Inside the robust, structured and dynamic French Licensing Market

BrandTrends shares the Most favorite Entertainment brands in Autumn 2022

BrandTrends Group unveils some major findings from its most recent research, and some key facts can be extracted when compared to the previous three years.

France is a country that never ceases to amaze the world with its beauty, culture, and cuisine. It is home to over 66 million people, and its capital city, Paris, is often called the “City of Love.” However, France is also known for its unusual traditions, such as the yearly cheese-rolling competition in the Alps and the fact that it is illegal to name a pig “Napoleon” in the town of Lorraine.

But did you know that France has a thriving licensing market?

A vast exposure market

The vast exposure and fierce competition in the entertainment market is evident in the fact that 12.5 million children up to the age of 14 are familiar with over 257 different brands. Each demographic shows awareness of approximately 129 brands when seg- mented by age and gender.

The market is well-structured with a distinct age divide, catering for younger and older children.

Interestingly, now almost half of all brands (around 43%) are well-known to both boys and girls, making the market very much “cross-gendered.” This is good news for brands since it allows them to serve both genders in retail settings while still taking advantage of the market’s structure.

Where comic book superheroes rise

According to the research from The BrandTrends Group, Marvel is currently the second most popular brand across all age groups and genders, right behind Disney. In France, Marvel’s popularity has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with the umbrella brand gaining 3 points in 4 years and now sitting at 10.1%. However, this growth has come at the expense of its lower-level sub-brands such as Thor and the Avengers.

DC Comics has also experienced a similar phenomenon, albeit to a lesser extent, with the top franchise gaining only 1 point in 4 years. Both Marvel and DC Comics have a strong presence in the film and television industry, with their superheroes featured in various productions. These characters are often part of an interwoven universe, which further strengthens the umbrella brands at the expense of the individual characters.

The table shows the top licensed properties in France, based on their share of mentions of the top favorite brands among children aged up to 14 years old. Four brands tend to group as the top ones, led by the overall mention of

Most Favorite Entertainment Brands in France. 0 - 14 years old - October/November 2022

For more information, please contact Philippe Guinaudeau - BrandTrends at philippe.guinaudeau@ brandtrends.com.

About The Report

The current report provides a detailed analysis of brand awareness, popularity, and purchase intent of the most important Entertainment brands within a country. The most crucial aspect is that it predicts product category purchasing intentions. The service reports on 11,500+ different Entertainment, Fashion, or Sports brands four times a year, and interviews 200,000+ people ranging in age from infants to seniors in 42 countries. To learn more, visit www.brandtrends.com.

Disney, immediately followed by Marvel and Paw Patrol; then LEGO ends the top 4. Due to the fact that those four brands appeal to both genders, this is the demonstration of the market’s “cross-gender” orientation. In addition to the superheroes matter, one of the interesting facts from this top 15 is the strong presence of young children’s brands, such as Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig, among the most favorite brands of the large children’s group of 0 to 14 years old. This could be attributed to the popularity of the characters and their appeal to young children. It also suggests that parents and guardians are likely to buy products associated with these brands for their children.

Another interesting fact is the presence of three toy brands (LEGO, Playmobil, and Barbie) in the top 15. These brands have consistently been popular

Last but not least, the presence of corporate brands with some distance from the field of entertainment, such as Netflix and Nike, is intriguing. This suggests that children are not only interested in brands associated with entertainment but also those associated with other aspects of their lives, such as sports and streaming services. Overall, the top licensed properties in France reflect the changing tastes and preferences of children in the digital age. It also highlights the importance of brand recognition and how it affects consumer behavior, even at a young age.

Ownership and Licensing Opportunities

popular among children aged 7 and above, while preschool brands like Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig dominate among younger children, suggests that manufacturers need to consider the age range of their target audience when developing licensed products. By understanding the preferences of different age groups and tailoring their products accordingly, manufacturers can better meet the needs and expectations of consumers, which in turn can drive higher purchase intentions.

Inside the robust, structured and dynamic French Licensing market

Even though there may be some weakening in consumption towards the end of 2022, the demand for consumer products with entertainment licenses remains strong. And manufacturers should know that a 1-point increase in the Brand Popularity index would result in a 1.5% increase in purchase intentions!

The French licensing market is highly competitive and structured, with a distinct age divide catering to younger and older children. However, many of the most favorite brands of the children aged up to 14 years old appeal to the both gender; this explains the general trends towards a more “cross-gender” market.

among children for years and have established themselves as reliable brands in the toy industry. This could be because they offer a wide range of products that cater to different age groups, genders, and interests.

