The Bugg Report Magazine - Edition 18 by thebuggreport

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Mattel Interview Cover 4/01/2016 withcopy.pdf Peter 1Broegger

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Hasbro Interview with Mel Alexander

REPORT HKTDC Interview with Angela Ho

Brand New, On Trend and Taking the World by Fashion! The Bugg Report interviews Hunter Products on all things Harajuku and the most beautiful doll in the world!

Enquire Regarding Distribution Opportunities In Your Territory!

Hong Kong International Licensing Show - Edition 18

From The Editor Welcome to the new year and to The Bugg Report, which has now returned and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re back to our best with news, opinion, interviews and much more. It is our fourth year here at the show and this publication is dedicated to the Asian market and everything that is happening here across the licensing industry and at retail. Speaking of retail, I was reading an article online over Christmas on TechCrunch which was talking about the trends which will shape e-commerce in 2016 in the Southeast Asian market. I was surprised to find out that at present, e-commerce only accounts for one percent of retail shopping in a market with 600 million people (double the U.S.)! The article is well worth a read, as it is suggested that Southeast Asia will become the third largest e-commerce market in the world. Link to article: http://goo.gl/Kco6E9 By the time this magazine is published and in your hands, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have been airing for several weeks and at the time of writing, it had already achieved $1 billion in a record 12 days! From the reviews I have read and the opinions of viewers, it would seem that the movie has been received very well and the additions of new characters such as Ray (Daisy Ridley), who in my opinion has a striking resemblance to Keira Knightley and Finn (John Boyega), have been very popular.

The other thing that has caught my eye of late, are the new (and existing) commercials for the App, Clash of Clans. The new commercials which feature Christoph Waltz and James Corden are very clever, using storytelling via the actors and they give a strong indication to the direction of Apps, their popularity and now mainstream appeal. The Super Bowl commercial from earlier in the year featuring Liam Neeson was also very popular with viewers. As always, I hope you enjoy the magazine and please feel free to give us feedback by emailing us via editor@buggreport.com.au. We would love to hear your thoughts on how we can improve and what you like and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like about the publication.

THE BUGG REPORT Managing Director Tony Bugg: tony@buggsolutions.com.au Editor in Chief Matthew Bugg: matt@buggsolutions.com.au

Contacts Advertising: bookings@buggreport.com.au Feedback: editor@buggreport.com.au Media: media@buggreport.com.au

Bugg Marketing Solutions Phone: +61 3 8782 3717 | Fax: +61 3 9769 7922 | Email: info@buggsolutions.com.au Address: Level 1, 64 Victor Crescent Narre Warren VIC 3805 | Postal: PO BOX 491, Berwick VIC 3806 The Bugg Report has been compiled as a guide to retail, toys, licensing and other related matters. The views and opinions provided are based upon the views and opinions of its writers. In no way is The Bugg Report a factual guide to retail, toys, licensing and other related matters and does not take responsibility for how the information provided is used by its consumers.

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NEAT, PETITE, SWEET HARAJUKU GIRLS We catch up with Hunter Products to discuss their new fashion dolls

MATTEL EYES ASIA FOR GROWTH We speak with Peter Broegger

MR MEN AND LITTLE MISSES 45TH ANNIVERSARY We give you an overview of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned

LIMA AUSTRALIA What to expect in 2016

THE ENTERTAINMENT EXPERTS IN ASIA We chat with Mel Alexander from Hasbro

THE RISING POPULARITY OF KING We catch up with Claes Kalborg

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL LICENSING SHOW We discuss the shows growth with Angela Ho

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Neat, Petite, Sweet Harajuku Girls

new venture into the fashion doll market by Hunter Products, Neat, Petite, Sweet Harajuku Girls are totally different to a normal fashion doll. They are bigger, more fashionable, collectable and have matching accessories so girls can also take on the Harajuku look. The Bugg Report recently had the opportunity to speak with Jeff and Madeleine Hunter from Hunter Products to discuss the dolls and their development. Hello Jeff and Madeleine and thank you for taking the time to speak to The Bugg Report. Can you tell us how you developed the idea/ concept of Neat, Petite, Sweet Harajuku Girls? Jeff - We felt there was a big gap in the market with some of the leading brands having run their lifespan. We wanted to develop something really fresh that children would enjoy interacting with so we decided to go to the expense of creating hand samples to present and gain feedback. Everyone thought that the concept was great and that our timing was perfect.

