in our fan store? Click here for the offer.” As any sales person will tell you, 25 million motivated, potential consumers spell “opportunity.” Analysts calculate the value for last year’s sporting events market was around $80 billion with impressive growth

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projected for the foreseeable future (Source: AT Kearney.com), so even a small fraction of that industry offers huge returns. At present, Twitter is an underutilized marketing channel. But with the right software app, sports marketers can use a powerful and affordable tool that helps them reach consumers with marketing messages at the moment those folks are most receptive to receiving them.

WINNING BIG From ticket sales and distribution companies to major networks and college sports programs, sportsrelated organizations are scoring major victories reaching out to fans with the social media technology that is available. The bonus? It’s not hard. Last spring, one of the major networks used Twitter software to help promote March Madness. During the Final 4, they saw a 47 percent click-through rate (CTR) on the apparel campaign and a 24 percent CTR on a sweepstakes promotion. The company that makes this software is now launching fall football campaigns focused on ticket sales, merchandise, and sweepstakes promotions for two Atlantic Coast Conference universities. Need more examples of success with Twitter? A large ticket distributor was able to boost sales to selected East Coast college basketball games and a major broadcast network had conversion rates of 47 percent on a Twitter campaign to sell collegiate athletic apparel earlier this year. In the sports marketing business, this software developer has achieved a 42 to 53 percent CTR, well above the typical 34 percent they see with other businesses. And with football season underway, even bigger gains are possible. For sports marketers, social media is the granddaddy of all tools. The uninitiated can find learning the nuances of social marketing to be frustrating and timeconsuming. But by using the right Twitter software app designed to do the heavy lifting, businesses can have the confidence to execute a game plan and deliver a win. •••• Jason Dove is senior vice president of sales and marketing at SocialCentiv, software for lead generation on Twitter, and president of AAF Dallas. Email him at jason@socialcentiv.com and follow him on Twitter @Jason_Dove.

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Sports Licensing

WHERE VICTORY IS IN EVERYONE’S GRASP by Ted Mininni, president, Design Force Inc. hen I first met Steve Kaplan, it was clear to me that the man had a deep passion and conviction for his brainchild, the World Armwrestling League (WAL). I’ve been a diehard sports fan all my life—being a native Philadelphian, it’s difficult not to be—but, arm-wrestling? I imagined it happening in basements, garages, bars, and pool halls as a way to prove your bravado or to settle a bet. The thought never crossed my mind that it could be a serious sport. But, after talking with Steve, he made me realize that there’s an entire culture of arm-wrestlers all over the world. He said there are other professional leagues too, but none like the WAL. He wanted Design Force to create the visual foundation for the WAL, from its brand identity system to its consumer product licensing program style guide. Like I said, I’m an avid sports fan, as is everyone on our design staff. Throughout our 25 years, we’ve had numerous opportunities to work with all four professional sports leagues and their licensees. So, how could I turn down the chance to shape the visual aesthetic for this new league? We couldn’t wait to sink our creative teeth into this one. We immediately learned all we could about the WAL, its elite athletes, its loyal and rapidly growing fan base, and everything that makes this armwrestling league unique among all others worldwide. It’s no accident that the WAL is the largest and fastest-growing arm-wrestling league in the world, with some of the biggest payouts in the sport. Unlike other leagues, where arm-wrestlers compete on a stage and fans sit passively in the audience, far removed

40 • The Licensing Book

from the immediate action, the WAL’s athletes compete in the Pit—a cluster of arm-wrestling tables on the event floor, surrounded by ravenous fans. The atmosphere there is electrified. It’s the most up-close audience engagement you can experience at a professional sporting event without actually competing in it. The fans become part of the action and, as a result, part of the story of each WAL event. How can it possibly get any cooler than that? Here’s how: Anyone can compete at a WAL event. That’s right. Anyone who wants to try their hand at arm-wrestling just needs to sign up, pay a small fee, and head into the Pit to test their abilities against other pullers in their weight class. But here’s the catch: To get the prize money—which is handed to the champion right at the table, along with a massive silver hammer trophy—they need to beat everyone else, one by one, including the WAL’s elite athletes. Good luck with that! WAL matches are intense, and the athletes take on one opponent after another in grueling, day-long tournaments. The high level of energy spawned by having the fans in such close proximity to the athletes is incredible. I witnessed it first-hand when I was invited to a WAL event in Atlantic City last fall. At first, I was riveted by the fact that I was immediately thrust into the crowd, close to the competition and close enough to hear the trash talk and witness the visceral reality of each match. The elation of each victory is celebrated in the most guttural and primal way imaginable. And so is the disappointment of each defeat. I studied these reactions and, as the tournament progressed, I found myself totally involved in the action as if I had been a

