The Bugg Report Magazine - Edition 27 by thebuggreport

BUGG

THE

@THEBUGGREPORT

REPORT @BUGGREPORT

LICENSING EXPO LAS VEGAS - EDITION 27

www.babysecretshq.com

Find us online at www.headstartint.com

TM & © DC Comics. (s18)

EDITION 26 FROM THE EDITOR by matthew bugg Looking at how brands are evolving in the fast-paced world that we live in today, it can be a challenge to adapt and change at the rate required to keep up with what consumers want at any given time. Licensing Expo now features more than 5000 brands from all around the world and the licensing industry is worth $262.4 billion on a global scale. Licensing has been driven in a more traditional sense by brands in the character & animation space, however we now see so many great examples of brands in the areas of art, fashion, corporate and sports licensing. It is interesting to look at how brands in the character & animation space used to reach the consumer, mainly through platforms such as television advertising, magazines and radio. They could reach millions of consumers through these platforms but the consumer was being presented with what the brand owners and advertising companies wanted them to see. Fast forward to 2018 and a consumer can look at a direct feed of anything and everything related to whatever it is that they want to see relating to art, fashion, corporate and sports brands, in addition to the more traditional character & animation brands. The change is simple but profound, the consumer now chooses what they see and when they see it. It is most likely that even when watching television or listening to the radio, the modern consumer is looking at Instagram rather than paying attention to an advertisement that they have no interest in. From a business point-of-view it seems rather simple, you need to be talking to the consumer through these platforms but in a way that stays relevant to your business and the brands you are

working on. It is sadly very common to see these types of platforms setup with outdated posts and old news that does the brand more harm than good. To not use digital advertising and social media is most likely a better option than using them poorly. I am sure that the near future will see many licensing companies employing people in the role of “digital advertising manager” or something of the like to make sure that they are front-of-mind with their consumers. After all, who would have guessed that there would be YouTube channels dedicated to “un-boxing” videos? It will be interesting to see which brands win over the coming months and years as the internet becomes more and more important to the success of brands, both from an advertising and sales point-of-view. Until then we hope you enjoy this edition of The Bugg Report and as 2018 marks our 10th Anniversary, we would like to thank all the people and the companies that have supported us over the years and thank you to our readers. We hope you continue to choose The Bugg Report as your source for news on brands & licensing.

THE BUGG REPORT

NEWS ON RETAIL, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, TOYS & LICENSING Managing Director

Editor & Designer

Tony Bugg

Matthew Bugg

tony@buggsolutions.com.au

matt@buggsolutions.com.au

Published by Bugg Marketing Solutions

Advertising: bookings@buggreport.com.au

info@buggsolutions.com.au

Feedback: editor@buggreport.com.au

PO BOX 491, Berwick VIC 3806

Media: media@buggreport.com.au

The Bugg Report has been compiled as a guide to retail, sports, lifestyle, toys, licensing and/or other related matters. The views and opinions provided are based upon the views and opinions of our writers. In no way is The Bugg Report a factual guide to retail, sports, lifestyle, toys, licensing and/or other related matters and does not take responsibility for how the information provided is used by its consumers.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

BBC STUDIOS IS BACK AT VEGAS LICENSING EXPO WITH INCREDIBLE BRANDS FOR ALL AGES!

SANRIO FEATURE UPDATE

FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW HENDY

WE INTERVIEW KEITH BROWN FROM SHOWTIME ATTRACTIONS

WE INTERVIEW CATHY SKELTON FROM SHOWTIME ATTRACTIONS

NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION & SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT

WE INTERVIEW BRIAN MAEDA FROM WWE

WE INTERVIEW SIMON GRESSWELL FROM SANRIO

WE INTERVIEW TALIA GOLDSMITH FROM WILDWORKS

CENTA IP EXPANDS PORTFOLIO AND STAFF

PIKMI POPS SHOWCASED AS NEXT BIG LICENSING WIN FOR MOOSE!

JOHN GUALTIERI TALKS KMART AUSTRALIA

LYNTON RICE TALKS ‘THE NEW’ TARGET AUSTRALIA

WE INTERVIEW JEFF HUNTER FROM HUNTER PRODUCTS

FEATURE ARTICLE | WIDE EYES NEWS FROM THE TUBE

www.buggreport.com.au

BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide) is back at Vegas Licensing Expo with incredible brands for all ages! The newly formed company brings sales and distribution together with production expertise to build on the BBC’s unique heritage and global success under the new umbrella of BBC Studios.

Our ambition is to continue to grow our world-class, global franchise brands such as Doctor Who, Top Gear, BBC Earth, Hey Duggee and Go Jetters.

Excitement is building for the latest series, set to launch this year, featuring the first female Doctor Jodie Whittaker. With the new series and new Doctor comes new companions, a new showrunner, and even more to be unveiled later this year. It certainly is set to be a new era for Doctor Who. There is huge energy for the brand in the licensing space with new partners secured globally and locally, and existing partners’

working quickly to develop new product based on the global franchise. This buzz is reflected in the excitement amongst Doctor Who fans - the announcement of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor saw a whopping 28 million people reached globally and over a million reactions worldwide.

In addition to the release of new and refreshed style guides (based on both the classic series and series 11) as well as the new trend guides available now, there is a host of new Doctor Who product on the way to delight every type of Doctor Who fan!

• World’s longest running Sci-Fi series • Sold to 239 territories • 110M monthly impressions on Facebook & Twitter in 2017!

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

•

In 2016 Planet Earth II was most watched Natural History title in the UK in 15 years.

•

Blue Planet II was most watched TV Show of 2017 in UK with over 17 million UK viewers and a reach of over 500 million globally.

•

Social media sensation: nearly 400 million monthly video views on Facebook in 2017.

•

Australia Post to launch a Blue Planet II themed collectable stamp pack in June.

•

Blue Planet II is featuring during Vivid Sydney this year with a bespoke light and sound installation projected on to the rooftop of the Australian National Maritime Museum.

•

Planet Earth II Live in Concert debuted in Australia last month. Narrated live on stage by actor Eric Bana, it featured breathtaking footage from the acclaimed BBC Earth series and original score from Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, performed on stage by Australia’s leading orchestra.

The world’s leading premium factual producer has seen phenomenal global success with recent landmark titles Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II.

Go Jetters continues to delight young fans, with over one million new viewers in 2017!

hey duggee had an incredible year in 2017, winning two more preschool baftas! •

Sold to 150 territories with more than 1 billion views in China.

•

One of ABC Kids’ Top 10 shows in 2017.

•

New range of infant apparel from Designworks launching in Big W.

•

New winter preschool apparel launching in ABC Shop Online.

•

New Games and puzzles from Winning Moves launching this year, including Junior Guess Who and Top Trumps.

•

Master Toy partner Jasnor releasing a slew of new and refreshed toys, collectables & tableware.

•

New non-ticketed mini musical show debuted at Essential Baby & Toddler Show and now touring nationally.

•

Series 3 greenlit.

•

Broadcast on ABC Kids & CBeebies daily in key timeslots.

•

7th highest rated children’s program on ABC Kids in 2017.

•

Series 3 greenlit, featuring more science and geography, new characters, new vehicles and new click-ons!

•

The Ubercorn non-ticketed show continues to entertain fans nationally via meet and greet partner Showtime Attractions. GO JETTERS logo ™ & © BBC 2015. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Ltd t/a BBC Studios.

HEY DUGGEE™ and character logos™ & © Studio AKA Ltd 2014. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Ltd t/a BBC Studios.

www.buggreport.com.au

Feature

Interview with Andrew Hendy The Bugg Report catches up with Andrew Hendy, CEO HeadStart Toys to learn about their entry into the US market and the amazing growth that the business has experienced.

The growth and innovation at HeadStart over recent years has been amazing and they have strategically worked to develop a combination of representing the best toy brands in the world, whilst at the same time developing their own portfolio of innovative toy ranges. Their commitment to brands has assisted them in pushing deep into the market with their own development with Ooshies and their recent Sesame Street toy range. This new development by HeadStart has been nominated for a LIMA Global Award in the Toys/Games/Novelties/Role-Play (0-12) category at this years Licensing Expo. HeadStart have invested heavily in marketing and promotion and they are well known for backing their leading toy ranges with TV advertising and impactful promotions. They have also recently moved to concentrate on new techniques including YouTube and un-boxing to engage the consumer.

The big news is that you will launch your own new developments, Best Furry Friends and Baby Secrets into the US market this year. How will you support this move from a marketing standpoint? HeadStart has been building a huge amount of content on our branded YouTube Channels, this content is pushed out to our target market with a very big advertising budget. Furthermore, we have partnered with some of the biggest influencers on YouTube and already received millions upon millions of views of videos featuring our products. Clearly you have invested an enormous amount of energy and drive into your business over the past 3 years, what is your vision for Head start for the coming 12 months? HeadStartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision is to continue to be Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number 1 toy distributor, especially being known as the company who does more marketing than any of our competitors. In addition, HeadStart will continue to develop and build our own portfolio of brands and applying that same motto into our global marketing strategy.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Along with your more global approach, do you also have plans for the European market?

Andrew, does HeadStart have a long-term view when it comes to your own toy ranges?

HeadStart has been selling in the European market for quite a few years and have some great distribution relationships in place. This will continue to grow as we introduce new product.

