Welcome to The Licensing Blog, the official blog of The Licensing Book magazine. This is the best place on the web for you to keep up with the latest licensing news and see what we’re working on. We’ll post news updates, story ideas, and anything we can think of. We work in licensing every day, so there’s no reason you should have to wait a month to interact with us — bookmark us today!
Thanks for reading, and we hope to hear from you.
Bryan Joiner Editor in Chief
bjoiner@licensingbook.com
Mighty Fine has announced the launch of its new consumer site, WeLoveFine.com.
WeLoveFine.com is buyer friendly, giving consumers the option to shop by collection, whether you are a fan of Hello Kitty, Fifi Lapin, Marvel, Peanuts, or other properties. There is also a do-it-yourself feature, where shoppers can customize their own tees. All subscribers receive 15 percent off and can create a personal profile for all future orders. With every purchase, customers will also receive a free Mighty Fine tote.
Browse the site now. I see large portions of my paycheck ending up here very soon.
Get your motor running. NASCAR has started its engines on a new licensing project, hoping to simplify the process of getting NASCAR-branded goods to shelves.
According to NASCAR.COM, the unit will be a one-stop shop for licensees with revenue based on sales and not revenue-sharing. Participation by teams is voluntary, but JR Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, and Dale Earnhardt Inc. are in. The teams will allow NASCAR properties to license their images in certain categories, with apparel being the first to which everyone has agreed.
The new model replaces an older one where the teams, acting as independent contractors, needed to approve every request individually, leading to a cumbersome process for licensees looking to put out a full NASCAR product line.
CandyRific, LLC has introduced new holiday-themed M&M’S products featuring Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue, available for holiday 2010.
The 3-in-1 Christmas Candy Gift Set comes with a working M&M’S watch, Etch-A-Sketch, and Sticker Stamper, plus three fun-size packs of M&M’s candies.
The M&M’S Ornament Dispenser Christmas Gift Set features Red sitting atop a wrapped present. By pulling his arm, candies dispense out of the bottom of the gift. The set also includes an M&M’S Ornament in red or green, and a fun-size pack of M&M’S.
The light-up, miniature M&M’S Christmas Tree comes with a toy train conducted by Red, which circles the tree base when the button is pressed, and two fun-size packs of M&M’S.
The M&M’s Christmas Triple Dispenser holds and easily dispenses lots of M&M’S for the holidays. Red, Yellow, and Blue are each positioned on top of a chamber, dressed in Santa hats. The set comes with three fun-size packs of M&M’S.
The M&M’S Military Jeep features Blue behind the wheel, Red in the passenger seat, and Yellow holding on for dear life under the hood. M&M’S candies fit under the hood and dispense out of the bumper when you pull Red’s arm. The Jeep makes car sounds and has working lights, and comes with a 5.30 oz. bag of M&M’S.
Licensing Show is started to crest on the horizon — it will take place from June 8-10 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Vegas. That means a few things: meetings, sunshine, old friends, and… The Licensing Book’s biggest issue of the year.
So we’re going to start calling for submissions now, even if we have a whole ‘nuther issue between now and then. Please send new deal/product announcements with hi-res (300 dpi) images to bjoiner@gmail.com by May 3rd. Embargoed material may be sent; our issue will be released at the show, and no information therein will be released beforehand in print or online.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Haven’t we all, at some point, wished we could be like Madonna? Wished for her poise, her looks, her fame, her style? (I don’t mean just women, either–my older brother dressed up as Madonna for Halloween one year when he was 10. I’ve got pictures to prove it).
A new licensing deal has given Madonna fans the opportunity to emulate her fashion style, which may be as close as we’ll all ever come to knowing what it’s like to be the Material Girl.
MG Icon, the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy’s, Inc. for the Material Girl collection. Material Girl is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy’s stores and online in August 2010 for the back-to-school season.
As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy’s will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.
The Material Girl collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group’s in-house fashion department. In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, Material Girl will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags, and jewelry.
The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors including fragrance beginning 2011, as well as a rollout into additional Macy’s stores.
What celebrity did you want to be like when you were younger? Which celebrity’s style do you admire now? Leave us some comments and let us know!
And for your entertainment, we present the music video for Material Girl:
Hilary Duff has signed a world rights deal with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers to publish her first-ever young adult fiction series, it was announced today. The first novel in the multiple-book series, entitled Elixir, publishes in hardcover in October 2010. Also part of the deal are world rights for a nonfiction title to be published in spring 2012 concerning the challenges faced by children of divorce.
Duff released a statement within the announcement of the deal, but it should be noted that multiple efforts by my younger brother to reach Duff have been unsuccessful for years. At least now we know what she was up to.
