Category Archives: Licensing Expo

Licensing Expo | Licensing International unveils 2021 Excellence Awards finalists

Posted on by

Licensing International has revealed the list of nominees from across the globe vying for the win at this year’s 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards, taking place at Licensing Expo Virtual on Tuesday, August 24th.

More than 180 judges from 21 countries narrowed the record-setting number of entries to the more than 150 finalists across the awards’ 22 categories this year.

“Despite the many obstacles last year, the global licensing community created innovative products and programs – including amazing pandemic pivots, that showcase the power of brand licensing,” said Maura Regan, president of Licensing International. “We are thrilled to celebrate these nominees from around the globe for their incredible work and ingenuity, and look forward recognizing ‘the best of the best’ on August 24 at the Licensing International Excellence Awards ceremony.”

Here are the 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards nominees:

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Apparel / Footwear / Accessories
Presented by Wildbrain CPLG

Company                                                                                                              Product

Blackmilk                                                                                           Harry Potter Range

Dr. Martens                                                                          Jean-Michel Basquiat Boots

Modern Works                                                                                            Kodak Range

Morgan Lane                                                                                   Monopoly Sleepwear

Primitive Skate                                                         Sailor Moon Skateboard Collection

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Appliances/Automotive/Electronics/Housewares/Paint
Presented by ViacomCBS

Company                                                                                                              Product

Baccarat Australia                                                           Game of Thrones Knife Range

Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co.                                         Pokémon Travel Range

CR Brands                                                                             Arm & Hammer Essentials Disinfecting Wipes

8 Star Energy                                                             Energizer Homepower and Energy Storage System

Honda                                                                                Chupa Chups Scoopy Scooter

Just Funky                                                                     Dragon Ball Z Tableware Range

Master Product Group                                                             Minions Robotic Vacuum

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Digital: Apps / Software / Video Games
Presented by Wildbrain – emojitown

Company                                                                                                              Product

Audible                                                                                         Sesame Street Podcast

Complete Control / Acamar Films                                    Bing Watch, Play, Learn App

Frontier Developments                                                             Jurassic World Evolution

Game for Peace                                                 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Game

Oculus                                                                                     Jurassic World Aftermath

Story Toys Ltd                                                            The Very Hungry Caterpillar Play School App

Top Golf                                                                   Angry Birds Interactive Golf Game

Wristworld                                                                                  Hatsune Miku AR Band

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Food / Beverage
Presented by LI Accelerator Recipients Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

Company                                                                                                              Product

Benvolio 1938                                                           Masha and the Bear Sunflower Oil

Brands for Fans                                                                                       KISS Dark Rum

Cacau Show                                                                           NBA Easter Confectionery

Fizz Creations Limited                                                 SLUSH PUPPiE & ICEE Maker

Guandong Jintian Animation Co.                                               Peppa Pig Baby Snacks

Kinnerton Confectionery Ltd                                           Harry Potter Chocolate Range

Vignobles Bardet                                                                            Peaky Blinders Wine

Yuengling                                                                                              Hershey’s Porter

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Health & Beauty Aids
Presented by Wildbrain – Teletubbies

Company                                                                                                              Product

Colour Pop                                                                            Candy Land Make-Up Line

Etude Cosmetics                                                          Hershey’s Kisses Cosmetics Line

Fresh                                                                                       The Met Facial Treatment

H&A                                                                            The Simpsons Novelty Bath Line

HipDot                                                                                          Tapatio Cosmetic Line

Mad Beauty Ltd                                                             Friends Bath & Body Essentials

Morphe                                                                                    Coca-Cola Cosmetic Line

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Home Décor
Presented by Inspirit Designs

Company                                                                                                              Product

BeArty Ltd                                                                                            Vizzio Art Range

Design House Stockholm                                      Carl & Karin Larsson Furniture Line

Feribiella S.p.A.                                                         Premoli & Di Bella Dog Furniture Range

Kross Studio                                                                                      Batman Desk Clock

Royal Selangor International Sdn Bhd                         Harry Potter Pewter Collectibles

Secret Lab                                                                                    Batman Gaming Chairs

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Publishing / Social Expression / Back-to-School
Presented by ViacomCBS

Company                                                                                                              Product

Blueprint Collections Ltd                                                Van Gogh Museum Stationery

Chronicle Books                                                                                  LEGO Note Brick

Chronicle Books                                                      LEGO Still Life Coffee Table Book

Hachette Collections Japan                                                          Peter Rabbit Partworks

Heroes’ Feast                                                                Dungeons & Dragons Cookbook

Libros MiCuento SL                                            “Little Prince & I” Personalized Book

Montegrappa                                                                              Monopoly Fountain Pen

Penguin Random House                                                                 Tasty Cookbook Line

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Toys / Games / Novelties / Role Play (ages 0-8)
Presented by Alifish

Company                                                                                                              Product

Aurora World Inc                                                                                     Dr. Seuss Plush

CreateOn / Magna-Tile                                    The Very Hungry Caterpillar Interactive Storytime