The toy business changes so fast that you almost need to take it one step at a time! One thing for sure is that we are good at developing and marketing collectables, something that seems too hard for the likes of Mattel and Hasbro, so this will remain a huge focus for us.

How do you view the Asian market, particularly China as an evolving toy market of the future? HeadStart has probably overperformed in most Asian markets, although China remains untouched for us. There is no doubt the market is huge but it can be difficult for western companies to get it right in China (many are trying!).

HeadStart has been nominated for a LIMA global award this year for Sesame Street Tickle Me Elmo, not bad for an emerging local Australian toy company. Will this assist in how the industry sees HeadStart internationally? Yes, we are thrilled to have the nomination for Tickle Me Elmo. The team at Sesame Street took a chance on HeadStart, granting us the master toy license for Australia and New Zealand rather than keeping with a big multi-national. The move has been a big success and the Sesame Street business is booming. Where will your priorities lie at Licensing Expo this year? Looking for hot licenses that we can sell in toys. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see what the licensors have got to show then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll tell you.

Andrew, we wish you all the best with the licensing awards and your move into the US market. The toy industry is very different now to what it was 5 years ago, it will require new thinking and new distribution methods to secure the future. We look forward to HeadStart becoming the next Australian success story overseas.

For more information or to learn more about HeadStart visit www.headstartint.com

www.buggreport.com.au

Feature Interview with Keith Brown The Bugg Report catches us with Keith Brown from Showtime Attractions prior to Licensing Expo to here about the most recent success stories within his business.

With such a diverse business model including live shows, shopping centre events, touring and amusements; how do you prioritise your time across all these responsibilities? Good time management is a result of having a great team at Showtime Attractions. We start with defining what it is we are working on, what is the brief and what division is responsible for each task. We give clear directions and because the team are able to execute so well, time management becomes very manageable for me. One of your biggest recent success stories is Santa’s Magical Kingdom (SMK). Can you tell us a little bit about how this event has evolved? This was initially going to be a two-year development, however the success of SMK saw us reach the sixth year in 2017. We have no intentions of selling the show or stopping it and have signed a five year partnership with Crown Casinos. We also brought in licensed brands to the show in 2017 which included DreamWorks, with Trolls as our ambassadors for SMK and Universal made the Minions part of the show as well. Over the past 20 years you have worked with many great global brands. What are some of the stand-outs? We love all the projects that we have worked on however in terms of macro level impact on our business, it would have to be when Shrek came to town! It is fair to say that Shrek made Showtime Attractions and I often think we should have painted our building green. In terms of highlights, it is so hard to narrow them down to a few as there are so many and we are currently holding over 50 licenses! Showtime has been responsible for the annual Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt for the past 20 years. Can you tell us how this started and what it has been able to achieve? We are now the longest standing Cadbury supplier, their event and seasonal partner of choice. Cadbury initially came up with the idea of an Easter egg hunt which they ran at FOX Studios in Sydney, something we were not initially involved in. The first year didn’t go according to plan and Cadbury brought us in as the offical event supplier and we have been there ever since. The event has grown from 1,000 to a sold-out 8,000 people since we have been working with Cadbury and we now give away a million Easter eggs every Easter with all profits going to the Children’s Hospital. Helping to supply over 300 beds for adults & their children to sleep in overnight makes us extremely proud.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

You were engaged to develop the Sydney Royal Easter Show; can explain how you delivered this amazing activation? This year’s show was run at night time for 12 days. Showtime partnered with The Sydney Show to bring the first street parade to town during the Easter Show. From 4pm each day visitors could see two parades go through town. The 2018 show featured real life-sized animated elephants, 10 major circus floats, old-style circus wagons and the main arena was turned into a circus in the evenings. Can you tell us about your international engagements in Malaysia for Showtime Attractions events? We were one of 20 companies to tender for a 60 Years of Independence in Malaysia celebration. Having won the contract we will see Dinosaurs Alive being presented in the City of Kuala Lumpur as a ticketed event. The show has now been extended to August 2018 due to its success so far. Can you tell us your philosophy in relation to how your customer should experience your activations? It really is all about the experience. Retail is in a tough place and our partners want us to bring traffic, that is the main goal. We aim to provide a great experience at an affordable cost, it is also about engagement and bringing a brand to life for the customer. Ultimately we want the consumer to bring that brand home and remember it because of the experience we provided. The Smurfs Lost Village is another new attraction for Showtime Attractions. Can you outline its main attributes? We introduced a Smurfs Trail where you have to collect the stamps which lead you to the Smurfs World and Westfield Fountain Gate engaged us to build the first Smurfs World last Christmas where could walk the Smurfs trail to then meet Santa. In 2018 we will be celebrating 60 years of Smurfs and this will include a whole new Smurfs World by Showtime Attractions. You recently brought Lights by DreamWorks to The Mornington Peninsula. How did it perform? This event was supported but the Victorian Government as a tourism event which is why it was held at Rosebud. The show actually went from Chile to London to Melbourne and then to Crown Casino in Perth. The show also opened again at Watergardens Shopping Centre in Melbourne in September. The show was booked out in 2017 which was great.

Feature Interview with Cathy Skelton The Bugg Report had the chance to speak to Cathy Skelton prior to Licensing Expo to learn about the new division she is working on at Showtime Attractions; premiums & promotions. Cathy has 20 years of experience in the licensing and premium promotional category and is now working with Showtime Attractions to further develop customer relationships and bring premium promotions to shopping centres including give-aways.

Cathy, it must be great to be back in the licensing business and in partnership with Keith Brown to bring a new dimension to the Showtime Attractions business with premiums & promotions? It is just fantastic to be back in the licensing industry and a field that I love so much and enjoy. I have known Keith Brown and Showtime Attractions for many years now and it is a pleasure and an honour to be a part of the Showtime Attractions team and have the opportunity to grow this area within the Showtime Attractions portfolio. I do not think many people know the extent of what Showtime Attractions actually do across many areas. Showtime Attractions is not just meet-and-greet, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s live activations in both non-ticketed and ticketed format, plus major live touring shows around Australia and across Asia. The client base is massive and it opens up great opportunities for premiums & promotions, both on-package and in-package. Having so much experience in the premiums & promotions business is obviously very important when starting a new business venture; what are the goals for this new division at Showtime Attractions? The goal is to bring a wider offering to our current clientele that is tailored to their unique requirements and needs, whether that be corporate branding or branding around a particular licensed property. To be able to deliver great value and high-quality premiums & promotions at the right price is the ultimate goal. Can you take us through some of the things you are currently working on and some of the major projects you will be working on in 2018 and beyond? We are currently working on many projects with the major shopping centres and also across many fast-moving-consumergoods promotions. We also have a large merchandise program with Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Magical Kingdom and we are already working on some massive Christmas promotions for 2018.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Unfortunately I cannot go into detail as these are confidential with both the clients and the brand owners, however you can look forward to them when they launch! As retail is changing so rapidly with the increased uptake of online shopping, premiums and promotions would seem to be a great place to start with bringing new and exciting projects to licensing, retail and events? Absolutely; this is more important now than ever with online shopping and eCommerce. The shopping centres are requiring more in-centre activations that excite, entertain and allow children to go back to the basics of writing, colouring, craft activities and the like. It is all about driving people into the shopping centres and as a result, into the retail stores and premiums & promotions really do work so well in this area. For any companies wishing to work on premiums and promotions in the licensing business; what will your new business venture bring to the table and how can companies get in touch with you to start a conversation? We can bring so much to the table with new innovation and creative ideas through products which add value to any purchase. We will be working across corporate blue-chip brands and of course major licenses and ever-greens. This is a very exciting time for the Showtime Attractions team and we encourage any brand owner who would like to invest in premiums & promotions to get in touch and start the conversation.

To learn more about premiums & promotions by Showtime Attractions contact Cathy Skelton via cathy@showtimeattractions.com.au

Athletes Leverage Social Media to Promote Officially Licensed Products As consumer demand for unique, athlete-driven licensed merchandise grows so does the strongerthan-ever connection between athletes and fans thanks to social media engagement.

opendorse. Skylar Diggins of the Dallas Wings, for example, communicates with her two million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and posts roughly 380 Tweets per month.

The powerful use of social media marketing, combined with the global attention paid to athletes, has created new channels through which athletes can directly influence consumer behavior - and licensees are increasingly capitalising on these opportunities.

As traditional advertisements become less effective in reaching today’s consumer, marketers are turning to athlete endorsers to elevate their products and hyper-target them to fans - and ultimately achieve desired business results. Athletes’ voices, their unique personalities and engaging content cut through online chatter and reach sports fans. These characteristics add credibility and affinity to any campaign and sponsorship. When players such as the WNBA’s Candace Parker and the U.S. Women’s Team’s Alex Morgan represent themselves as authoritative voices and share personal messages, their fans are bound to listen to and act upon it.