Madeleine - I have been fascinated with Harajuku Fashion from a very young age. I studied Japanese at school, I live on Japanese food and love everything about Japan! When I mentioned my desire to develop a range of dolls, Jeff quickly responded that I was crazy and that it is the toughest category you can pick! However, then he Googled what it was all about and very quickly became captivated too! How long did it take to develop the concept and what stage are you at with the brands development? Madeleine - We started developing the idea in November 2014. The first production run will be in January 2016. We will be shipping to France and Australia just after Chinese New Year, which is very exciting. So essentially it has taken just over a year to come to fruition! There is obviously a heavy Japanese influence in this brand. Did you spend any time in Japan to assist you with the development of the product and style? Madeleine - Yes absolutely, Jeff and I went to Japan in April this year to get a feel for the fashion, hair and make-up seen in Shibuya and Takeshita Street. It was absolutely amazing! Girls and boys get dressed up in Harajuku fashion and parade down Takeshita Street. Everyone is so friendly and loves having their photo taken. It was great inspiration for our dolls. Jeff - In fact, some of the outfits featured on the dolls are based on outfits we saw on our trip. We interviewed a few Harajuku girls who told us that sometimes it can take them up to four hours to get ready!

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As the world becomes more and more connected, we are seeing many new styles appearing across cultures. How do you think Japanese culture, fashion and style has manifested itself in Western society? Madeleine - Two huge trends at the moment with celebrities like Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry etc., are bright hair and mismatched fashions. We are definitely seeing more and more of this at award shows and concerts. Even as late as this week, Louis Vuitton featured top models displaying the exact look we are creating and we thank them for this free publicity! There are some fantastic brands making great progress locally and around the world, which have a Japanese influence such as Harajuku Girls and YO-KAI WATCH. Can you tell us about your perspective on the trends out of Japan which are beginning to appear in brands globally? Madeleine - Many labels are rising to prominence straight out of Japan. Labels such as Uniqlo, Muji, COMME des GARĂ&#x2021;ONS and Kenzo have been worn by celebrities on red carpets all over the globe. Jeff - And then there are the historical successes such as Pokemon, Bakugan, Tamagotchi and now Neat, Petite, Sweet Harajuku Girls is set to join them (we hope)! Who would have thought 20 years ago that the Western world would be consuming massive amounts of raw fish, edamame and sushi! Everyone seems to be on health kicks and striving for a very polished look in the West as well as Japan.

There are four characters launching in wave one, can you tell us a bit about each of them and what they stand for and represent?

These Harajuku Girls dolls are certainly a premium product. Can you describe what it is that makes them so special?

Where can partners who are interested in learning more or enquiring about Harajuku Girls go to learn more?

Jeff - There are so many styles of Harajuku Fashion but after studying it for a while, we found that they can be grouped together in to five main styles. For our dolls we are launching with four styles and are releasing two later next year. We will then have further waves to continue on with for 2017 and 2018. Our dolls are not based on particular personality types; e.g. Posh, Sporty as this has been done. We are focusing on real types of Harajuku fashion seen in Japan.

Madeleine - Unlike many other dolls on the shelf, Neat, Petite, Sweet Harajuku Girls are a 13” fully articulated doll with glass eyes and life-like eyelashes. The most exciting thing is the crazy accessories that come with the doll which are right on point! These can be worn by the owner and the doll and can be swapped and shared between dolls to create different looks. The doll is very unique looking and truly very beautiful, just like the girls in Takeshita Street!

For more information on Harajuku Girls, please contact Madeleine Hunter via email at mads@hunterproducts.com.au.

Madeleine - The first dolls to launch are based on the following looks seen in Japan: Pastel, pastel and more pastel! Known as ‘Fairy Kei’, Gothic/Punk, Bright Colours and crazy over accessorising; known as ‘Decora’, School Girl Fashion; known as ‘Kogal’ and Animal Fashion; Animal Onesies, plush backpacks, kitten socks, etc.

From a retail and distribution angle, what is the plan for rolling out Harajuku Girls in the global market? Madeleine - The dolls will be launched in Australia and France in May and we are finalizing distribution in other territories in the coming months.

Hunter Products will also be showing in Hong Kong Toy Fair in Room 1006 at the Peninsula Centre, 67 Mody Road TST East Kowloon. We will also be showing at the Nuremberg Toy Fair on the Intertoy Stand and at the New York Toy Fair. We have been encouraged enormously by the Australian Markets acceptance with close to 100% of retailers agreeing to range and promote the doll. Several TV commercials are currently being finalized for the dolls, together with a range of accessory packs and 6” mini dolls to give the line breadth. Thanks for your time and we look forward to speaking again soon about the next phase and future development of Harajuku Girls.

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Mattel Eyes Asia For Growth

he Bugg Report recently had the chance to sit down with Peter Broegger, Managing Director Asia-Pacific at Mattel, to talk about the business and the future growth in the Asian market. We understand that there will be in excess of 600 million middle class Chinese consumers with meaningful disposable income within the next 5 years. What sort of opportunity does this provide for Mattel and its core brands, Barbie, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels and Thomas?

The opportunity in China is significant. Today, there are more meaningful and different ways to reach consumers – from consumer products and experiences, to digital touch points and retail outlets. But it all starts with the consumer.

a child’s daily routine. At the same time, they are also looking for trusted brands that offer a variety of products and entertainment experiences which meet the highest standard of experience, quality and safety.

