Brand Focus: The Purrfect

Cute, cuddly and instantly recognisable – and with a devoted fanbase of 18 to 35 year olds –Pusheen is a global social media sensation. Andrew Lane, founder of Fluid World, sits down with LSB to talk about the cartoon cat’s latest adventures in licensing, and why gaming and snacks are the purrfect areas for growth.

Inset: New to the market, this Pusheen night light is by Spanish licensee Grupo Erik.

Feline fine

To most people in the licensing industry, Fluid World’s Andrew Lane needs little introduction. Over the course of his varied career – which has included stints in the Israeli army and as Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s tour manger – he has achieved a number of licensing ‘firsts’. He helped Arsenal FC set up its licensing department, launched Hello Kitty in Europe (outstripping Red Bull at retail within two years), and introduced licensed schoolwear to the UK, achievements for which he received an Honorary Achievement Award at the 2010 Licensing Awards. Such an accolade usually comes at the end of someone’s career, but Andrew’s biggest successes are possibly still to come. Today the star of his portfolio is undoubtedly Pusheen, the cute cartoon cat beloved of Gen Z that is ubiquitous on social media. Created in 2010 by Claire Belton and Andrew Duff for a comic strip on their website, Everyday Cute, the brand has recently hit a staggering 30 billion Giphy shares. Andrew came across the brand in 2016, after Sanrio had taken Hello Kitty European licensing back in-house, and he was thinking about retiring

(“for about the third time”). He recalls: “My wife, Angela, said to me, ‘Have you seen this Pusheen? It’s an emoji on Facebook.’ She and my daughter Alice and son Freddie loved it, because we’re a cat family, and because it’s all about emotions and can be used to express what’s going on. I looked at it and thought, this is really cute!” Andrew jumped on a plane to see Claire in Chicago. “She was selling a few bits and pieces, nothing much. There was no licensing programme in place. I told her, I think you’ve got something really special here, and I offered her a deal. “In the first year, we did a massive launch at Primark, and I organised an in-store competition. At 7am we had hundreds of people queuing down Oxford Street.” Pusheen’s massive fan base had turned out in force. “So many licences today are aimed at 6-, 7-, 8 year olds, and it's all pester power,” says Andrew. “They don’t have their own money. And these days, their parents haven’t necessarily got the money either. Pusheen fans are aged 18 to 35, they've got lots of money, they're living at home. And they're on social media. They’re the perfect fans.” In 2017, just a year after launch, Pusheen was Above right: Andrew Lane (centre) awarded the Best Teen or Adult Licensed picks up his Honorary Achievement Award at The Licensing Awards 2010. Property at The Licensing Awards. Fluid set about Inset: A cosy ‘VUddie’ by Vanilla growing the brand globally, and Pusheen is now Underground, one of Pusheen’s DTR partners. in 60 countries worldwide. Growth is steady in Western Europe and has exploded in Central and

Eastern Europe, following a “huge” DTR deal secured with LPP, the group that owns Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito and Sinsay, and has over 1,700 stores; LPP makes 60-70 new Pusheen products every few months. Aleksandra Kacprowicz, the former LPP employee who initiated the deal, has since come on board with Fluid and now runs its Eastern European operations. While online sales for Pusheen rocketed during lockdown, the brand also has a strong presence in adult bricks and mortar retailers. “We’re not in toy shops,” Andrew explains. “In the States, we’re in Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, BoxLunch. In Europe, we’re in HMV, John Lewis, Carrefour, Claire’s Accessories… We are Claire’s biggest licensed brand and have been for some years.” Retail, Andrew strongly believes, needs theatre. “People aren’t going to just walk into your shop – they have to have a reason. Which is why we do a lot of the things that we do, such as in-store character visits.” But whatever the mode of selling, the philosophy should be the same. “If someone’s walking down an aisle or opening a page on a website, a beautiful product has to jump out and grab their attention. It’s as simple as that. My goal is to continue to make beautiful products that appeal to people’s emotions and carry a message.” Andrew and the Fluid team keep abreast of consumer trends in various ways. It helps that they all love to hit the shops. “I talk to retailers and ask, what’s working? Crafting is big right now, and Pusheen fans love making things, and baking things. So that’s something we’re looking into.” Another sector ripe for growth is gaming. “Pusheen fans are around 70% female and 30%

Inset: The brand has recently hit a staggering 30 billion Giphy shares. Below: Epic Games launched Pusheen skins in July and October this year, enabling players of Fall Guys to appear as their favourite feline. male, and they’re gamers. Epic Games contacted us, saying they wanted to attract more female gamers by putting Pusheen into the game Fall Guys. They launched two Pusheen skins in July last year and two in October.” Andrew has plans for a branded Pusheen computer game, but while his ideas take shape, he is looking into foodstuffs aimed at gamers “because they sit there eating and drinking while playing. Pusheen snacks would be big.” Fluid’s in-house creative team gives the company an edge when it comes to securing partnerships, by producing helpful style guides and mock-ups. Just as often, the designers at licensee companies are huge Pusheen fans, and approach Fluid with their own ideas. Upcoming collaborations for 2023 include a partnership with fashion brand Koi Footwear for “funky shoes”. While entertainment brands are reliant on film and TV releases, Pusheen, as a social Inset: Pusheen fans queue down media phenomenon, is a Oxford Street for the brand’s Primark launch in 2016. genuine 365 brand – and the future looks bright. “We’ve got a global brand that’s growing and growing,” Andrew concludes. “Our doors are open. Come and see us!”