REP Worldwide is at the forefront of this trend. Launched in 2017, REP Worldwide (Representing Every Player) is a first-of-its-kind group player representation business that offers licensing and brand management services to athlete-centric sports properties. REP Worldwide is a subsidiary of NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFL Players Association. Founding partners include the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). On behalf of the athletes represented by these partners, REP Worldwide is signing licensees that will have the opportunity to work directly with athletes including the world’s top women’s soccer and women’s basketball players - to promote their product lines and reach targeted consumers through social media campaigns, in-store appearances, promotions and endorsements. Athletes utilized in licensing programs also benefit by receiving royalties for use of their likenesses. According to opendorse, an athlete-focused social media marketing platform, the U.S. Women’s National Team has an average of 325,600 followers per channel and boast a higher rate of engagement per channel than most major leagues. Players from the USWNTPA and WNBPA are active on multiple platforms and share well above the weekly average of 40%, as reported by

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Licensees can naturally integrate their products into the social media postings of athletes in the REP Worldwide portfolio, allowing them to persuasively and organically reach new and diverse communities of consumers. From discovering the games that star athletes play and products they use, to the merchandise that bears their names and likenesses, these direct interactions with players can make a major impact on fans.

NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION

REP Worldwide is transforming the sports licensing model by expanding the number of available player group licensing rights and player-marketing opportunities, so that ultimately licensees can create and market products featuring every player. Please visit www.repeveryplayer.com for additional information.

www.buggreport.com.au

™

Feature

Interview with Brian Maeda VP Toys & International Licensing at WWE

The Bugg Report had the chance to speak to Brian Maeda at WWE for everything that has happened at the company over the past 12 months and to learn about what will be happening in 2018 and beyond for both events, licensing and consumer products.

Thank you for taking to time to speak to The Bugg Report, Brian. Can you give us an update on some of the highlights at WWE over the past 12 months? WWE is a global media and entertainment company which consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. We have no off-season. We recently had very successful events at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We reached 2M subscribers on our OTT service, WWE Network. 9Go!, Foxtel and E! have helped us locally in Australia to reach our audience. We’ve increased the number of partnerships with best-in-class licensees and we’re feeling good about our growth potential in the market. WWE is a brand that resonates with many age groups and demographics; has the focus changed at all in respect to the WWE’s target markets and core fan base? 10 years ago, WWE reimagined our content and made the strategic decision to become more family-friendly, to grow our multi-generational audience and attract more blue-chip partners. This is reflected in the fan base that you’ll see at our live events and in the consumer products that our licensees create. I believe that WWE is pushing the women’s division quite a lot these days, especially with the introduction of Ronda Rousey. What is the motivation behind pushing the women’s division?

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Women now account for 40 percent of the WWE’s fan base and women have been more regularly featured in main events on all television and pay-per-view programming. We believe that we are giving our audience what they are asking us for. WWE events are hugely popular throughout the world; what does WWE Live! Have in store for Australia this year? We’re still working on our Live Event calendar for Australia. We’ve had great success in the market and our plan is to continue to build on that. From a licensing and consumer products perspective, you work with many partners throughout the world to bring great products and services to market. Are you able to give us a general update on the licensing and consumer products business and some of the most exciting developments that have happened during the past 12 months? For consumer products, WWE is a $1 billion brand at retail and we work with more than 200 licensees across 85 countries. Our products are available on 16 major e-commerce sites, including our own WWEShop.com. Our global and local consumer products partners regularly update their product portfolios so fans have the latest toy, game, gadget or Superstar accessory every year. Australia was one of our biggest growth markets for toys last year with our key partner, Mattel. In addition, WWE is the best-selling video game franchise and our annual 2K console videogame continues to provide our fan base with great gaming content. Our last five mobile games debuted on top grossing charts with 70 million installs worldwide.

For more information on WWE in Australia & New Zealand contact Peter Bird via Peter.Bird@wwecorp.com

From an Australian point of view, I believe Ooshies by HeadStart have been a smash hit new product for WWE. What does the future hold for new generations of Ooshies? HeadStart has been a solid partner for us and we do plan to do more with them in the future. Stay tuned and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll share more of those plans shortly. With the addition of so many new Superstars in the WWE recently, how has your licensing and consumer products evolved to focus on these new Superstars? With a large number of Superstars this gives our licensees the ability to tap into a wide variety of creative assets for use in consumer products. As our content is updated frequently we work closely with our licensees to update artwork assets and to identify which Superstars resonate most in any given market. Thanks for your time Brian; before you go can you give us a quick snapshot on what we can look forward to from the WWE over the next 12 months? We are re-imagining the future of WWE. We have plans to expand into many international territories with scaled versions of the template weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created for localized promotions that will serve as feeder systems to find new Superstars. We have some exciting plans for Australia as well. This will help us to further expand our consumer product offering.

www.buggreport.com.au

Feature Interview with Simon Gresswell The Bugg Report catches up with Simon Gresswell, COO Sanrio Global Limited - EMEA, India, Oceania and Mr Men Worldwide, during his recent trip to Australia in April. Great to speak with you Simon; can you tell us about your recent trip down-under to Australia? Thanks, you too. Well, to use the local lingo, I am absolutely stoked by the trip to Melbourne and Sydney. We had some very positive and constructive licensee discussions with partners such as Designworks, Penguin, RMJ Brands, Peter Alexander and Showtime Attractions and some really interactive meetings with Buying, PR & Licensing teams from the likes of Cotton On and Big W. It was a real pleasure to hear their interest and discuss how best to realise our brands for their brand and their target consumers. It’s even clearer after this latest trip that Australia is a vibrant and creative market place and the licensees and retailers look to what else is happening in other parts of the world, as well as innovate regularly themselves. As a licensor, that’s an ideal combination. Retail has been tough like many territories, but the adaptable approach of many key partners, gives me great encouragement for the short and long-term future growth of our business. In addition to creating a packed schedule for me, Haven ran a really exciting and humorous Licensee Event in Melbourne’s Backlot Studios. We packed a 75 seat private screening room and I think we delivered an informative and amusing update and news of what’s to come, with the obvious benefits of a big screen, big sound and big laughs, especially for Gudetama and Aggretsuko.

Hello Kitty is a Sanrio brand that is iconic in so many ways and has been featured across many genres of culture. What do you have planned for Hello Kitty not only in Australia but all around the world? In addition to the brand re-positioning of Kitty, via an excellent marketing campaign based on recruiting (unpaid) social media influencers, who were already genuine fans of the brand, we have set up some really hot co-brands with global and prestigious companies like Puma, FILA, GCDS and Pinko. Pop-up and limited edition retail initiatives with the likes of TopShop, Primark and ASOS so far, have really raised the profile of Kitty again in the U.K. and as said, are noticed from all corners of the globe. Across Europe, a combination of long term and new retail partners are starting to ‘come back’ to Kitty, in a period when classic and proven icons, have even more commercial value and equity than perhaps ever before. We are grateful to H&M and others who have stood by our little gem for so long and are enthused by what we’re doing now and supporting this.

This gave us the chance to fully update the key players on how Sanrio is strategically refreshing ‘Hello Kitty’, with some sharp marketing and focused designs, as well as remind everyone of the power and adaptability of the ‘Mr. Men Little Miss’ portfolio of 90 characters, plus show some new characters that have joined and are joining the family now.

There is definite momentum that has been built through the implemented strategic plan of 2017 and the hard work of the team and through the coming months, you’ll see more of these brand and retail partnerships revealed, as we convert strategy and marketing into strong licenses and retail sales.

It also gave us platform to outline how Sanrio is becoming a more proactive licensor via a wider and more varied portfolio of brands, with a potent mixture of properties proven in Asia and even introducing something completely different to what our partners would expect from Sanrio. More of the little red panda later!

Another feature of the re-positioning and conversion to retail sales, is a more focused approach to design and style guides. We have taken more control of the visual ID of Kitty, as we seek to re-build the licensing programme. The beauty of such an iconic character, is that any and every design style can work, but this is part of the challenge as well. So, we felt we needed to guide licensees more, go back to the essence of the brand for teens/adult and create a new cute look, that news fans could associate too. Hence we have just launched Hello Kitty Retro and Hello Kitty Club accordingly, with this in mind and with the aim of also generating more uniformity at retail, whilst still of course maintaining the ability to do bespoke designs for and with retailers & brand partners, where it works when apply their own brand ‘signature’ to Kitty.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

cuteness and humorous soundbytes for the millennial generation! Don’t take my word for it, ask anyone in Japan, where the egg that lacks ‘spunk’, has already had 5 phenomenal years of retail success, or ask some of the world’s leading YouTubers, who came to Tokyo with us to live, breathe, draw and meet (but NOT eat) The Lazy Egg. We have also seen the first screening of the sweet but attitudinal new property Aggretsuko on Netflix recently! What is this property all about?

Mr. Men has been an amazingly popular brand for children since it was first released back in the 1970s. Given the vast number of angles the brand has featured such as education, fun, laughter and emotion, what is your overall goal for the brand in 2018 and beyond? Mr. Men Little Miss is still one of, if not the, simplest and most brilliant character brand out there. Yes, I’m biased, having been privileged to first work on the brand 25 years ago, but with a growing family of characters (through bespoke communications campaigns and gently educational initiatives), there is so much potential beyond the great work already done by our teams in U.K., France, Asia and also via our Agent network.

Aggretsuko is well…out there...in both senses. The concept is pretty left field for Sanrio (note she is designed by the same Sanrio designer who came up with Gudetama) and she just launched on screen to world on Netflix in 190 countries, on Friday 20th April. Our little red panda is a (fictional…honest) office worker, who takes out the frustrations of her daily grind, by allowing her rage to get the better of her and heading to sing death metal karaoke and drinking beer, of an evening. Sure to inspire some lifestyle products and experiences, our US team have already launched the character with an exclusive at Hot Topic and a residency at a renowned karaoke bar in the US. Watch this space. Arrrrgggghhhh!