Everyone needs time to play, and across Asia, we’re seeing an increasing understanding and acceptance from parents that play is a really important component of a child’s holistic development. Parents are therefore placing more emphasis on making space and time for play in

At Mattel, we have always invested in keeping abreast of what consumers want and tailoring our approach to exceed their expectations. China of course presents as an especially promising market. To ensure we are tapping into the tremendous opportunities it offers, we’ve been exploring new possibilities to invest and collaborate with partners to discover new ideas for toys, consumer products and experiences to deliver against the idea of wholesome child development. With the huge popularity of digital services – from online brand marketing to e-commerce to social media – consumers have more access to international brands. The flourishing digital landscape in China also provides new sales channels to reach consumers, which is helping to drive the growth of our licensing business. The Barbie brand is 50 years old in the Western world, but not in Asia. What are your plans for the brand in China and how will you capitalize on what Mattel has learned in other markets? In 2016, Barbie has an empowering message for all girls – “You Can Be Anything.” The idea is to allow girls to imagine who they want to become through the power of play – and explore the endless possibilities open to them. You can be a teacher, a vet, a secret agent, a president. That’s a powerful and

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aggressive growth plan for your brands. How do you see Mattel’s approach to the market evolving over the next three years?

China, Australia and Japan are currently the biggest markets for Mattel, with China, India and South East Asia presenting the strongest growth potential.

inspiring notion to a little girl, and we will have some very exciting brand activations along this theme next year – so stay tuned. Just as Barbie comes in various guises, every market in Asia is different. We are constantly exploring new opportunities and never stop improving our understanding of what matters to consumers, wherever they are. And we also know that great content can transcend geographies. For instance, earlier in October, a new video called “Imagine the Possibilities” was specially created to demonstrate the essence of our new empowering message. The video shows little girls taking on different roles in real-life settings, and using hidden cameras to capture the natural and delighted reactions of adults around them. This video was shared with moms and girls around the world, illustrating how playing with Barbie enables girls to imagine the different possibilities of who she can be, and encourages them on their journey to

self-discovery – and has attracted 17M views. Such experiences go beyond Barbie dolls; it enables us to engage young girls with the brand, allowing us to extend into apparel, accessories, footwear, stationary, books and games. What are your three biggest markets in the region and do you see this trend changing over the next three years? Asia is a fascinating region, which presents huge growth opportunities for Mattel. China, Australia, and Japan are currently the biggest markets for Mattel, with China, India and South East Asia presenting the strongest growth potential, largely driven by an expanding middle class in these markets and growing emphasis amongst parents towards wholesome childhood development. The Asian market is both diverse and challenging in terms of having an engagement and distribution strategy that can deliver an

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It’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all model. There are distinct differences in each market across Asia, so it is critical that we tailor product localization and execution for each market. We’re always asking ourselves how we can improve the value of our products and brand experiences in the eyes of consumers. Mattel has a fully-owned sales distribution network in the region, supported by distributor partnerships, which enables licensees to leverage existing relationships with retailers. We also established an in-house content publishing team to meet the huge appetite among consumers for compelling brand stories. This allows us to establish innovative, crossindustry partnerships to create value for consumers with new offerings. In addition, Mattel’s strong marketing arm drives brand interaction with consumers across the region. Online and offline activities are designed to support parents in nurturing their child’s development through play time. In China, we’re also sharing relevant research and play tips with parents through our newly launched WeChat channel. Along with your acquisition of the HiT portfolio, Mattel now has Thomas. We understand that you have an aggressive growth plan for this brand in the region. Can you tell us about your strategic

approach to building the Thomas brand in these markets? Does Mattel have an aggressive growth plan in place for Thomas for 2016? Our strategic approach to Thomas & Friends is rooted in the story. Children and their parents are captivated by the wonderful stories about Thomas & Friends, which provide a very special bonding experience. Because of its relevance, Thomas has immense potential in

the region. One of the strengths of this brand is its gender-neutral appeal - up to 40% of Thomas’ consumers are female - and this opens up a lot of opportunities. This brand’s appeal is largely tied to its universal values – friendship, kindness and teamwork – all which are well-received in the region. To grow the Thomas business, Mattel takes on a franchise approach to ensure we are reaching consumers at various points from print to digital to retail, etc. We leverage multiple platforms, both online and offline, to engage consumers and increase brand exposure as well as content publishing. And beyond platforms, we also seek to engage consumers through experiential marketing activities that help parents understand the value of the stories for their children. For example, as part of our region-wide celebration of the 70th anniversary of Thomas & Friends in 2015 Mattel collaborated with different licensees, from shopping malls to libraries, to create interactive brand experiences for children and their parents.