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fan forever. I started to identify my favorite athletes and realized that I was cheering them on during the finals with everything I had. Arm-wrestling is highly competitive and requires a relentless approach to training and mastery of technique. The athletes of the WAL come from all walks of life, from Main Street to Wall Street. Whether they work in warehouses, on shrimping docks, at engineering companies, or in legal firms, they all share one thing in common: an unparalleled dedication and passion for the sport. As Kaplan explains: “When you enter the Pit, there’s nowhere to hide. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much you have. It’s about one thing and one thing only: what you’re made of.” How tough is arm-wrestling? “It’s one-on-one. You’re challenging your opponent, like a gladiator, without all the blood and guts,” says Allen Fisher, or lightweight class champion “Mr. Intensity.” An icon of the sport for 35 years, he holds 26 World Championship titles, an International title, and 40 National titles. Travis Bagent, aka “The Beast,” a 25-time National Champion and 13-time World Champion in the super heavyweight class, grew up arm-wrestling thanks to his dad, a former Marine and arm-wrestler himself. “I don’t care what guys think about my attitude,” says Bagent, known for his swagger. “It comes from confidence based on relentless training and honing technique. I invite all comers to step up to the table and we’ll see who has what it takes.” Canadian heavyweight Devon Larratt, aka “No Limits,” is also passionate about arm-wrestling. Larratt recently held Open Weight World No. 1 rank and was Open Left World Champion. Doing hard work as a youth in his native Ontario, Larratt started competing early. After joining the Canadian military, he honed his skills during deployments in Afghanistan. “Combat is fierce,” says Larrett. “Channeling that ferocity into arm-wrestling and facing down each opponent as the ‘enemy’ is what I like about this sport. But at the end of a match, we can shake hands and respect every guy who competes because we know what it takes to step into that arena,” he says. Larratt’s wife, Jody, cheers him on more loudly than anyone; it’s a feat to have one voice heard above the

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rabid crowd at these events, but Jody loves the sport (she’s a competitor, too).

TRANSLATING THE WAL INTO A VISUAL LANGUAGE Immersing ourselves in a brand allows us to identify the most important characteristics and translate them into a unique visual language through design asset development. Creating the brand’s visual identity system and a style guide for its consumer product licensing program establishes incredible value. These assets power a unique aesthetic that gives the brand a competitive advantage, making a social and cultural impact that creates dedicated, loyal fans. As we began to develop a unique visual language for the WAL, we focused on embodying the spirit of the brand: its grittiness, intensity, passion, and “every man can participate” feeling. We understood that, as a sport, physical conditioning and training are only part of the equation. Mental toughness and using psychology to intimidate one’s opponents are equally important factors.

hoodie (above) and smartphone case (below) design concepts from Design Force’s licensing style guide for the WAL

THE BRAND IDENTITY To capture the World Armwrestling League’s uniqueness, we created a bold, custom typographic solution for the “WAL” acronym. The letterforms are red and held within a white shield-like framework. The shield’s two equal sides suggest the balance of battle between two arm-wrestlers. The WAL letterforms nest together perfectly and conform to the shape of the shield itself, with the letter “A” rising above the others to

The Licensing Book • 41

Sports Licensing

PUTTING MUSCLE INTO A CONSUMER PRODUCT LICENSING PROGRAM

package design concepts from the licensing style guide for the WAL

emphasize the name of the sport. The words “World Armwrestling League” appear above the shield in a bold, condensed font that aligns with the stylization of the custom WAL typography. The brand identity is dominant at all WAL events; there are more than 250 competitions planned across the U.S. and Canada this year alone. The bold, simple design of the logo looks great on ESPN as well; the sports channel has inked a contract with the WAL to televise major competitions across the country with more than 40 hours of programming this year.

