Cover Story: Studio 100

Catching up with Joachim Knoedler, Head of Licensing at Studio 100

Tell us how you have found the last 12 months?

It has been a strange and challenging year for all of us! Since last March, most people found retail to be very different and a challenge. As a licensor we knew we had to have flexibility in our contracts and shift our approach slightly as did our licensees and retailers with companies quickly looking at how to streamline their businesses. Licensed facemasks of course came out very quickly – this certainly showed innovation and flexibility in the industry. After months of lockdown where everything was closed, consumers certainly made up for it in the following months after as they wanted to be out and buying – and the toy industry especially flourished in the lockdown with games, puzzles, activities, and family games being very resilient. But of course, for all parties, the difficulties came in the restriction of production capacities and capabilities. In terms of this year, I read a recent statistic that said many people across Europe had saved a lot of money during the lockdown and were waiting for when they can freely consume again such as buying products, going on holiday, etc. We have had to be very flexible and show our partners and the retailers that we are loyal.

How has Studio 100 fared during the pandemic?

There are different components to Studio 100 – the consumer, licensing, merchandising, production, and entertainment – and certainly on the theme park side of things, consumers have not been able to live and breathe the excitement of their favourite properties. Movies as well have been a challenge – we have three big movies ready to be released and we have seen a huge demand to bring these back into theatres. There is a huge responsibility to our licensees and all the platforms that we operate on. We have been helpful and supportive to the licensing side of our business. In terms of alternative ways of releasing movies, we still have contracts of course with theatres and we believe in the experience of being at the movies. However, even when they start to re-open, initially some families will not take their children to the cinemas as they do not feel safe.

The future means that we need to have a more balanced approach to how we set release dates – but we still absolutely support the cinemas and the whole movie theatre experience.

Are there any particular trends you have noticed?

Gaming has been a huge trend, appealing to families, and this includes games, puzzles, family activity toys and so on. This has been a strong growth sector during the last year. A very big and upcoming trend I believe will be everything related to outdoor activities. Most of the world has been locked inside, and people are ready to enjoy the summer and the great outdoors. We have picked this outdoor theme with our Classic Heidi brand – she is after all ‘the girl of the Alps’. She has a proven track record of outdoor lifestyle success, and there are many avenues to explore including apparel, sports, gifting and accessories. Classic properties with outdoor elements I predict will be huge, postpandemic.

What is some latest news you can share?

We are currently working on the licensing and merchandising programme for our new launch, FriendZSpace. This is a fantastic TV series, focusing on three best friends who seem like regular kids but are really adventurous, risk-taking space friends. The series will be available in 2022 and we received a great response when we introduced it to market. We are talking to toy partners and broadcasters worldwide, as well as publishing and audiobook partners to begin with.

As Head of Licensing, are there any particular new strategies you have implemented?

Studio 100 has a very solid business in licensing and our goal is now to set up and increase our IPs in various categories and extend the presence of our classic IPs globally and particularly in areas such as fashion. We are preparing a relaunch of Mia and me with the fourth season and the upcoming movie being available in late 2021/early 2022, with a wider execution and presence in 2022. We are focused on expanding our licensing business in international markets and for the experimental side of the business, we are looking particularly at Russia and Eastern Europe. Internationally, the classic properties in our portfolio provide some of our biggest opportunities. And they are extremely relevant as well – Maya the Bee is the perfect spokesperson to champion initiatives such as bee and insect protection, and very current issues such as sustainability, helping nature and ‘one planet’. Maya is a pop-culture phenomenon in many territories.

What do you see in the future of retail and the shift toward e-

commerce? The re-opening will be so important to the whole of our industry – and it is crucial to future-proof for any future lockdowns and pandemics. Licensed goods will require multiple levels of support from marketing and flexible licensing models. Certainly, the companies that hadn’t invested in e-commerce platforms did struggle – but most retailers had of course moved into this space in one way or another. In the future, every retailer needs to be prepared for a modern way of selling, be this through e-commerce, or click and collect options – or finding smart, alternative delivery options that do not cost a fortune. Companies have also had to adjust to logistical problems very quickly. Consumers will go back to bricks and mortar retailers, but the retailers will need to think of more entertaining components to their business- this is becoming more and more important, and where the shopping experience used to be enough, now the entertainment experience makes the whole thing more enjoyable for both kids and parents. If you are a smart licensor, you need to reflect in certain areas how you can adapt and support all levels of business.