We see significant activity throughout the region directed at large promotional activations taking place in the major shopping malls. What plans does Mattel have in the pipeline to provide an experience for the consumer focused on your brands in 2016? In the past two years, Mattel has launched several on-the-ground activation campaigns. With Thomas & Friends, for example, we partnered with popular shopping malls to create wonderful first-hand experiences for children that put them at the center of the brand story. We also collaborated with McDonald’s in China to create a number of Barbie and Hot Wheels themed stores in different major cities, which held birthday parties and offered consumers the chance to experience the brand. Riding on that momentum, I am confident that we will have more event experiences in 2016 for our leading brands. To learn more visit www.mattel.com

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Entertainment Experts In Asia-Pac

ver recent years we have seen Hasbro transform it’s core operations from leading Toy Company to leading Toy and Entertainment Organization. As a global powerhouse, Hasbro have surged forward in most Western markets and the emergence of South East Asia (SEA) and China as significant growth markets has seen Hasbro resource itself in this region. Mel Alexander recently joined Hasbro from a successful stint with Disney. Mel has assumed the role of Director of Licensing Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and SEA. As we look toward the 2016 Hong Kong International Licensing Show, we spoke at length with Mel in relation to Hasbro’s plans for the region, emerging markets and strategic directions for their key entertainment brands for 2016 and beyond. Mel gives us some insight into where their priorities lie and where their business is heading in the region. Mel, I notice that you have recently strengthened your Consumer Products (CP) team on the ground

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in Australia. With your ramped up team what are some of your goals for 2016? Between firing Nerf darts at each other, we are internally focused on actively seeking out new partners in the space of merchandise, promotions and location based entertainment, as well as working closely with our existing partners to support long term planning alignment and growth initiatives. Our main goal locally for 2016 is for both the set-up and acceleration of Hasbro CP as a long-term formidable Licensor in the ANZ landscape! No small task!! This includes establishing our soft lines business and building on our already successful hard lines and publishing portfolios. In your new role SEA is one of your responsibilities, the region is vast in size and diverse in culture, what are your 3 priority markets for 2016? It has been an amazing learning curve over the last 6 months and the

Our main goal locally for 2016 is for both the set-up and acceleration of Hasbro Consumer Products as a long-term formidable Licensor in the ANZ landscape!

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Hasbro team on the ground have been astounding in supporting our accelerated growth aspirations in SEA! Our approach in SEA is to build a long term strategic blueprint that recognizes the diversity and local nuances of each market, while leveraging the wider geographic cluster to deliver broader partnerships, economies of scale and marketing reach from our investment plans. Rather than prioritize any one market, our plans are designed to prioritize within each market, taking into account retailer strengths, brand awareness and product opportunities. So, expect to see local language publishing, tailored fashion and even solutions for the traditional trade as part of our ongoing growth plans in each market! Monopoly has become a key focus for Hasbro over recent years. Can you tell us about the CP platform and what is on the agenda for 2016, in terms of activations? It is so great that I can finally come out in public as being a closet Monopoly fan! I used to play as a kid with my sister and she had crazy rules around the fact that I “wasn’t allowed to buy Mayfair”! Most consumers have their own personal connection with this brand that has just celebrated its 80th year, and this resonates through the licensed portfolio for Monopoly, such that, together with our broader games portfolio, it represents one of our core strategic brand pillars for CP in ANZ and SEA throughout 2016. From the community ground swell that is generated through our local

editions (such as the recent, highly successful launch of Melbourne Monopoly) to that of the high profile activations by our global partners, the iconic tokens and universally known game play will see us build our CP platform in the space of pop culture; with whimsical and humorous creative that is designed to support the unisex nature of this brand for kids and young adults alike. We have begun early discussions with a number of key soft lines partners around high fashion, homewares and stationery, and will continue to focus on delivering game play through licensed board games, promotional partnerships and life-size location based entertainment game activations. I understand that Hasbro has a My Little Pony movie planned for 2017? In terms of licensing what will this mean for your extended CP program? Whilst the film is still in development, what we have seen to date is nothing short of spectacular! The irreverent humor, sense of adventure, message of friendship and silver screen look and feel will deliver above expectations for existing Pony fans, both young and old!

Within our Toy and Game Portfolio, My Little Pony has delivered stand out growth, and this momentum is set to continue to the movie release. In other core categories, including publishing, fashion, home and outdoor, all of our licensing partners are enjoying growth, and this franchise has demonstrated its place as a true evergreen, independent of a feature film. For this reason, our movie approach is to work with and support our existing partners, to ensure they are set up to benefit from the 365 day content that will continue throughout 2016, as well as supporting their expansion of this franchise into the film. For new partners, we aim to deliver longevity, ensuring a right-size approach to category depth initiatives and then managing the transition beyond the movie for long term, mutually successful growth. With planning for Ouija 2 underway for Hasbro, will this resonate for you from a Halloween standpoint? Halloween has now become a regular calendar event now in Australia, is it relevant in SEA? Developing our seasonal footprint is a strategic priority across our entire evergreen portfolio both in ANZ and

the SEA markets; not only for Halloween but for all seasonal retail events. Here in Australia, we will continue to build on the Halloween momentum by bringing best practice learnings from our global business to life locally. In SEA, our seasonal calendar is designed to reflect the cultural diversity of these markets - from Christmas to Ramadan! So this means our efforts are focused on developing grass roots partnerships that celebrate our characters and stories in locally relevant ways. We recently launched our first Chinese New Year- My Little Pony style guide, which has been picked up across a number of the SEA markets, and interpreted in such a way that reflects the celebration of this event in the local market place. Can you tell us a little about your forward planning for the Transformers brand? With content on air 365 days, a pipeline of third party promotional activations and efforts in delivering on the ground live entertainment, our planning focuses on maximizing the everyday for this franchise. Rescue Bots, is our entry point into the Transformers franchise and the new recruits are coming in droves as