THE DESIGN ELEMENTS To further convey the gritty attitude of the sport, and the WAL’s “underground” heritage, we wanted to give the consumer product licensing program’s design elements an urban appeal: a dark, spot-lit brick wall; distressed metal surfaces; a manhole cover; grimy riveted steel plates in black; and two distinctive values of gray that serve as backdrops to a broad range of badge and pattern designs. Short, succinct editorial phrases—such as “Victory is in Your Grasp,” “Armed and Dangerous,” and “Your Fate is in Your Hands”—provide clever storytelling that will resonate with WAL fans on an emotional level. When used in conjunction with the brand identity and the gritty, urban background textures on licensed consumer products in a variety of categories, these phrases make a definitive statement: This is the WAL! All WAL design elements share the same stylistic approach, color palette, and fonts. This common visual language provides visual consistency that will lead to immediate fan recognition at WAL events, in advertising and on social media, at retail, and on TV.

42 • The Licensing Book

Establishing a unique visual language and a library of design elements is important, but there’s no guarantee that licensees will successfully translate these assets to consumer products in a way that properly represents the brand. To ensure that they’ll grasp the visual aesthetic, we created a series of product concepts that touch on key categories, such as training gear and equipment, smartphone cases, and apparel for men and women. These concepts present a bold, yet sophisticated tone, rather than an overly aggressive one. To convey this kind of subtlety, a little visual guidance goes a long way. The common visual thread that defines the WAL must be consistent at every consumer touch point, including packaging. With the potential for WAL products to find their way into any conceivable consumer product category in any mass or specialty retail environment, we knew the packaging program needed to be visually powerful, yet simple and modular enough to accommodate any structural configuration. So, we created a lock-up of the WAL shield and typography turned vertically to serve as the primary package design architecture on a clean black background with a subtle brick wall texture. The product name and descriptor reside in a gray band that wraps the entire package design. The call-out burst is a dripping hit of gray spray paint. Templates were created for blister card, window box, closed box, and hangtag configurations as visual guidelines for licensees to follow as they develop packaging for their WAL-branded products. We were proud and honored to bring the WAL to life for its fans through our design expertise. Expressing the energy and excitement of this growing league, its founder, and its superb athletes through a strong visual foundation creates value for the WAL brand. We at Design Force live for that! ••••

Ted Mininni is president of Design Force Inc., a package and licensing program design consultancy to the consumer product and entertainment industries. He can be reached at (856) 810-2277. Mininni blogs about package and licensing program design at www.designforceinc.com.

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ed-hot lifestyle apparel brand Roots of Fight CEO/Founder Jesse Katz sits down with The Licensing Book to discuss the value of iconic brands and the importance of storytelling in the role of creating a sustainable license.

What factors are important when choosing an athlete to license? We look for athletes who have transcended the sport they became famous for; we look for pop culture icons that have stood the test of time and have become household names not just in the U.S., but globally. Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Mike Tyson are some of the first brands that we began working with. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a sports fan to know who they are or what they have accomplished. Global brand recognition is an underrated character asset for any license. It is invaluable from a marketing perspective if everyone in the world already knows who your product represents. It gives us a great starting point to continue the education process, telling the story of why these icons are important and why you should want to embody that story by wearing a well-made, aesthetically beautiful T-shirt. One of the major advantages of working with legends is their resistance to trends in the marketplace. Muhammad Ali will always be a legend.

How did you initially get these sought-after brands to work with you? We showed them what we had in mind from an aesthetic point of view and explained our philosophy and strategy to pay homage to their legacies, appealing to the specific career highlights that made them remarkable. Other brands that approached them focused on numbers of units sold and sales figures, without much thought around elevating the brand and informing new consumers. In the beginning, we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really give any

44 â&#x20AC;˘ The Licensing Book

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Sports Licensing

guarantees on sales, but we could show a genuine love, respect, thoughtfulness, and a very clearly defined vision. Shannon Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson all took a gamble on us when we weren’t yet established. They believed in us and trusted their brands in our hands. I will always be grateful to them for that.