I genuinely believe we are only scratching the surface of how Mr. Men Little Miss can speak to consumers, through consumer products, campaigns, education, digital and experiences. Some of the retro graphics, take the 90+ character family further into high street fashion world and we’ve had great success with a set of adult parody books, which again everyone can relate to. We have grown the reach with ecommerce, personalisation and cross-licensing mash ups, so look out for more from the characters that reflect all our personalities, more than just about any others. It’s no secret that Mr. Men Little Miss has had success in animation in the past and how we plan to grow the brand globally, is via an exciting journey into various media, in the coming months and years. Gudetama is a hilarious new property from Sanrio and is sure to create a very unique collection of fans from around the world. For those who are not familiar with Gudetama, can you explain what this property is and what Sanrio have planned for its development? Gudetama AKA, The Lazy Egg, is hilarious and just made for fun on consumer products. It’s (not a his or a her) snappy but sloth-like utterances are transmitted via digital nano-episodes, that will tickle you from a combination of Sanrio’s traditional

Thank you for your time Simon and we hope to see you back in Australia soon! A pleasure and great to be back in Oz, with so much enthusiasm for what we’re doing and where we’re headed as a company. Thanks to Haven and all licensees/retailers for the meetings and coming to the event. See you again soon!

For licensing enquiries in Australia & New Zealand contact Diana Markezic at Haven on +61 3 9015 6688 or email diana@havenglobal.com

www.buggreport.com.au

Feature Interview with Talia Goldsmith The Bugg Report sits down with Talia Goldsmith, Director of Licensing at WildWorks Inc to discuss their market leading online social world for kids, Animal Jam, in the lead-up to Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Animal Jam has been growing strongly since 2010, but it would be great to get an update on recent in-game developments your players have been enjoying.

The Animal Jam licensing programme continues to have a strong presence around the world, what have been some of the recent highlights?

Animal Jam is nearing the 100 million registered users mark with no sign of slowing down. In February, Animal Jam debuted a new land dedicated to teaching Jammers about wetland habitats and creating a platform for the launch of our first extinct animal avatars. Since entering the game in March, Jammers have already purchased over 100,000 Sabertooth avatars, and Direwolves will be joining the fray on May 24th.

Recent highlights include our 2018 Kidscreen Best App for Kids award; the steady growth of our subscription box program available through Culture Fly in 27 countries; the launch of This Is... Animal Jam, the first magazine dedicated to Animal Jam, available in the UK and US from DC Thomson; the development of a new apparel program for holiday 2018, and the continued development of our Animal Jam TV series.

Over the upcoming months, Animal Jam will be releasing custom content every weekend as part of our Wild Weekend series. The excitement will continue later in the year with new monthly membership bundles that offer exclusive in-game items through limited-time membership purchases.

How has your licensing programme evolved or changed since your first launches and are there any new directions you will be heading in with product development?

Animal Jam: Play Wild, the mobile iOS/Android version of Animal Jam, will expand the Packs program by offering new ways for Jammers to play together and grow their Pack presence. Packs, introduced in December of last year, is an exciting new feature that give players full Member benefits in both Animal Jam games for the same low subscription price we charge for the web game. These new initiatives are already making an impression on Jammers helping Animal Jam to meet or exceed every revenue goal for the year.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Since our licensing program launched in the summer of 2016, our demographic has aged up slightly and our licensing program has followed suit by starting development on new apparel and home goodsÂ collections.

For ANZ licensing enquiries, contact: John Vasta john@blackmint.biz

Children’s Advertising Review Unit

Safe Harbor-Certified

In addition, Jammers have made it clear to us that they prefer to purchase Animal Jam products online and we are working with licensees to provide them with more opportunities to do so, including launching the Animal Jam Amazon store. Specifically in Australia & New Zealand, we understand the programme continues to grow but what have been some of the developments from a licensing point of view which have fuelled this growth?

Our user numbers in Australia and New Zealand continue to grow and we now have over 3.3 million registered players. From a merchandise perspective, we have multiple new toy lines being launched by Banter Toys this year and continue to work with retailers on in-game promotions. In late 2017 we implemented a very successful exclusive promotion with Big W where a highly sought after virtual “spiked collar” was offered with the purchase of any Animal Jam collectable. This type of activity, where we drive fans into stores with exclusive in-game items, is what we will be looking to do more of in Australia and New Zealand, and around the world, as we know it is highly effective. What are some of the key in-game and licensing plans which are upcoming over the next 12 months that you’re able to share with us? After an incredible turnout last year, Animal Jam will return to sponsor a booth at VidCon 2018. The event will include influencer appearances, team competitions for players at home, and sneak-peaks of upcoming products. Animal Jam’s Summer Subscription box, designed to parallel our Vidcon theme, is expected to see significant subscriber growth. Finally, new Animal Jam apparel and home goods will be launching online in Fall 2018.

www.buggreport.com.au

CENTA IP EXPANDS PORTFOLIO AND STAFF Growing Global Agency Expanding Properties and Team Around the World Global licensing agency Centa IP has recently expanded its team and has also signed on a number of new clients, ahead of the Global Licensing Expo in Vegas. In team news, Gail Mitchell has accepted the role of CEO Centa IP globally. Centa IP acquired Gail’s company, The Fusion Agency, in July 2017. Gail will remain based in Sydney, Australia where she will oversee the ANZ business whilst also overseeing the global team. Val Fry has also joined the Centa IP team as the new VP Licensing based in London. Val will be responsible for the commercial exploitation of our key brands, and growing portfolio of properties, in the UK and EMEA region. Val has vast experience with entertainment brands, including as Director of Licensing at Coolabi, Chapman Entertainment and Gullane Entertainment. Rebekah Belzer will continue to manage the Americas and Vincent Jones will oversee the Asia-Pacific business. Gail Mitchell says: “This is a very exciting time for Centa IP having picked up global representation for a number of fantastic new properties. We have an exceptional team who are looking forward to working with our brand partners in driving our businesses forward.” Centa IP has recently signed on to represent global licensing rights for a number of exciting properties: MONSTER TEDDIES – a 22 minute action-comedy animated series produced by Cheeky Little Media about a band of Monster Teddies – fierce heroes with freaky superpowers like none you’ve ever seen and fighting them every step of the way is their arch enemy, the Mad Collector. Spinmaster is already onboard as Master Toy for these supercool Teddies. Mysteries combine with laughs and jolts as our plush heroes struggle to harness their powers and uncover the secrets of Stone Mountain before the Mad Collector finds them first. After all, if a mountain that can turn teddy bears into Monsters ... it must have some pretty awesome secrets! GO AWAY, UNICORN! – the animated television series produced for YTV and Disney Channel by Sonar Entertainment based on the book of the same name by Emily Mullock, it follows the adventures of Alice, a strong, independent 21st century girl with a busy schedule and a wide variety of interests. However, her life is turned upside down when a real live unicorn shows up one day and declares himself her new

best friend! This wild, wacky, and unpredictable party animal is going to make sure that Alice squeezes some fun into her busy schedule. And while Alice (despite her best efforts) is growing to love Unicorn, he can be a real pain in the backside, especially when he speaks up behind her and she backs into his horn. And that’s why Alice can often be heard shouting, “Go Away, Unicorn!” WATCHDOG – also produced by Sonar Entertainment and based on the Will McIntosh sci-fi adventures of a 15-year-old boy, Vick and his 13-year-old autistic sister, Tara, living on their own in Chicago 20 years in the future. Technology has given rise to the Watchdog, a robotic animal that can take the form of any creature imaginable. When their own homemade Watchdog pet, Daisy, is fitted with a much sought after Artificial Intelligence ECU, a pursuit by forces, both good and evil, begins. Their quiet lives are turned upside down as they, along with their diverse group of new allies, struggle to maintain normalcy and protect this dangerous holy grail of technology. NATE IS LATE – produced by Watch Next Media and Nate is Late Productions (Australia). Ten-year-old Nate and his neighbour Malika walk to school every morning ... and every morning they want to get to school on time … but no matter what they do, no matter how hard they try, they always get to school late! They always have the most far-fetched, exciting and unbelievable reasons for being late — and they’re all true – whether they’re taming a huge and hungry carnivorous plant or being abducted by stinky goblins who live in the sewers. And somehow their crazy adventures always take place in the few blocks between home and school. KALLY’S MASHUP – the hit Nickelodeon Latin America musical telenovela, created by Adam Anders and produced by 360 Powwow and Anders Media. The series, which presents original music created by Anders, revolves around Kally, a 13-year-old musical prodigy who tries to balance her life as a virtuoso pianist and a normal teenage girl after moving from a small town to the country’s most prestigious music college. Although everyone thinks she was born to be a classical pianist, her true dream and passion is to be a pop star. Centa IP has global licensing rights in non-English speaking territories. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific office of Centa IP has picked up local representation for pocket.watch and in particular, Ryan’s Toy Review. Ryan has the LARGEST US YouTube Channel with 13MM Subscribers and 19 Billion lifetime views. In Australia he delivers 17M views a month, making him THE largest YouTube creator in Australia, far ahead of other global creators.