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Each of our retail partners are of strategic importance, and each bring a level of uniqueness; in not only their consumer base but also the type of product we develop in partnership with them. It is a key strategic priority to continue to build our distribution platform across both bricks and mortar and e-commerce platforms. Our objective is to ensure our product is at arm’s reach for our consumer, and our broad portfolio of characters both new and old, allow us to work across multiple retail categories in this vein. We are working closely with our retail partners to support their product needs and have some never before seen plans from Hasbro in the mix for 2016! Can you expand on some of your key promotional activations that will launch in the region for 2016?

the TV content is currently playing #1 in its timeslot for kids 3-6. This preschool offering is supported with ‘mum approved’ product for the littlies. Robots in Disguise engages boys aged 5-10, with an action packed storyline and product offering that is full of personality, humour and emphasis on the power of team work! And for Transformer fans aged 10 to 110, our Generations product portfolio offering is extensive. From the impulse of our show bag line, to high end collectible figurines and memorabilia, the core evergreen focus for the lifetime consumer is smart and sophisticated. Your lifestyle brands such as Nerf have been an extremely strong part of your local licensing program in the Australian market, what are the strongest markets in SEA for these brands in your portfolio?

Nerf product has enjoyed great success across multiple territories and is played with, and enjoyed by, kids and adults alike. Who doesn’t get secret joy from stealing their best mate’s Super Soaker and blasting them? The great thing about the warmer climates in SEA is that consumers can play Nerf both outdoors and in, which is a core part of the Nerf brand experience! Our plans for Nerf in 2016 will be to focus on continued expansion from both a product portfolio and brand extension perspective in all markets. Our development in this space is focused on expanding the play value of the Nerf brand to support our highly successful range of blasters, from live experiences to value added product extensions. Mel, can you talk to us a little about your key retail partners in the region. How are they supporting your licensing programs?

2016 is going to be an exciting year for Hasbro, and without giving too much away, I can tell you that you will see Hasbro develop and implement many new initiatives across our entire portfolio throughout the year! But, just between us, with the 60th Anniversary for Playdoh, new partners in FMCG, Fashion, Home and Back to School across the region, a Global My Little Pony Friendship Celebration and the opportunity for life-size, live play across our core brands, to say that we will be busy is an understatement! Who knows, we might even try and fit in a game of inter-department Twister between gigs! Mel, thank you for your time and insights into Hasbro in the ANZ and SEA regions. 2016 looks like a break out year for your CP business. To learn more please visit www.hasbro.com/en-hk/

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The Mr Men And Little Misses Are All Set To Celebrate Their 45th Anniversary Year With A Bang!

s we welcome in 2016, the Mr Men and Little Misses are all set to celebrate their 45th anniversary year with a bang. And all this off the back of an action packed and fun-fuelled 2015!

One of the advantages of having so many Mr. Men and Little Misses means that they provide plenty of little hands to assist in managing all of our existing relationships and announcements while being able to bring in even more partners. We squeezed into more apparel in China, Taiwan and other major Asian territories with Baleno, Ginger, and Underpeace (who brought Mr. Up into the world!).

Sanrio announced that the Mr Men Little Miss movie option was picked up by Twentieth Century Fox, and followed that by opening, to great fanfare, a full-fledged Mr. Men and Little Miss modeling agency (www. mr-models.com). Mr Men Little Miss continued to be featured in collections for kids and adults at both Uniqlo (which expands to Singapore this year) and Chocoolate, as well as in nightwear at Etam. Mr. Glug continued participating in even more adventures with Evian (expanding also to Japan, Russia and the Middle East). Meanwhile, gift personalization remained a recurring holiday event at Selfridges and Myer.

The promotions were plentiful from petroleum with Esso to laundry with Unilever. We invested with Mr. First in the world of finance with World First, taking over Canary Wharf and plastering posters throughout the London Underground, and we took it on the road through Singapore’s public transportation system. We whetted our appetites on deals in QSR from great successes with McDonald’s in Hong Kong and Malaysia, which roll out to Australia and Singapore for this year and Hardees in the Middle East with created a new premium format Flip Book. Over in China, we distributed over a million books in Chinese with KFC’s kid’s meals. But like Mr. Greedy, we weren’t full yet. We helped ourselves to Family Restaurants Flunch, L’Arche and Beefeaters. Our first mall event in Shanghai hung out in the Shanghai Crystal Galleria. And we had a second cafe “pop-up!” in Japan.