Even more interestingly, the strong presence of video game brands such as Mario Bros, Fortnite, or Minecraft indicates a growing trend among children to engage with digital media. This could be attributed to the rise of smartphones and tablets, which have made it easier for children to access and play video games.

It is worth noting that there is an age segmentation of the most demanded brands. The fact that video game brands like Mario Bros, Super Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog are the most

Videogame brands indicate also a growing trend of children engaging with digital media, and even corporate brands like Netflix and Nike have a presence in the market. Therefore, manufacturers should think about incorporating digital elements into their licensing offerings while pushing the promotion of cross-gender brands (great news as this helps build a massive recognizable shelf space), in order to remain relevant and appeal to younger audiences; the result of the presence of the videogame brands in the most favorite brand lists!

Chefclub Sets Up Brand Content Division

Leading food content studio and entertainment brand Chefclub has announced the creation of its Brand Content division with three newly appointed executives, Douglas Stoppa, Carl de Vivo and Astrid Cousi. Stoppa and de Vivo will take on the roles of Business Development Managers while Cousi will support operations as Account Manager.

The executive trio joined the company in March with the goal of structuring and developing Chefclub’s brand content offer to - and beyond - its French fan base of 21 million followers.

Douglas Stoppa previously headed up Reworld Media’s Sport & Entertainment Business Unit, after having worked as Client Director of Sponsorship & OPS at Canal Plus. Prior to joining Chefclub, Carl de Vivo held the positions of Client Director at Canal Brand Factory, and Sales Manager OPS at Vice Media Group. Astrid Cousi will use her prior experience in account management and social media marketing in France to support the activities of Chefclub’s new Brand Content division.

Thomas Lang, CEO, Chefclub said, “We are very excited about the arrival of Douglas, Carl and Astrid, to bring our brand, the strength of our studio, and the media power we have been able to develop over the last few years, to advertisers and agencies. Chefclub speaks to more than 21 million French viewers every month, and our goal is to work hand in hand with the advertising market, creating ad hoc offers that are promising for partner brands.”

Chefclub was founded in 2016 by brothers Thomas, Jonathan and Axel Lang, with a mission to transform the kitchen into a space for sharing and having fun through the creation of inspirational and accessible content, products, and services. Its unique positioning has made the brand a success that resonates far beyond the sphere of food enthusiasts.

ONCE UPON A TIME.... THE OBJECTS

Procidis is an independent French production company created by Albert Barillé. After the international success of the preschool series The Adventures of Colargol, between 1978 and 2009 Procidis created the seven-series saga

Once Upon a Time…: Man, Space, Life, the Americas, the Discoverers, the Explorers and Planet Earth, today all restored and encompassed with the licensed products under the umbrella brand Hello Maestro!

In 2024, Maestro returns in Once upon a time…the Objects (78 x 7’ ) a new series. Co-produced with French Samka Productions, France Télévisions, HOT in Israel, RTS and TV5 Monde are already on board. Dealing with historical and scientific topics carefully researched, the 7 first series are evergreens and have been a reference in educational programs for the past 40 years. Translated into 40 languages, they are well known in more than 100 countries. In France, more than 3 out of 4 children know Maestro, and 92% of them like him. 88% of parents consider the series as part of their childhood. 90% of parents trust the programs to deliver accurate information to their kids.

To date, more than 20 licensees are on board with games, publishing, DVD & music, audio stories and digital games. In addition, various promotional deals have been signed with others under discussion.

Bel And The Laughing Cow

Bel Licensing develops the food & non-food licensing program of Bel SA trademarks. Bel is a +150 years old and family-owned company active in cheese, dairy, fruit and plantbased food products with worldwide iconic brands such as The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri or GoGo squeeZ. Additional brands that Bel Licensing works on include Apéricube, Boursin, Nurishh, Pom’Potes and Mont Blanc.

Bel celebrated La vache qui rit 100th year anniversary in 2021 with major deals such as H&M in Asia or La Chaise Longue in France. Today, they continue to move forward with new licensed products - Freegun x La vache qui rit boxers in retail from June 2023, Label Chaussette x Babybel socks from May 2023, new categories such as Apéricube and La vache qui rit outdoor cushions and, first DTR projects. Beyond food licenses, the company majors on four key categories in terms of licensing. These are apparel, home décor and homewares, tableware and games. Bel products are sold in 120 countries around the world with more than 5 billion portions of The Laughing Cow sold a year on five continents. Bel Licensing has agents around the world including Design Plus, Pink Key Licensing, Markettcom, Copyrights Asia and Infiniss. In total, the programme has more than 45 licensees.