PLEASE VISIT THE CENTA IP BOOTH (D102) AT THIS YEAR’S GLOBAL LICENSING EXPO MAY 22-24

www.buggreport.com.au

PIKMI POPS SHOWCASED AS NEXT BIG LICENSING WIN FOR MOOSE! The global success of Moose Toys’ Licensing programs continues to grow with the announcement of new deals for Shopkins and the introduction of Pikmi Pops to the portfolio. Recently named as the 63rd biggest licensor in the top 150 global listing with sales of $650 million, Moose just announced new licensed products including Shopkins™ iconic PEZ Candy dispensers and a new line of “Shopkins by Skechers” footwear at Skechers stores this spring. In addition to these new Shopkins Licenses, Moose is excited to announce the signing of fourteen Pikmi Pops licensees in key categories with some readying for launch as soon as this Summer! These include partners such as Scholastic, Hybrid Apparel, Jay Franco and Trends International. Pikmi Pops is the hit new range of sweet scented miniature plushies that come with the elements of surprise, all packaged inside an iconic lollipop vessel.

The Pikmi Pops come in a variety of sweet scents including chocolate, bubblegum, watermelon and have a variety of surprises to collect! Stores are currently stocking season two with Season three launching this August. By year’s end, there will be over 150 Pikmi Pops characters to collect.

Dianne Bellchambers, Head of Licensing at Moose Toys said, “We are thrilled to launch the Pikmi Pops Surprise!™ licensed merchandise program on the heels of the toy success this year. The addition of Pikmi Pops bolsters our already market leading girls portfolio driven by the phenomenal success of Shopkins. We have incredible partners on board in key categories and look forward to signing more at the upcoming Licensing Expo in Vegas.”

www.buggreport.com.au

Gudetama translated to English means ‘lazy egg’. Gudetama, like an egg, has no gender. Target age: 16-30 Target Categories: Stationary, Gifting, Apparel & Accessories

Gudetama is always downcast because of the fate that awaits - that of being eaten! In Gudetama, you can see a character that has lost all desire to compete, devoid of any get-up-and-go.

VIRAL SENSATION Gudetama’s launch into the Western world kicked off in Feb 2018 when Sanrio invited four key social media influencers, including @pewdiepie (over 62m followers) to Tokyo to experience the world of Gudetama first hand. The campaign reached over 70m fans online - generating 2m likes across 40 Instagram posts, and 6.2m views on YouTube (& counting!)

@pewdiepie > 62+ Million YouTube

Subscribers

CMY

With the philosophy that you can never have too many friends, Hello kitty has recently re-positioned herself with young adults following the launch of the Global Campaign - Hello Kitty Gang! The ‘Invitation Only’ strategy centres on engaging social media influencers to share and talk about all things Hello Kitty with their followers.

lau ASO mo che S d st co succ their ll e SO ab E ssfu VE LD R. l 48 OU HO T in

Hello Kitty Gang Australia Launch

Seven influential Australian fashion bloggers were invited to an exclusive Hello Kitty High Tea Event, held at QT Melbourne in Oct 2017. The influencers posted 116 social media posts in total, generating 267k likes and 3.2k comments. In total, an audience of 1.5m+ were reached from this one event!

NEW STYLE GUIDES The clean, simple lines and bold primary colours of the original Hello Kitty artwork are iconic and immediately recognisable. Retro Hello Kitty is making a comeback! Hello Kitty Club is inviting girls to be whoever they want to be. It’s time to have fun and just be you!

A MMLM book is sold once every 2.5 seconds 250m+ books are sold in over 28 countries worldwide Published in 17 languages 290k+ Facebook fans in Australia 18k+ Instagram followers

New addition to the MMLM family! Little Miss Inventor Intelligent and inventive, she is the perfect role model for little girls around the world, who are curious about mathematics and science.

WHO ELSE LOVES MR. MEN LITTLE MISS?

Primark, UNIQLO, Samsonite, Mi - Pac, Keds, Tobias & The Bear, GAP, Baleno, Mothercare, ClichĂŠ, Chocoolate, Peter Alexander, Myer, Sylvia P, Roxy, Quicksilver, Target, Big W, Best & Less, Woolworths, Aldi

Name: Aggretsuko Species: Red Panda Age: 25 (born Nov. 6) Home: Apartment near Sangenjaya Station on the Tokyo Denentoshi Line Hobbies: Singing karaoke, death metal growl, yoga Mired in a desk job, she originally aimed to find Mr. Right and leave her job for the comforts of marriage, but the right guy never materialised. She channels her anger into singing heavy metal karaoke alone after work. (She morphs into something quite scary!)

Worldwide Release: April 20th 2018

U.S

John Gualtieri Talks Kmart Australia The Bugg Report catches up with John Gualtieri, Chief Operating Officer at Kmart Australia to talk about all things Kmart prior to Licensing Expo.

To begin with, how do you see the sales performance of Kmart over the past 12 months? At Kmart we’re on a journey to make our customers lives a little brighter, every day. Over the past year we’ve sold significantly more product units to customers across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. That’s more than we have in any other year across our 49 year history. We aspire to be a $10 billion retailer – we still have some way to go to achieve this milestone, but we’re heading in the right direction. It seems to me that from the outside, the Kmart brand has become a “cool” brand to be associated with, how do you see this observation? We have 30,000 team members that focus their energy on making Kmart a great place to shop for our customers whilst delivering better looking products at lower prices. At Kmart our purpose is to make every day brighter and to do this we need to make sure we’re constantly listening to, understanding and becoming more intimate with our customers. We strive to deliver both on-trend products and an enjoyable shopping experience that exceeds their expectations. The “price” versus “quality” equation is always a challenge in retailing. How do you see the Kmart journey evolving when it comes to maintaining price whilst improving your quality offer to the customer? This is an important metric that we measure monthly. We want our customers to feel that they have purchased a product that is value for the money. Our buying and quality teams ensure we have the right product at the right place at the right time and that they function and perform as intended.

This is part one of a two part interview with John Gualtieri Pick-up a copy of The Bugg Report at Brand Licensing Europe in October to read part two!

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

We value all customer feedback and are continuously improving our products as our customer expectations increase. You mention that Kmart have now transitioned out of turnaround and are now focused on growth. How do you see your growth looking over the next 12 months It starts with making Kmart a great place to shop that is simple to run. We’ve been learning more about our customers and we make sure that everything we do is about putting them first including the improvement of our product offer across the shop floor. We’ve experienced accelerated growth in party, pets, homewares toys and apparel and so long as we continue to listen to customers, we can ensure we remain relevant.

We have all witnessed what you have been able to establish with your homewares business. Will we see further evolution in this department and what does it mean to business as a percentage? I would like to say that we are only at step 3 of step 10. The team have ambitious three year plans that continue to evolve the homewares business and we would like to see our homewares business double over the next 3 years. Our buyers and designers are working collaboratively to remain on trend as we introduce new categories and new product lines to assist us delivering this goal. We understand that the vision for Kmart is to achieve 10 billion dollars in sales, 1 billion EBIT and 6 stock turns, how is this looking for you? We have set ourselves an ambitious task and each year we would like to see us make progress towards these targets. This means that we need to think differently and try new things, become more agile and ensure that we continue to evolve as the demands of our customers do. The role of technology and big data will play an important part of our future growth plans.

www.kmart.com.au Thank you for your time John and we appreciate your insight and updates on Kmart and the successful offering that you have achieved for your customers.

www.buggreport.com.au

Lynton Rice Talks ‘The New’ Target Australia The Bugg Report catches up with Lynton Rice, Head of Design & Product Development for Mens and Kids at Target Australia. Target is part way through a re-build of their business model and offering to the consumer. Initially all the research clearly highlighted that even with the difficult times Target have had to encounter, the Target name is both iconic and still has much value. From all reports they are heading in the right direction and the recent appointment of Lynton Rice is a clear indication that they intend to get very serious about projecting a winning formula to the market. Lynton comes to Target with a heavy-duty background in fashion and design with former key roles with Woolworths in South Africa and Next. He also holds an honours degree in fashion and design. Target will soon move to new corporate offices at Williams Landing, north of Melbourne, later this year which will no doubt be the trigger for a new beginning and should have the potential to attract new talent to the team. From my conversations with Lynton prior to Licensing Expo, it is abundantly clear that he has the backing of the business to establish a singular vision moving forward with all departments heading in one direction. Lynton, it seems that for the first time in a long time, the business has empowered you to set a singular direction for the development of a brand statement to the market? Target is our customers favourite brand but over the past few years we have disappointed them with the lack of product statements, poor fashion, poor quality and a lack of true direction. We, as a company have acknowledged all of the above and have started making significant changes to the way we think, act and feel about clothing and general merchandise. We will deliver on trend colour, fabric and silhouettes and do this with absolute authority. This will match all our international competition and we will do this at great value to our valued customer.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Our customers will be able to shop the latest trends which flow through from the catwalks each and every season as well as their core key basics. They will be able to purchase the key items of the season for the whole family at the best value in the market. We will surprise our customer each and every time they come into our store or shop online. With your fashion background, can you tell us a little about your “fabric first” strategy for Target? We can’t design if we don’t think “ fabric first” and this is a must in this day and age of fashion retailers. Fabric is often the key reason along with colour, for our customers to purchase a new item every season. The likes of Premier

Vision, Texworld, Intertex as well as many other international fabric trade shows around the world are the starting point of providing our customer with newness, functional and innovative product each and every season. We are always aiming to improve our fabrics, hand feel, functionality and our sustainability message to our customer so using BCI cotton is a must in this day and age as our customers need to feel as though they are not just buying another item of clothing. Clothing needs to be functional on a day-to-day basis so whether this comes through adding stretch in our chinos or water repellent properties to our jackets. All of these functionalities become the norm for any retailer. You mentioned your 5-pillar vision for the business in terms of brands; can you expand on this and give us a sense of how this will look? The key to the 5 pillars is trend, recognition and suprise. The branded world is changing on a day to day basis and our customers have information, images etc at their fingertips on a minute by minute timeline. There are brands that have always been around that we should constantly surprise our customer with on how we present them. There are nostalgic brands that tug on a customers heart strings and bring back memories. There are international brands that are ‘ of the moment ‘ which we should pro-actively look at to gauge the relativity and scope to our customers. There is the unknown and a gut feel of brands that just have a cool factor that as a team we know will work. Target will make all of the above pillars a ‘must’ purchase for our customers by making it not only fashionable but with keeping great value at it’s core. From a design stand point, what is your vision as to how brand images should be treated and brought to market? Brand images to me are a way of showing your personality, status, alligency, nostalgie, team, where you grew up, what your favourite logo is etc. Brands have been using their names and logos to sell their products for years and many have become recognisable without using the name of the brand in many instances. A brand’s logo is an immediate advertisement to other people without saying a word. Brand images are powerful and resonate with everyone in so many different ways.