What makes you different from other apparel brands that hold similar licenses? We are a category of one and don’t really like to compare ourselves to other brands. We do things that we are not “supposed” to do, and we don’t follow the traditional rules regarding marketing and distribution. We don’t advertise. We don’t have visible logos on our products. We don’t focus on retail distribution of any kind. Instead, we create content to educate consumers through storytelling with the proper reverence for the iconic moments and legendary athletes depicted in our collections. We invest in professional mini-documentaries that often feature contemporaries of the era and modern-day notables that have been influenced in some way by the tale we’re telling. The only place you’ll find our logo on the garments is the inside label and hang tags, so that the focus for those wearing Roots of Fight is on the icons we represent and the affection for them. Our consumers have grown to love us, but heroes—not logo—always drive the initial response and we are OK with that! We have chosen not to follow the typical external distribution model because our licenses have massive, loyal, established fan bases and we do our best to make sure those fans know where to find us. A lot of energy is spent on organically growing our social media presence and we have used Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook very effectively for messaging. The value of selling our products via our own channels is massive.

How have celebrity influencers, such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Bourdain, and others, elevated the brand? Dwayne and I have joked about the word “luck.” My father had two sayings about luck: He used to say the harder you work the luckier you get, and luck is the intersection where preparation meets opportunity. We have worked extremely hard and have been incredibly

Fall 2015

fortunate that our preparation has led us to some incredible opportunities. Although we don’t officially work with anyone from a sponsorship point of view, to be able to publicly engage with celebrities showing love for Roots of Fight is an integral part of our success. A few months ago, National Football League player Justin Tuck asked his Twitter followers where he could get the Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson workout gear. Our ever-vigilant followers responded right away, tagging us so we could get in touch. They wear it because they love the icons we represent, because there are no logos and no brand association per se, and because once we see that they love it as much as we do, we reach out and are able to develop relationships that last. Various versions of this interaction have happened over the years, and it speaks to the importance of what we’re trying to do with the licenses. Not only do we want to properly represent these legacies to people my age, where nostalgia paints a favorable picture, but we also want to further extend them for newer generations.

What projects are you working on right now? October 1 marks the 40th anniversary of the “Thrilla in Manila,” the greatest heavyweight boxing fight of all time, and one that went a long way in solidifying the impact of two licenses we work with in Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. To celebrate this incredible event, we’ve rolled out a large collection, including pieces we’ve never done before: shorts, sweatpants, and sleeveless hoodies. It’s an exciting time and a big drop for us. Then we have a “Rumble in the Jungle” collection right around the corner.

Has there ever been a thought to acquire licenses in other sports or even non-sports properties? We already have licensing deals in motion for several different Roots of Sport style brand extensions that follow the same model that we use for Roots of Fight. We want to tell important stories about great athletes turned pop culture icons in every sport. As far as other categories, we’ve worked with dare devil Evel Knievel, musical artists such as Snoop Dogg and Elvis Presley, and many others in the past, so that door is always open as well. ••••

The Licensing Book • 45

Sports Licensing

#1 MLB #2

Hog Wild will expand its Poppers line next fall with Major League Baseball (MLB) Poppers, featuring team mascots decorated in full uniform that shoot the foam ball up to 20 feet. These Poppers are officially licensed by MLB.

#2 NFL AP Sports Apparel introduces a line of collectible sportswear for men, women, and children imprinted with the autographs and artists’ original illustrations of iconic National Football League (NFL) players and coaches, including Brett Favre, Jerry Rice, Don Shula, Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Jack Del Rio, Brent Jones, and Jim Lachey. T-shirts are also available with NBA and NASCAR players, coaches, hall-of-famers, and drivers. AP Sports Apparel plans to contribute a share of revenue from sales to Child Hunger Ends Here and the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation.

#3 WWE #1

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has teamed up with Mattel to let fans bring the action of WWE home and create their own fun with the Create a Superstar and Create a Ring products. With this new line, fans can build their own Superstars and rings to design their own match-ups, or re-create a famous one. The Create a Ring set lets kids mix and match more than 30 parts, including turnbuckles, ropes, mats, and more. Create a Superstar lets kids switch around body parts and mix and match battle gear, including masks, capes, weapons, armor, removable tattoo decals, and more, to design their own Superstar.