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We went Underground with an iconic landmark of London, creating merchandise and joint communication (including the first Mr. Men Global Summit) with Transport For London. We entered the world of skateboarding with our Cliché collaboration, and a week-long exhibition event at House of Vans London and not forgetting our roots, we strengthened up our publishing content too, introducing more titles (like our smash Easter book) and brand new series - the Everyday Series.

We’ve untied our tongues, and we’ve extended our partnership on e-books with Amazon, expanding into more languages! We fished out to Nordic localization for our characters, including Mr. Bump - or should I say, Herr Dumpdidump! And keep your eyes peeled for bilingual books in China launching later this month, building on the momentum from our earlier Chinese-language launch. Launches from Twitter aimed at adults tweeting from the Tickle HQ, YouTube channel for kids, a brand new mischievous gaming App with P2 Games, suitable for the whole family - add to our well-established MrMen.com website and Instagram and Facebook pages. We’ve opened a permanent space on the high street in London with The Toy Store. And our creativity is in full bloom with a powerhouse creative team and a brand new office still centrally in London. Kickstarting the 2016 programme is Cotton On with their kids collection featuring their very own Mr Superhero! Watch this space for anniversary action including new worldwide launches with major global apparel retailers, a programme of international designled collaborations, and a Best of British initiative as this iconic British brand goes back to its roots and joins forces with other Great British household names. As four new characters burst onto the scene there will be more seasonal activities: in particular with UK grocers; and in general by cultivating the spread of our program between younger and more mature consumers, and let’s not forget the Mr Men Little Miss continued expansion into less mature markets and strengthening of the programme in Asia. We continue to bolster publishing content too, introducing two new

series - My First, a first concepts series for toddlers including numbers and counting, and the Adventure series which launches in February at the iconic Natural History Museum in London. As in 2015 we’ll strive to continue and nurture our key partnerships, and our Mr Men Little Miss are also embarking on various charitable ventures starting with the Yan Oi Walk in November last year, and the rekindling of a partnership with Children for Cancer. Our Mr. Men and Little Misses are busy jetting around the world bringing smiles to everyone they can.

Keep your eyes peeled, although they are in a mad dash to their Anniversary, we can always count on Mr. Slow to keep them all on course. For more information, please contact the Mr. Men Little Misses on +852 2268 5513, email hello@mrmen.com or visit www.mrmen.com

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LIMA HOSTS CHRISTMAS DOWN-UNDER LIMA AUSTRALIA RECENTLY HELD CHRISTMAS EVENTS IN MELBOURNE & SYDNEY TO BRING THE LICENSING INDUSTRY TOGETHER LIMA Australia held its two inaugural Christmas Networking Events in Melbourne and Sydney in December. These events assembled our current members and the Australian Licensing Industry in order to celebrate a successful year for LIMA in Australia and around the world. LIMA Australia organized these events at Eureka 89 in Melbourne and the Harbour Room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney.

Our high profile guest speakers Kylie Watson-Wheeler of the Walt Disney Company spoke at our Melbourne event and Ben Richardson from Viacom spoke at our Sydney event. As we head into year four of developing LIMA in Australia, we are pleased to confirm that our membership base has grown close to 70 and our 2016 plans are set to deliver an upgraded services package to our members and a host of new events and industry intelligence products. We will continue to develop our local and international news service program, including our new INSIDE LICENSING online product. LIMA’s acclaimed Certificate in Licensing Studies (CLS) course will

also be available to our members and Licensing Industry executives in 2016. We encourage you to sign up and secure yourself the only official licensing accreditation available in our Industry. Sign up as a new LIMA member and you can earn your self a significant discount on the course. 2016 is shaping up as another year of significant growth for the LIMA Association, with our representation growing in many new markets around the world. Please join us in 2016 as a valued member of LIMA Australia. To learn more please visit www.licensing.org/australia/

LIMA Australia 2016 Program at a glance: • LIMA Licensing Breakfast event in Melbourne • LIMA Licensing Breakfast event in Sydney • LIMA Licensing Breakfast event at Melbourne Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair • LIMA Networking Lounge at Melbourne Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair • LIMA Australia Day of Licensing in Melbourne • LIMA Christmas Networking event in Melbourne • LIMA Christmas Networking event in Sydney • Upgraded LIMA Licensing Survey model

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The Aston Martinis played at the Sydney Networking event

The LIMA Australia membership mingling in Sydney

The Caprice product display at Eureka 89 in Melbourne

Christmas at the Intercontinental Hotel

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Further Your Industry Education LIMA Australia Chapter

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DC w it h In te rv ie w Ang e la Ho

The Rising Popularity Of King

andy Crush and the King business have risen to huge popularity over the past couple of years, and The Bugg Report recently had the opportunity to speak with Claes Kalborg, Senior Licensing Director at King on things relating to the business and its games. Hello Claes, thank you for taking the time to speak to The Bugg Report. First off, can you tell us about the King business and its beginnings as an entertainment company? King was founded 2003 in Stockholm and since then grown into close to 1,600 employees with 6 studios in Europe, Asia and the United States. We are one of the largest digital networks in the world; bigger than Twitter and Amazon and we are a leading mobile games developer, with Candy Crush being our largest franchise. We have the position of top five grossing games on the App Store, Google Play and Facebook. I believe that King completed its first IPO in March of 2014 and since then has been acquired by Activision Blizzard. Can you tell us how this has added value to the company and what, if anything, has changed as a result?