“Target will use a strategic approach and have a mixture of activations, launches, collaborations, constant global brands on offer so that our customer doesn’t want or need to go anywhere else for her branded soft and hard goods.”

Designers such as Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones have changed the way that brand images are seen from catwalk shows to streetwear and have merged these two areas of fashion and opened their brand images up to a global audience that may not have previously acknowledged them. I understand that you want to establish a mandate for brands where Target is viewed as the number one player in the market. Can you expand upon this sentiment? We currently offer a number of brands to our customers across all genres as well as hard goods but we know that there is huge opportunity in increasing the offer to our customers and offering them diversity and suprising them. Brand in general is a huge part of Target’s growth over the next few years. Target has and will be the place to come and purchase your branded merchandise across soft and hard goods. We will surprise our customers with branded product that they have a nostalgic reference to as well as having seen brands through the internet, television and social media. You mention that you want to take a global approach to brands and licensing, can you tell us a little bit more about your plan? Targets customers live in a global market and social media and the internet has changed the landscape of how they visually see brands. We need to provide Target customers with the best brands from around the world that they know and love but done in an innovative way as well as surprise them with brands that they may or may not know but they will resonate on a different level and over time become a loved brand.

www.buggreport.com.au

“We want to have a mixture of exclusive brands and global brands but it’s how we will approach each and every one of them that will be our point of difference.” Target is once again heading towards being a force to be reckoned with. A new office will create a new energy and vibe and you can already feel it a few months ahead of the move. Out with the old and preparing for the new Target that every Mum with love and trust. Will Target be different from the rest of the market? The way we are approaching is different and we have the scale to be different to the market. We have a leadership team that are fully committed and on board with our strategy to make us truly different to our competition.

Who is the typical Target customer and what do you envisage this being in 12 months time? Our customer is Mum. She buys for the whole family and we provide her with the many different brands for each and everyone of them. She expects the brands we currently sell and over the next 12-24 months we will surprise her with the best brands in the world which will put Target on the radar of her whole family. We also want to attract a new/previous customer that is currently shopping in our competition because they are currently not finding what they want within our brand. Will you embrace brand activation throughout the business and make a statement? Target will use a strategic approach and have a mixture of activations, launches, collaborations, constant global brands on offer so that our customer doesn’t want or need to go anywhere else for her branded soft and hard goods. Our customer will see a step change in our offer, our range and our global brand footprint. You will shortly be moving to a brand new home north of Melbourne in Williams Landing. Will the team view this as a new beginning? The whole Target team is looking forward to a new office / home at Williams Landing and being closer to the CBD of Melbourne. It’s a sign and message to the market, that

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

We want to have a mixture of exclusive brands and global brands but it’s how we will approach each and every one of them that will be our point of difference. We will provide our customers with the best branded product in the market and at the best value. In terms of a planning cycle can you tell us your timeline for moving into a more brand-orientated phase? Our customers will see a step change over the next 12 months and feel the true branded approach. Lots of work is being done behind the scenes to surprise our customer and provide them with the best branded product in Australia when they walk into a Target store or shop us online.

www.target.com.au

Thank you for your time Lynton, there are interesting times ahead for Target and we look forward to watching the business evolve over the coming months and years. Licensing Expo will be a place to access what brands and opportunities are available for you. We look forward to your new strategy unfolding and wish you and the Target team every success.

Join Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s b the Australian

iggest sporting code. Football League. The Australian Football League is proud to partner with global brands that deliver a world-class licensing program

AFL Licensing Manager, Jessica Hatz Jessica.Hatz@afl.com.au or +61 403 126 850

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe in Neverâ&#x20AC;Ś

THE LIMA LICENSING AWARDS ARE COMING TO MELBOURNE

LIMA AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND LICENSING AWARDS 2018

NOVEMBER

SAVE THE DATE IN YOUR CALENDAR MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON... For more information contact tbugg@licensing.org

LIMA AUSTRALIA LIMA IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR LICENSING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TO BECOME A MEMBER PLEASE CONTACT LIMA AUSTRALIA VIA MEMBERSHIPS@LICENSINGAUSTRALIA.ORG

HUNTER PRODUCTS GO GLOBAL The Bugg Report catches up with Jeff Hunter from Hunter Products prior to Licensing Expo

Because of the size of our population and the consolidation of our market, there are a number of Australian companies that have reorganised their operations to include the global market as an important part of their strategy. The toy and consumer products business is a highly competitive market and requires great brands and products to secure ranging and to have the opportunity of being showcased in front of the consumer. Technology and the speed of news delivery in the modern market has meant that unless you are globally focused, it is difficult to engage the consumer who is now much more savvy and educated on where to buy. Hunter Products, a local Australian toy, sport and licensing company, is one of these emerging companies that has recognised the expansion opportunities into the international market. It now manufactures and sells into most countries around the world. For more than 40 years Hunter Products has looked at the world of toys through an Australian window, content to work with the national retail market. With the family now coming into the business to join Managing Director and founder, Jeff Hunter, they bring new skills sets, enthusiasm and a vision to broaden horizons. So, for the past three years, Jeff and his talented team have been working globally. A few years ago they won global rights for the DreamWorks brand Home, Madeleine Hunter has developed a globally successful brand Shibajuka Girls dolls, and more recently they have developed strong relationships with Monster Jam, Fila, ESPN for balls and the FIFA World Cup. This year at DISTOY in London, the Hunter team will showcase six new product ranges. They continue to strive to source the best brands and toys on the market. Leading into Licensing Expo, we spoke to Jeff about his business and vision.

Jeff you made the decision to look more globally a number of years ago. How did this go for you? Our entry into the international market has been very successful. We’ve set ourselves big targets – and, so far, so good. I love that more and more Aussies are making a name for themselves internationally. I’m excited to watch the younger generation develop into the industry and I’m enormously proud that all five of our children are part of the business in some way.

Madeleine came into business seven years ago and I was so proud when she won this year’s Australian Toy Association’s Rising Star Award. This award recognised all the work she’s done transitioning the business from imported merchandise to more in-house product development, overseeing toy line production from initial concept through to launching her products at international toy fairs.

Each of them brings a unique quality and perspective. My son Luke and son-in-law Jordan have been pivotal in developing new sporting products for the international market. We’ve already delivered millions of ESPN Future Pro sports balls to the US.

Madeleine developed our Shibajuku Girls doll, inspired by her many trips to Japan and her love of the culture developed over years of studying Japanese at university. More than 1 million Shibajuku Girls dolls have been sold. She’s currently working on a line called Pawjama Pets, a nod to the trend of owners dressing up their canine companions. And she has three more development products on the go.

I understand the business backed Madeleine to develop the Japanese fashion doll Shibajuku Girls dolls. This was a bold move; did it deliver for you?

In terms of brands, are you looking toward securing global rights on more properties, where they fit in with your international strategy?

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Always! We are always looking for the next big thing! Licensed product has always been hot property. The opportunity of cross-promotion through strong brands is immeasurable. The partnerships we have with Disney, The Wiggles, Monster Jam and ESPN Future Pro gives us exposure across so many platforms. I know your business offers Toy, Sporting, Outdoor and Wheel toy concepts. I believe you did experience a number of successful launches into the US market. Can tell us a little about this? We have certainly had some success in the US market. Our Monster Jam Grave Digger ride-on was the highlight of Walmart’s Christmas 2017 range. Our Pawjama Pets’ range was well received at the US Toy Fair and our ESPN Future Pro balls are super popular. We see great growth potential and opportunity. Hunter Products have always been strong marketers. What significance do you place on advertising, marketing and staying in front of the market and the consumer? The changing media landscape is a constant challenge which we are always learning from and about. Creating hype around the next toy to launch into the market is critical to demand. We have recently brought our PR and marketing in-house, focussing less on traditional media and more on strategic content development for social media platforms. Can you tell us little about your association with ESPN and The 2018 World Cup?

