TOTAL LICENSING
The Incredible Rise of Location-Based Experiences &The Tangible Benefits to Business Location-based entertainment (LBE) experiences offer the ultimate immersion in favourite brands and characters. This vast slice of the industry is growing exponentially, from theme parks, to branded escape rooms, VR, AR, to installations at retail destinations. Consumers, having been isolated from many events for the last two years, are raring to go, and the traditional retail experience or the odd piece of branding in a simulator just isn’t cutting it for many anymore. It is fascinating to see how brands extend into live experiences. From the Bluey-themed house operated by Airbnb for holidays rentals, to the Star Wars hotel at Walt Disney World, complete with characters and challenges, to the Peaky Blinders’ 360-degree theatre show; the Gregg’s capsule and eatery in Primark stores; to the Bing-themed bedrooms coming to CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers Resort; location-based entertainment is also the main them at this year’s upcoming Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, where SVP Anna Knight told Total Licensing that visitors have a lot to look forward to and learn about. The Journal of Consumer Psychology ran a recent study that concluded
that in the types of purchases 21-34 year-olds are making, goods count for 39% whereas experiences come in at 59%. The sharing and engagement in experiences is becoming an increasingly crucial factor for parents and children.
The benefits of the immersive experience, it seems, are endless. Howard Robinson, creator of the wildly successful Selfies, has fully embraced the location-based side of business and has created an entire hotel in the Philippines where fans can fully immerse themselves in the world of Selfies. “One day I was walking around the rim of a huge crater in Uganda, seemingly miles from civilization when three young girls came out of nowhere asking for a Selfie with me,” Howard states. “I was quite taken aback when out popped a camera phone and the posing began, whatever next, the animals will be wanting a Selfie I thought, and so the idea for my Selfies concept began and within a couple of years was a winner in the Independent Toy Awards and a twice nominated finalist in the LIMA International Licensing Awards in Vegas and continues to grow with currently 128 licensing partners worldwide.
63