Sometimes as dutiful licensed product hawks, we must familiarize ourselves with the hit properties du jour. We do this on YouTube. Today, we present the Tron trailer, because by some happy accident of fortune it is our job (!!!) to do so:
Starkey Laboratories, Inc has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) to launch co-branded pediatric hearing aids. The pediatric earmolds, specifically created for children ages 0-13, will feature characters from Nickelodeon TV shows including SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly, Go, Diego, Go!, and Dora the Explorer.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Nickelodeon on this initiative,” says Chris McCormick, senior director of marketing and communications for Starkey. “We choose our partners carefully and feel that Nickelodeon will provide a fun and engaging way to connect with kids and make the entire process less frightening for them.”
While we’re still recovering from the aftershock of Toy Fair (and of three consecutive snowstorms), we’re already thinking about Licensing Expo.
The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has announced a lineup of more than 30 seminars for Licensing International Expo 2010, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, June 8 – 10.
Part of LIMA’s Licensing University program, the sessions cover a wide variety of topics for industry newcomers as well as those with many years of experience. With an emphasis on helping licensing professionals expand their knowledge base, the program will cover topics including retail and distribution strategies, legal and financial issues, social media, marketing challenges, and international expansion. The conference offers a strategic look at virtually all major industry segments, including corporate branding, art, sports, and fashion licensing as well as growth markets such as Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.
The conference program runs from Sunday, June 6 through Wednesday, June 9. A free keynote session will once again be presented on Tuesday, the opening morning of the show. Details of the keynote will be announced in the coming weeks.
The seminar program kicks off on Sunday, June 6 with a presentation on “The State of Retail in the U.S.,” by Bentonville, AR-based retail consultant Carol Speickerman, followed by a retail tour of Las Vegas, hosted by Speickerman and LIMA. Speickerman will provide an overview of steps mass merchants are taking to differentiate themselves from the competition, including their use of proprietary brands. Immediately following the presentation, LIMA will host a tour of local retail outlets. Cost for the presentation and tour is $55 per participant until April 10; $75 per participant after April 10.
Monday, June 7, there will be two sessions designed for newcomers to the licensing business. The introductory “Licensing for Beginners” panel, moderated by Rick Mallow, former licensing director for Elmer’s Products, Inc., will offer expert guidance on the fundamentals, from basic terminology and roles of licensors and licensees to when to use licensing strategically to grow a business. Additionally, Jed Ferdinand, an attorney with Grimes and Battersby, LLC, will present “Licensing Law for Beginners.”
Session highlights include:
Getting Your Brand Ready for Licensing – Learn how to evaluate whether a brand is ready for licensing and how to evolve internal structures and processes to support a licensing program. Moderator: Brooke Bridges, associate vice president, Beanstalk Group
Retail Strategies Beyond the Top Ten – Take a look at how key retailers are using brands, exclusives, and innovative strategies to prosper in the current economic climate. Moderator: Sean Heitkemper, vice president of business development, IMC Licensing
New Property Introductions – Learn how to launch a new intellectual property and build a meaningful licensing program at retail. Moderator: Marc Mostman, president, Most Management
Using Demographic Trends to Grow Your Licensing Business – Discover how demographic trends are creating new opportunities. Moderator: Stephen Reily, CEO and co-founder, IMC Licensing, and founder, Vibrant Nation
Deal Structures in the Interactive Gaming and Mobile World – Meet professionals from leading game publishers, retailers, manufacturers and agencies making game-based licensing a success. Moderator: Germaine Gioia, vice president of licensing, THQ
I Never Thought that Would Work: Unusual Success Stories – Explore challenges and opportunities in developing new categories. Moderator: Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager, CBS Consumer Products
To view the complete 2010 seminar lineup and see which sessions are CLS-certified, visit the licensing expo website. You can register online, or by phone at (888) 644-2022. Sessions have limited seating and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Are better days just over the horizon? After a Toy Fair where everyone seemed generally upbeat about where the economy was heading — a notch just above “cautiously optimistic” — today comes news from the National Retail Federation that imports are expected to rise by 13 percent this month over March 2009, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Not only that, increases are expected in April (estimated 19 percent), May (17 percent), June (25 percent), and July (20 percent). February posted 1.08 million twenty-foot equivalent units, an increase of 29 percent over last year.
“These numbers show that retailers continue to anticipate improvements in the U.S. economy,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “This is very different from the past two years when merchants were continually cutting their imports in an effort to manage inventory.”
Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the U.S. economy appears to be in true recovery rather than the mid-point upswing of a double-dip recession, and said the growth rates “appear to be healthy.”
Keep your fingers crossed… except to use that debit card.
Mighty Fine has announced the launch of its new consumer site, WeLoveFine.com.
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