Happy Birthday Kazachok

Kazachok is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021. To mark the occasion, Nathalie Chouraqui, the agency’s General Manager, revisited those two decades for Total Licensing.

Kazachok is celebrating its 20th anniversary: what’s your perspective on the licensing industry?

“Well... Licensing sure has changed over the past 20 years! It went from being a very new and high-growth field - in which everything was yet to be undertaken - to a market that must constantly reinvent itself, and most importantly, its business model. It’s more segmented and diversified than ever, with abundant and extremely creative opportunities for buyers. Those same buyers have become more demanding. Their behavior patterns in terms of contents are more versatile, due partly to platforms and streaming services. Furthermore, they want purchasing licensed products to be meaningful. I feel that consumer experience is more decisive than ever. A brand’s representation must be easy to understand, as well as being clear and prompting customer emotion. Licensing remains a fundamental tool to add value to newly imagined opportunities that focus on consumer-related expectations.

How did your business evolve over the past 20 years?

We established this market step by step and provided a framework. Indeed, in the beginning, we launched the Kazachok Licensing Guide, whose ambition was to identify the various licensing players (rights owners, agents, manufacturers and retailers). Let’s not forget that back in 2001, the market was very secretive, with no dedicated information nor communication tools. Then in 2003, we professionalized the market by launching our newsletter Licensing News (now K-News) and providing consulting; in 2004, we launched the Kazachok Licensing Magazine; and soon thereafter, a trade fair, The Kazachok Licensing Forum, so that market players could physically meet in various prestigious venues in Paris. During 17 years, that event helped to establish the French licensing market thanks to a yearly encounter where brands and their partners were able to connect. Based on the strength of its success, The Kazachok Licensing Forum also evolved in order to better meet brands’ expectations by becoming Cobrandz! Collabs, Contents, Co-branding & Copyright, Cobrandz has established itself as a real contents hub. This new kind of event, in continuation with former editions of The Kazachok Licensing Forum enables brands better expression and exploitation of brand content by enlarging the pool of visitors and exhibitors. The goal is to generate new business opportunities and anticipate the future thanks to collabs, partnerships and brand content that can be associated with brand projects. The whole Kazachok team is more than pleased to have been able to host the event during such a special year. We were the only physical licensing

event held in Europe in 2020! All of the participants felt it was a real breath of fresh air! Today, in the digital era, we are launching the latest Kazachok creation Brandz Data, a platform dedicated to brands and their content - the logical continuation of the initial printed version! During the past 20 years we always remained true to our DNA: service, anticipation, inventiveness, energy and developing new business models! We pride ourselves on providing the whole package in a friendly atmosphere with complete trust prevailing among partners.

What is your strategy for 2021 and beyond? What future developments are you working on?

Under the very particular circumstances of the pandemic, we were forced to reshape our events so that our clients can continue to meet and remain updated on market evolution. As I explained we just launched a brand new brand information and connection platform: Brandz Data. We’re very proud of it since it represents years of archive collection and market watch. It allows access to the interactive database of licensing players as well as daily updated content thanks to news, interviews and reports. Furthermore, you can access marketing brand data to keep a proactive watch on brand possibilities over the next 2 years called Brandz Review. This new digital tool continually feeds data to market players and others too! Indeed, it provides brands with insight on potential business opportunities they haven’t even envisioned yet (via collaborations, co-branding, endorsement marketing, licensing product creation, on-site promotions or licensed advertising campaigns). I feel certain that thanks to Brandz Data, new brand partnerships and novel projects will arise, in compliance with the latest trends (Social and Environmental Responsibility, quest for meaning, circular economy, etc.) Moreover, in January 2021, we set up the first Brandz Keynote, a 100% virtual event, in which brands showcase their strategy to meet potential partners on a one-toone basis, The next edition will take place on April 8th, 2021. Last but not least, the 2nd Edition of Cobrandz is scheduled for July 1st & 2nd at La Grande Crypte de Paris and we are proud to make it possible for market players to meet in person!

What do you take away from the past two decades?

For sure, the past 20 years went by like a flash because the licensing world is enthralling. Each brand has its own strategy, and licensing is anything but boring! I take this opportunity to acknowledge all of my business pals. For sure, the past 20 years went by like a flash because the licensing world is enthralling. Each brand has its own strategy, and licensing is anything but boring! I take this opportunity to acknowledge all of my business pals. Yes, some of our clients became good friends of mine, thanks to Kazachok!