#4 NASCAR #4

46 • The Licensing Book

Inspired by the heroes, tracks, and look of years past, NASCAR Classics celebrates the sport’s history with a line that includes T-shirts, hats, die-cast vehicles, and more. Developed in 2012, the league’s heritage label has become a favorite among NASCAR fans. For the first time, an expanded line of offerings are available for purchase. Fans can purchase NASCAR Classics gear through the NASCAR Fanatics Trackside Superstore, NASCAR.com Superstore, and Lids. NASCAR also debuted the Real Racing 3 NASCAR Experience mobile game, which lets players battle on the track with more officially licensed cars than ever before and participate in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway for a chance to win their selected team’s car to keep forever in the game. ••••

Fall 2015

The Voice Reaching Both Trade and Consumers

Contact: Jonathan Samet or Laurie Schacht Adventure Publishing Group 307 7th Avenue, Suite 1601 New York, NY 10001 Tel: 212-575-4510 Fax: 212-575-4521 www.adventurepub.com

Of Counsel

Work-for-Hire Pitfall s Licensing 101, Part 78 by James Kipling, Of Counsel This is the 78th article in a series devoted to the creation and documentation of the licensing relationship and the elements of a typical license agreement.

rior articles in this series have addressed the advantages of patent protection for certain products and copyright protection for others. Of particular interest to manufacturers of licensed merchandise can be copyrights available for “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works,” one of the eight categories of works specifically identified as copyrightable in the U.S. Copyright Act. Artwork used to adorn stationery goods, wall coverings, and clothing is frequently copyrighted by the artist and licensed to manufacturers of the respective products. Classic comic characters represented in action figures, associated packaging, and advertising may be subject to copyright protection owned by the original artist, the comic publisher, or the producer of a movie or TV series from which the likenesses of the characters are drawn.

Manufacturers’ Dilemma

Manufacturers frequently hire independent artists to handle the creative work involved in applying licensed properties to their products. Typically, a manufacturer will engage the providers of such services as independent contractors, whether to develop applications of artwork to existing products or sculptures of superheroes for inclusion in toy lines and collectibles. An entire cottage industry of graphic artists and sculp-

48 • The Licensing Book

tors exists to serve industrial users in this fashion, and the results of their efforts fall within this same category—i.e. “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.” Manufacturers generally engage the services of these creative types under purchase orders or other forms of agreement on a “work-for-hire” basis. Both parties to such agreements expect that the manufacturer will own the copyright in the resulting applications of artwork and will be able to exploit them in any fashion desired, without future obligation to the outside artist.

Not So Fast

The concept of “work-made-for-hire”—which is the legally proper terminology, but which is referenced more commonly as “work-for-hire”—is specifically embodied in the U.S. Copyright Act. The thrust of this section of the act is that the employer, or, if the parties so agree, the commissioning party, automatically owns copyright in the creative work from the instant of creation as though that party were the “author” of the work. By contrast, in cases other than those of legally defined work-made-for-hire, the individual who creates the copyrightable work will be its author and will be presumed to own the copyright in it. The Copyright Act contemplates that outsourcing creative works is a significant element of commerce, and facilitates such transactions by modifying the normal course of events so that the commissioning party stands in the shoes of the “author” in respect to many varieties of creative works, including magazine articles,

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motion pictures, compilations, instructional texts, and a variety of other classifications of works-made-for-hire, which are defined at 17 U.S.C. 201(b).

However...

One classification of copyrightable work that is missing from the list of those which can qualify on worksmade-for-hire is surprisingly the very category we have been discussing. That is, “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works” are not listed by the act and therefore cannot be works-made-for-hire under the Copyright Law, unless they qualify under one of the listed categories—e.g. an animation frame is part of an audiovisual work. The significance of this omission is that, unless additional steps are taken in the agreement between the parties, the outside artist or sculptor would be entirely within his or her rights to demand a second payment from the manufacturer for a license to make use of the commissioned work. This could happen because copyright ownership in the commissioned work would remain with the artist, notwithstanding that the parties fully intended otherwise. To add insult to injury, if the parties can’t reach an agreement on the license fee, the artist can sell or license the work to a third party.

What to Do?