We have assembled a young, enthusiastic sporting goods team of unparalleled talent with incredible experience in sports at a professional level and world-class knowledge of a diverse number of sports to help us build the ESPN and FIFA World Cup brands. As the commercial value of sport brands increase due to the industry’s investment growth, so too do the challenges of making sure we develop products fans want. Our relationship with ESPN and FIFA is incredibly valuable to us and, although our team might enjoy kicking some footballs or soccer balls around the office from time to time, we are all well aware of the extraordinary work that has gone into taking the products from concept to retail globally. How do you see the Toy and Licensing business panning out over the next 12 months? Our first priority is always to keep our Australian retailers happy. Although we are venturing overseas with licensing opportunities, we are also scouting for incredible new product for the Australian market. It’s a really exciting time for our business. Do you see your diversity in product categories as an important part of your ongoing relevance to the market? Game-changing innovations are not created in a vacuum. They require vision, imagination and the ability to see what doesn’t exist today. I have seen time and again that this only really happens when a truly creative team comes together to share ideas and collaborate. We enjoy diversity in our

www.buggreport.com.au

product categories: without it, we can miss out on eureka moments. I’ve had the privilege of sharing these eurekagenerating breakthroughs over my career with products in all of our categories.

Both the local and international markets are running with Pawjama Pets. Recognising the trend in owners who like to dress their canine companions, we are very confident this product will be a winner – and the trade has backed us.

What product line are you most confident in for 2018?

Do you have a strategy for dealing with Amazon’s entry into the Australian market?

The FIFA World Cup is fast approaching and the hype is building. All 64 matches will be televised live, free and in HD in Australia – and we have huge national interest in the sport. We’ve developed some fantastic licensed FIFA 2018 sporting goods that I know will sell out quickly.

It’s not a matter of if they will be successful, but how long they will take. In the US, almost half (43 per cent) of online sales go through Amazon - and that’s a figure that continues to grow. In Australia, the major retailers’ business remains bricks and mortar and little has changed in decades. There is no doubt Amazon will put huge pressure on Australian retailers. But that’s the competitive nature of business. In the mystical world of toys, there are spectacular winners every year. One new toy can launch a small company into an industry mega-superstar in one season. We will continue to create new product in the hope that, one day, we will find that elusive toy too! Thank you for your time Jeff. Along with the enormous change in the market, it will be interesting to see which retailers both current and emerging step up to create new opportunities for brand and product distribution. The Vegas Licensing Expo will offer some insight into what we will see into 2019. We wish you all success over the coming 12 months.

www.hunterproducts.com.au

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

Wide Eyes News from the Tube This article is written by a leading industry expert and is focused on providing a quick snapshot of the best opportunities in the television & animation market.

Over the last ten years the changes that new technologies have brought to our world have been overwhelming and every industry that we work in has been subjected to extraordinary digital disruption. The television (TV) industry has been massively impacted by technological change. The number of people watching free-to-air TV in Australia has never been lower and viewership continues to fall brought about by competition from Pay TV services Foxtel (1995) and Fetch (2010), subscription video on demand (SVOD) streaming services Netflix (2015) and Stan (2015), along with internet platforms including Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), Twitter (2006), Instagram (2010), Snapchat (2011) and Amazon Video (2017). Foxtel has 2.8 million subscribers, Netflix has more that 3 million Australian subscribers, Stan has over 900,000 subscribers and Fetch has been growing to now have 650,000 subscribers. YouTube is the most viewed site on the internet and the free YouTube Kids App is one of the most viewed children’s TV services in the world. iTunes, Google Play, Telstra Bigpond, Sony Play Station, Xbox and Microsoft are all offering downloaded or streamed TV content through their digital delivery platforms. Also with the launch of the new free-to-air multichannels in 2009 - ABC KIDS, ABC ME, ABC2, 7Two, 7Mate, 7Flix, 9Go, 9Gem, One and 11 - and their increasing popularity, the number of people watching any particular channel has also been reduced. However the free-to-air channels now all have high quality catch up services - ABC iView, 7plus, 9Now and Ten Play - so destination viewing is no longer necessary to get access to programs which can now be watched 24/7. Viewing or streaming TV shows from TVs, PCs, smart-phones and tablets has never been easier or faster and yet even with all these new methods to reach an Australian audience it is still broadcast on free-to-air TV channels that is still the major driver of merchandising specifically related to children’s TV programs. So even though free-to-air TV is losing total audience share and has lower channel audiences, it still has the advantage of being free and accessible at any time to everyone.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

It remains that without a strong free-to-air broadcaster on board and having a good time slot it is nearly impossible to get a children’s TV show to generate sales of related merchandise. In pre-school, ABC KIDS still dominates the ratings however it is not enough just to be on ABC KIDS - for a show to drive merchandise it needs a good time slot with the best time slots being between 7:30am and 9:00am in the morning and between 4:30pm and 7:00pm in the afternoon. On the free-to-air commercial networks, with the demise of Saturday morning Disney on Channel 7 in 2016, after 26 years on air, the only channel that can actually drive merchandise sales from children’s TV shows is Go! Go! broadcasts children’s TV programs from Warner Bros. and also specifically looks out for shows that will be successful off-screen through sales of toys and merchandise. The other commercial channels broadcasting childrens shows - 7Two, 7Flix and 11 - all have such small viewing audiences that the impact of merchandise sales is marginal. The Pay TV children’s channels continue to struggle for meaningful audience size and with the exception of family movies on the Disney channel, it is the case that unless children’s shows have a free-to-air broadcaster as well, a Pay TV only window is not enough to drive sales of product at retail. For the foreseeable future, free-to-air broadcast will continue to be the dominant medium to achieve merchandise success for children’s TV programs however where possible this can be amplified with a Pay TV broadcaster, being available on one or both SVOD services Netflix and Stan, having content viewable on YouTube and Amazon, downloadable across any number of internet platforms including Facebook and available as apps on iTunes and Google Play. The children’s pay TV channels will come under increasing ratings pressure from the much cheaper SVOD services and they will struggle to keep market share, so their partnerships with the free to air broadcasters will continue to be increasingly important for them to reach mass audiences. Everyone is writing off the future of free-to-air to air TV except it is still the best place to be if you want to have a successful merchandising program coming from a children’s TV series and also the best place to advertise to sell that merchandise.

THE BUGG REPORT GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS | DONE DIFFERENTLY Because there is more than enough mainstream “news” already we have no reason to repeat what has already been said. We’re interested in being different and producing original content for a new era of readers who are interested in actual thoughts and opinions. WE WANT YOU TO LEARN SOMETHING BY READING THE BUGG REPORT.

DIGITAL

Our print magazine includes our most in-depth interviews, brand updates and articles.

Get all the our latest updates to your inbox with Bugg Express & News Bulletins.

ONLINE

SOCIAL

Read our latest interviews and updates online via desktop or mobile.

We’re on social media of course, so if you like what you’re reading here please follow us there!

DISTRIBUTION The Bugg Report is a B2B publication with a print magazine that reaches Asia Pacific, Europe & America. Our digital platforms allow us to reach everyone else in between.

WWW.BUGGREPORT.COM.AU

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS ●●●●● 10 YEARS ●●●●●

2008-2018

It was 10 years ago when we set out to develop a leading business-to-business toys and licensing publication. The Bugg report was initially focused on the Australian & New Zealand markets but would later expand to reach the market in Asia, North America and the United Kingdom. The toys and licensing industry in Australia & New Zealand is significantly smaller in comparison to the larger markets including the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. I think it is fair to say that here in Australia & New Zealand, we bat well above our average. Over the past 10 years, The Bugg Report has established itself as the leading toys and licensing platform in our local market. As I wrote in our March Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair edition, we have delivered a product that is original and different in its approach to reporting on the industry.

At the beginning, way back in 2008 when everyone else was printing magazines, The Bugg Report launched as an online report which was bi-monthly. We developed this strategy over the ensuing years and introduced many original concepts to the market including our Bugg Report smart cars, colorful booth designs at the Australian Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and of course The Bugg Report logos. We have had a few re-brands over the past 10 years moving to Bugg Toys & Licensing for a while and then a complete makeover of the original “Bugg Report” logo. All credit must go to Andros and his team at Merchantwise for this original concept including our iconic “bite”.

The chart below explains our approach;

THE FIRST EDITION OF THE BUGG REPORT LAUNCHED ONLINE WAY BACK IN 2008

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

OUR ORIGINAL BUSINESS CARD WITH THE ICONIC “BITE” MARK OUT OF THE SIDE

The “bite” has been a feature of our branding and we still use this on our business cards today. The “bite” creates great interest 10 years on and we appreciate all the great comments that we get!

Along the journey we have introduced many regular articles including Wide Eyes News From The Tube, The Gossip Column, Retail Spy, PR Take and our “Market Wrap” content. Thanks to our many writers over the journey for their time and input!

SOME OF THE ADVERTISING TABLETS FROM THE FIRST BUGG REPORT ONLINE EDITIONS!!!