The acquisition is still in progress and isn’t final yet. This is exciting times for us, but it’s too early to comment on this development. King has recently entered the licensing business and you have been operating in the space for the past couple of years now. Overall, can you give us an idea about what the goals are for the King business entering the licensing space? King is a leading game developer with some extremely strong brands in that space; Candy Crush being the largest. Our licensing activities are first and foremost a brand building exercise and we want to reach and liaise with our fans outside the digital space. Our core audience are women 18-45 and we trying to find the right and relevant product mix to reach them outside the gaming environment. King were at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas and Brand Licensing Europe this year. I trust that these adventures were successful for the business (the stands were busy) and the sponsorship of the LIMA Garden Party in London seemed to work very well in promoting the business? We started our licensing activities two years ago and we have appointed 15 agents around the world and signed agreements with over 100 licensees. Our mission is now to secure this level of business and work closely with agents, licensees and retailers. We understand that our partners need support from us and we are constantly trying to find new ways of promoting the products; both online and offline. We still have untapped markets and

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categories to explore but we are in no rush to do so; we have a long term strategy for our licensing operations. From an entertainment angle, Candy Crush Saga as been massive and its success is growing again with Candy Crush Soda Saga. I imagine that the main driver for your licensing business at King is the entertainment business, in the form of gaming; are there other things you are implementing to drive the licensing business? We have a very exciting partnership with Lionsgate in the United States. Together with Lionsgate and the producer behind Fear Factor and Wipeout; Matt Kunitz we have created a TV format based on Candy Crush. We are currently negotiating deals with leading TV networks and other partners for this very exciting concept. More information on this will follow shortly. There are also many other games in your portfolio, which are very popular such as Farm Heroes Saga; can you give us a brief overview of the other games you are working on within your portfolio? At the moment only Candy Crush. We want to make sure that we

manage Candy Crush in a professional manner and we still have a lot of ideas and projects in the pipeline for Candy. Many other games & franchises have potential as well and we are working on those to get them “ready” for licensing too when the time is right. The licensing program is very interesting and seems to appeal to a range of age demographics. From a retail perspective, what are the major territories for the business? Geographically, United States is still number one. Asia and Latam are also growing rapidly and in terms of categories we see a trend that anything eatable is working well. Confectioneries, ice cream, yoghurts and others. We are developing several exciting concepts within those segments. Not only products but services as well.

Retail differs in each territory; are you approaching retail from a specific angle in terms of product placement? Every market is different and we need to understand the local markets to be successful. That’s why we are working with the leading agents in all major markets to develop plans and strategies for every specific market. Our role is to support our partners in each and every market to grow and maintain shelf space without diluting the brand in any way.

trip which I regret. However, this for a good reason; I am heading to United States to work and hopefully finalise deals for our very exciting TV format… Thanks again for your time and we look forward to speaking again soon. Will we see you again this year in Vegas or London, Claes? Yes! Absolutely :) To learn more please visit www.king.com

I believe you are speaking here at Hong Kong this January. Can you tell us more about this and where this will be taking place, for our readers should they wish to attend? The plan was to come to Hong Kong but unfortunately I had to cancel this

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We Speak To Angela Ho About The Evolution Of The Hong Kong International Licensing Show

nother year has passed and the Hong Kong International Licensing Show continues to evolve and grow, as we arrive at 2016. We had the opportunity to speak with Angela Ho about the annual show and she was able to give us an insight into the exhibition, its key partners, exhibitors and talk about the Asian market. Angela can I begin by asking you a little about the show itself and the shows continued grow from 2015? The 14th edition of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, from 11 to 13 January 2016, welcomes a record number of more than 340 exhibitors (up 8% compared to 2015), representing over 860 brands and properties from 15 countries and regions.

Compared to 2015, we see bigger Asian pavilions led by governments including the Chinese mainland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. This reflects that governments in the Asian countries are using licensing to promote their home-grown and indigenous culture and creation and the increasing recognition of Hong Kong as the licensing hub for bringing up-andrising Asian properties to the world market. We are also pleased to see first time participations from famous global brands such as BBC Worldwide, Rainbow Internazionale, Hearst Magazines International and The Wiggles, aiming to expand their licensing businesses to the Asia markets. I understand that you will be opening up some new areas on level four this year, including an international contingent based in The Chancellor Room. Can you tell us a little about this? To cater for the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth this year, the exhibition hall venue has expanded to the level four and Chancellor Room at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Level four will feature exhibitors engaging in art licensing as well as food and beverage licensing. The Hong Kong Creative Gallery, promoting local home-grown brands and characters, can also be found on level four.