Every manufacturer who outsources artistic creations would be well advised to thoroughly review whatever forms of agreement it normally uses for such transactions. As a threshold consideration, even those kinds of works that fall into one of the categories that properly can be works-made-for-hire under the law will only qualify as such if the commissioning agreement affirmatively states the intention that the work be a work-made-for-hire. Further, the work that is the subject of the agreement must be specially commissioned—that is, it cannot already exist in completed form prior to the agreement, but must be created pursuant to the agreement (and the agreement must be in writing, signed by both parties). With respect to pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, if the parties intend that the manufacturer own the copyright and not be required to make additional payment for use of the work, the agreement should incorporate a “belt and suspenders” approach by stating that all rights in the work and the resulting copyright are “hereby assigned” by the artist to the manufacturer, to the extent

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that the work does not qualify as work-made-for-hire. In the case of commercially important works, a manufacturer would be well advised to register the copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. In this way, disputes over ownership and the requirement of a license for use of the created work can be avoided. Whatever political forces may have resulted in the seeming gap in the “work-made-for-hire” section of the U.S. Copyright Act, the unfortunate fact is that a substantial part of the commerce between manufacturers and outside creative service providers has not been addressed. A circumspect manufacturer who desires to avoid paying a second time for using works that it has already paid to have created will take the additional protective steps described above.

The Final Insult

Of perhaps greater concern, is that in the case of an outsourced work that does not qualify as work-made-forhire and becomes an evergreen property, even the “belt and suspenders” approach described above has limitations. Under the U.S. Copyright Act, any individual who assigns his or her ownership of a copyright to another party can nullify the assignment by a termination notification at the 35th anniversary of the assignment. An example of this recently came to light when a federal court upheld the termination of assignment to Marvel Comics by the creator of the Captain America superhero character. Thus, the artist now has the opportunity to offer to the highest bidder a character that Marvel has popularized for 35 years. Incredible as it may seem, the same fate can befall manufacturers who are fortunate enough to have commissioned the creation of artworks that prove to have enduring popularity in their product lines. That is, in situations where it matters most, manufacturers can lose ownership of the artwork embodied in evergreen products to the artist whom the manufacturer paid to create the artwork in the first place. •••• James Kipling has represented licensors and licensees for more than 20 years, negotiating entertainment, sports, artwork, brand, invention, and technology agreements. He is Of Counsel with Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Cincinnati, and can be reached at jim.kipling@dinsmore.com. Copyright: ©2015 James M. Kipling. All rights reserved.

Licensing Book • 49

LIMA Update continued from page 12 Andrea Brooks, Tati Westbrook, Connor Franta, Hannah Hart, and Missy Lynn. If you don’t know who they are, you’re falling behind the curve, and many, many others are on the way. Though this latest wave of celebrity influencers and brand moguls is still in its early stages, there are enough examples to indicate that this promises to be the start of something big. Leading the way of this new generation of celebrities are Mota and Phan. A YouTube fashion video blogger, Bethany Mota, who Time magazine named one of “The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014,” debuted her spring/summer collection at Aeropostale, launched her Bethany Noel fragrance at Aero, and recently released her new song, “Be Who You Want to Be,” on her YouTube channel. Meanwhile, YouTube personality Michelle Phan,

who was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty, founded Ipsy, a personalized mail order company that sends glam bags of beauty products every month to subscribers. Mota and Phan may be the pacemakers, but there are many others who are already following in their footsteps. Celebrities are coming from new places, and anybody in the licensing business who’s not at least aware of the influence of YouTube may be missing a very large boat. •••• Marty Brochstein joined Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) in 2008. Brochstein was a business journalist for more than 20 years, covering the consumer products and retail industries. He spent five years as senior editor of Television Digest and was the founding editor of Consumer Multimedia Report. He was also editor of Consumer Electronics Monthly and Electronics Merchandising, and spent time with Discount Store News, Chain Store Age, and Home Furnishings Daily.

THE LICENSING BOOK, Fall 2015 — “THE LICENSING BOOK” (ISSN-0741-0107) is published quarterly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and additional mailing offices. © 2015 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc ®. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 per year. THE LICENSING BOOK, THE LICENSING BOOK INTERNATIONAL, WORLDWIDE LICENSING and the “WLE” design, are trademarks and service marks of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office Postmaster: Send address changes to THE LICENSING BOOK, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001.

50 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2015