As we moved into publishing magazines, we have never followed any publishing rules about you must lead with this or your must never do that. We have set our own rules with our reader as our main focus. We will publish our 27th edition at Licensing Expo this year. Along with our early online editions, supplements and tributes, we have produced over 50 editions under The Bugg Report banner. Matthew has been part of The Bugg Report from the beginning and his vision and talents have allowed us to develop the publication much further, especially our reach to the market. We have never overstated our distribution though, as we firmly believe that we need to demonstrate that we reach the key decision makers and leading executives in the industry to achieve our goal. It is interesting to look back and understand just how much the business has changed from when we started back in 2008. In those days you could sign a license and develop a licensing program, which could span two to three years, if you were to launch in specialty, and then progress to department stores and onto the mass market. Today however, as we try to navigate the impact of technology, social media platforms and online retailing, you might be lucky to hit six months! It is a “here and now” world these days. One of our strengths is that we spend an enormous amount of time studying the market and the structure of the industry. This allows us to report and provide you with an educated and balanced analysis of how things are looking at any given time. I am also a great believer that the change which is inevitable, also creates opportunity for companies who can see this change early enough to take advantage of it.

THE BUGG REPORT 10 YEARS ON

www.buggreport.com.au

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS ●●●●● 10 YEARS ●●●●●

2008-2018

OUR BUGG EXPRESS “EXPRESS NEWS” SERVICE We now see the increasing presence of art, sport and lifestyle brands, which offer new and exciting licensing and merchandise opportunities. The Bugg Report will be following the evolution of our industry to establish what the next model will look like. We are planning significant focus on our social media presence and the evolution of our website in the near future. We will be reaching out to our industry leaders for opinion pieces and direction on how they will manage their brands in the future as well.

THE FIRST GLOBAL EDITION OF THE BUGG REPORT MAGAZINE AT LICENSING EXPO IN 2011 Our focus is on original content, interviews and opinion pieces that will add value and hopefully create options for others who develop and manage brands and who work in retail. The Bugg Report has generally been focused on character, entertainment & animation brands, however these existing brand owners and new brands owners have expanded so much over the years.

Las Vegas Licensing Expo - Edition 27

It remains to be seen what the industry will look like in 6 months, let alone 12 months, and from all accounts the 3-5 year plan is not an option any longer in this day and time. As consolidation continues within our industry and the world becomes closer together, it is evident that business models similar to that of Fanatics (www.fanatics.com) which focuses on the “moment” and making sure the consumer is satisfied with immediate delivery is the future. The Bugg Report will strive to bring you meaningful reporting on the industry that you can apply to your brand or business. We set out to be different and we will continue to be different. Article by Tony Bugg, The Bugg Report

www.buggreport.com.au

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

INDUSTRY TESTIMONIALS ●●●●● 10 YEARS ●●●●●

2008-2018

As part of this edition of The Bugg Report Magazine, a number of companies that have worked with us over the past 10 years have taken the time to write testimonials to The Bugg Report. We would like the thank the following companies for their kind words.

www.buggreport.com.au

Andrew Bromell Executive Director Warner Bros. Consumer Products Australia & New Zealand

Congratulations on The Bugg Report’s 10 Years, Tony! A great milestone and worthy of recognition in this fast paced world of Licensing. Thank you for the interesting, informative and topical news you’ve brought to the Licensing Industry during this time; the feature interviews, fun articles and more! You’ve worked hard and you deserve this success and recognition. Oh and before I close, your favourite DC Super-Villain has a question for you: “Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?” “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

Congratulations to The Bugg Report team on their 10 year milestone. The Bugg Report has been an integral communication tool in recognising Designworks as a leading license and brand house. We have enjoyed being fully up to date with all things licensing both in Australia and around the world. Looking forward to another 10 years partnering together.

Brendan Santamaria Managing Director Designworks

Brigid Roberts Business Manager Licensing & Sponsorship BBC Studios

About 10 years ago, a colleague said to me, “I’ll introduce you to Tony Bugg, he knows everyone in the Australian industry.” My colleague was right and over the years both Tony and Matt have been a fantastic support for BBC Studios and the licensing industry as a whole. The Bugg Report has been a real conduit for relationship development and a great platform for announcing launches and updating the industry on exciting BBC Studios news, such as the popularity of Hey Duggee and Go Jetters and the buzz around Doctor Who, with the first female actor set to play the iconic role this year.

Happy 10th Anniversary to all at Bugg Report! From Dora the Explorer to Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you have been a tremendous supporter of Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products’ and we’re so happy to celebrate this significant milestone with you and your readers. Without a doubt Bugg Report has stimulated many great conversations across the industry, and it’s been fabulous to see the magazine evolve into the ‘must-read’ it is today for everyone in our industry. We were thrilled to work with you on issue number one, and look forward to many more years of collaboration in your second decade. Happy anniversary to a truly fantastic team. We all wish you many more years of continued success. All at NVCP.

Claire O’Connor Vice President, Asia Pacific Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products

Jacques Levy Owner & Managing Director MJM Australia

MJM Salutes The Bugg Report. For 10 Years The Bugg Report has been a major source of Licensing information for MJM. The Licensing industry is constantly changing both locally and globally and The Bugg Report certainly addresses this in a way that no other licensing publication does. The publication intertwines, retail, wholesale and licensing to make it relevant to the Australian market. We at MJM look forward to the next 10 years of The Bugg Report. Congratulations Tony, Jan & Matt. Jacques, Marcel and all of us at MJM.

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary, Bugg Report team! It is great to have a local publication who express delivers not only all the local news within our industry but also news updates from around the globe. It is fundamental that we have a local publication who understands our retail landscape and understands the licensing industry so well, which is why The Bugg Report is great. Thank you for the ongoing support and we look forward to reading many more Bugg Report newsletters for many more years to come! Enjoy this special milestone. Best wishes, Lim.

Lim Mi-Kyoung Managing Director WP Brands

Meagan Sanders GM - Consumer Products & Retail The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand

Congratulations to Tony and the team on The Bugg Report’s 10-year milestone. In a small and dynamic licensing market The Bugg Report has established itself as a firm authority on the local licensing landscape and advocate for the growth and success of our local industry. Thanks for keeping us informed, excited, and entertained. Here’s to the next 10 years!

‘Brash, Brave & Informative’ That’s the accurate catch phrase for the Bugg Report!! From the first fledgling issue of TBR, anyone with an interest in the Licensing Industry has made a point of reading the latest issue from cover-to-cover. Regardless of whether you are an international or local player in the licensing world, you want to know what is in the latest issue with editorial content including some terrific interviews with industry leaders. From the ‘fantasy world’ of licensing to the real life stories of the people worldwide driving the industry TBR has it all. Congratulations to Tony and Matt for making TBR a ‘must read’ for our industry.

Noel Thurlow Owner Jasnor Australia

Peter Warton Chief Executive Officer Rubie’s Deerfield

To Tony, Jan and Matt. Congratulations to you all on the success of The Bugg Report. The team at Rubie’s are avid readers and moreover, we continue to see great value in the marketing and advertising opportunities offered, both digital and print. Relevant, concise and with fantastic reach. Congratulations. Pete and the team at Rubies.

Congratulations! The 10th Anniversary of The Bugg Report is a remarkable achievement. During this time, you have made a significant contribution to this ever-changing industry, the insights and experience shared through The Bugg Report are invaluable. In addition to congratulations we would also like to thank you for your enthusiasm, efforts and dedication to the world of licensing, as a company we appreciate and benefit from your shared knowledge of the industry and opportunities available. We wish you continued success in the coming years and look forward to seeing what you bring in the future.

Paul Cannon Chief Executive Officer Caprice Australia

Pete Bird Commercial Director Australia & New Zealand WWE

Tony and Matt, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been great supporters of the WWE brand and SportsEntertainment in Australia and have allowed us to elevate the brand locally. Congratulations for ten great years producing the Bugg Report, covering all aspects of Australian Licensing and the brands that make up this vibrant industry. A success story that has not only endured but has led the way and been great support to Brands and Retail in this country. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to another ten strong years of what you both do best! From the team at WWE ANZ.

The Bugg Report is a reliable source of information across the local and international licensing industries. The Bugg Report is a must read publication that ensures I am up-to-date and kept abreast of the latest trends and industry news. I have personally known Tony & Matt for over 25 years and I can honestly say these two are passionate guys who love what they do! Thank you from the team at Winning Moves.

Reid Herbert Managing Director Winning Moves Australia

Stephen Ungar Chief Executive Office Hinkler Books

I’ve known Tony long before The Bugg Report was in circulation. The market is constantly changing and the Bugg Report has always been the go-to source for our licensing, brand, and industry news. 10 years is a brilliant achievement and we wish Tony and the team all the best for continued success into the future.

Congratulations and a very happy 10th anniversary to The Bugg Report and their team. It’s been such a pleasure to work with you across the last few years on the Entertainment One business. Tony and Matt, thank you for being such an important part of the Australian licensing industry and such a valued partner. We’ve witnessed your successful growth and will continue to support you in years to come. Cheers to the next 10 years!

Trish Padoin Senior Vice President Australia & NZ, Family & Brands Entertainment One

Yvonne King Director Haven

Buggy has always been a cherished part of the Haven family, 25 years and counting. I only wish I knew him when he had hair. So we were particularly delighted when he decided to establish The Bugg Report and actually make himself useful. Even better when Matt came on board & drove TBR to really hit its straps. In a market of this size it is terrific to a have a proactive and engaged publishing partner. Congratulations on your 10th Anniversary to the Bugg Collective, we hope to be celebrating with you for many more!

THANK YOU! The Bugg Report would like to thank all of the companies and the amazing people that have worked with us over the past 10 years. We appreciate all that you have contributed, we hope you feel the same and we look forward to always improving our product and working with you all again soon!

Tony & Matt

BUGG

THE

REPORT