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Meanwhile, international exhibitors from Australia, the UK and the US, with brands such as The Wiggles, BBC Worldwide, Chelsea FC, PSG, IMG and beyond will welcome visitors at Chancellor Room. The Harper Bazaar Lounge sponsored by Hearst Magazines International, the renowned media group, will fill the stomach of visitors with Hong Kong style snacks throughout the show. Your Asian Licensing Conference (ALC) has attracted a high caliber of speakers over recent years, can you tell us a little about your focus and speakers for 2016? The 5th Asian Licensing Conference, also Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading of its kind, will run from 11 to 12 January. It is expecting 1,400 participants. More than 30 licensing experts from top global brands will speak in the conference. Senior executives representing BBC Worldwide, Michelin and Kumamoto Prefecture will discuss the Asian market opportunities at the plenary session on day one. If will then follow by three breakout sessions examining the hottest trends in entertainment and new media, fashion and lifestyle, and art, culture and tourism licensing. Expert speakers from Aardman Animations, The British Library, Disney China, Harley Davidson, Hearst Magazine, Kodak, Saban Brands, The Palace Museum, The Wiggles and Tzeuka Productions will speak in the three breakouts. Day two opens with the thematic session on the China

In addition to those new to the show, Ali-the-Fox, Chelsea FC, Hasbro, Sanrio, The Palace Museum, Transformer, Van Gogh Museum, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox etc, are the high profile brands featuring in the show.

Among the wide range of licensing categories to be spotlighted are character, animation, and edutainment, art and design, fashion and lifestyle as well as the newly added food and beverage licensing category. The Hong Kong Creative Gallery, aimed to promote local home-grown creativity, is returning to showcase cross-over merchandise between Hong Kong’s museums and designers. The inaugurating Hong Kong Licensing Awards organized by the Asian Licensing Association will also feature Hong Kong’s award winning brands and characters at the gallery.

There are many events on at the Exhibition and Convention Centre in January. Can you tell us about your key activations around the International Licensing Show for this year and what we can expect?

It is a short ferry across the Harbour from Kowloon to the Licensing Show. Have you developed any new strategies to engage visitors who spend most of their time in the toy showrooms in Kowloon?

market and follows by two licensing workshops with speakers sharing the best business practice as well as legal and Intellectual Property issues in doing licensing. Have you been able to attract any new high profile exhibitors for 2016?

The show held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai. It is a city location and not far from Kowloon side and hence distance shouldn’t be a concern. More important, we have actively forged collaborations with Hong Kong’s industry associations to bring their members to the show. They are mainly OEM manufacturers, exporters and retailers, keen to move up their value chains with licensing. We will connect them with the show’s exhibitors through activities such guided tour, business matching meetings and networking events. Can you tell us a about the HKTDC Business Matching (BM) service? A dedicated business matching session will be organized at the show on 11 January. Based on their profile and requests, exhibitors and buyers

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will be invited to join the sessions for meeting with potential partners. Again, this BM session will be run in collaboration with Hong Kong’s industry associations, covering different sectors including toys, garment, watch and clock, publish, retail and travel. For those exhibitors who need to station at their booths, we will also try and bring the suitable buyers to their booths for meetings. It is expected that over 500 BM meetings would be arranged this year. Can you talk about your on-going relationship with LIMA, as one of your major sponsors? LIMA has been our close working partner on the show for nearly ten years. We obtain inputs from LIMA on the industry trend for growing the Licensing Show. LIMA also helps us to identify good speakers for the Asian Licensing Conference.

Are there more organizations from mainland China who are seeking to engage in licensing and/or brands for this years International Licensing Show in Hong Kong? We are pleased to see China’s Ministry of Culture returning to the show this year. Together with the provincial support from Guangdong, Zhejiang and Sichuan, it forms the ever largest Chinese mainland pavilion with more than 90 exhibitors. Art and cultural as well as animations properties will be promoted in the Chinese mainland pavilions. Some examples are The Palace Museum, China National Silk Museum, Zhejiang Art Museum, Ali-The Fox and the Legend of Little Monk. There’s always a lot going on in January in Hong Kong. Are there any new activities at show that we should be aware of?

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New to the show are the special performances of exhibitors with a bid to generate more buyer interest. These performances include: • Cooking demonstration with the Little Star Chef • Kumamon Exercise • Colour in Tian Xing - Art demonstrations by Ink Colour Painting Master Lam Tian Xing • A series of activities presented by Warner Brothers Angela, thank you very much for your time to speak to The Bugg Report during this busy period of the year for HKTDC. I am sure our readers will appreciate an intimate insight into your show.

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