Headstart International                                                 Sesame Street Resoftables Plush

PlayMonster                                                             Peppa Pig Grow & Play Peppa Pots

Jazwares                                                                            The Mandalorian – The Child Squishmallows Plush

Kid Trax / Pacific Cycle                                    The USPS® Mail Delivery Truck Ride-On

Moose Toys                                                                                           Bluey Toy Range

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Toys / Games / Novelties / Role Play (ages 8+)
Presented by Inspirit Designs

Company                                                                                                              Product

Hornby Hobbies Ltd                             The Beatles Eurostar Yellow Submarine Model Train Set

LEGO                                                                           Andy Warhol LEGO Art Edition

Playmates                                                                                 Billie Eilish Fashion Doll

Playmobil                                                                           Back to the Future DeLorean

Winning Solutions Game Company                       Monopoly 85th Anniversary Edition

XM Studios                                                                         Batman Collectible Figurine

Zuru                                                                                             5 Surprise Mini Brands

BEST AGENCY / MANUFACTURER REP
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

Company

Beanstalk

IMG

Pacific Licensing Studio

pocket.watch

Retail Monster

The Joester Loria Group

The Point.1888

Wildbrain CPLG

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Corporate
Presented by ViacomCBS

Company                                                                                                               Agency

American Red Cross                                                                  Seltzer Licensing Group

Braun                                                                                                                 Beanstalk

CosmoLiving                                                                                                             IMG

Craftsman                                                                                                          Beanstalk

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company                                                                          IMG

Hewlett-Packard                                                                                                    LMCA

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company                                                    Seltzer Licensing Group

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Digital: Apps & Video Games
Presented by Inspirit Designs

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

emoji®                                                                                          emoji company GmbH

Minecraft                                                                                                           Microsoft

Pokémon                                                                                    The Pokémon Company

Sonic the Hedgehog                                                                                                  Sega

Subway Surfers                                                                                          SYBO Games

Super Mario                                                                                                       Nintendo

XBOX                                                                                                               Microsoft

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Entertainment / Character / Toy Brand – Animated
Presented by Alifish

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

Bing                                                                                                            Acamar Films

Bluey                                                                                                             Ludo Studio

Moomin                                                                                             Moomin Characters

Naruto                                                                                                          Shueisha Inc.

Peppa Pig                                                                                                               Hasbro

Pink Panther                                                                                               MGM Studios

Trolls World Tour                                                            Universal Brand Development

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Entertainment / Character – Live Action
Presented by Inspirit Designs

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

Animal Planet                                                                                                   Discovery

Harry Potter                                                                Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Love, Diana                                                                                                 pocket.watch

Peaky Blinders                                                                Caryn Mandabach Productions

Ryan’s World                                                                              Sunlight Entertainment

Street Dance of China                                                 Alibaba Culture & Entertainment Group

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Food / Beverage / Restaurant Brand
Presented by Wildbrain CPLG Lifestyle

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

Baileys                                                                                                                   Diageo

Cinnabon                                                                                             Focus Brands LLC

Coca-Cola / Hi-C / Sprite                                                         The Coca-Cola Company

Corona                                                                                             Constellation Brands

Hershey’s                                                                                     The Hershey Company

Heinz / KoolAid / Oscar Mayer                                             The Kraft Heinz Company

SLUSH PUPPiE                                                                                      ICEE Company

Tasty                                                                                                                  Buzzfeed

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Lifestyle: Art / Design / Celebrity / Fashion Brand
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

Andy Warhol                                                                    The Andy Warhol Foundation

New York Botanical Garden                                               New York Botanical Garden

Paul Frank                                                                                        China Brands Group

Peter Rabbit                                                                                          Penguin Ventures

Smiley                                                                                            The Smiley Company

The Rolling Stones                                                                             The Rolling Stones

The Very Hungry Caterpillar                                                                Eric Carle Studio

V&A                                                                                   Victoria and Albert Museum

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Sports / Collegiate
Presented by ViacomCBS

Brand                                                                                                                 Company

NCAA                                                                                  National Collegiate Athletic Association

NFLPA                                                                                     NFL Players Association

BEST LICENSED COLLABORATION
Presented by Alifish

Collaboration                                                                                                     Company

Allbirds, Baggu, Catbird, J.Crew, Estee Lauder, Mast, The Sill                        The Met

Crayola x Adidas & Donovan Mitchell                                               Crayola & Adidas

Disney x Keith Haring x Coach                                                         Coach IP Holdings

Nerf x Fortnite x Travis Scott                                                    Epic Games & Jazwares

Peanuts x BarkBox                                                         Peanuts Worldwide & BarkBox

Pokémon x Longchamp                                        The Pokémon Company International

The Very Hungry Caterpillar x Fila                                                      Eric Carle Studio

BEST LICENSED PROMOTION
Presented by Wildbrain CPLG – Peanuts Worldwide

Company                                                                                             Company / Agency

Barbie & Tim Hortons Hockey Promotion                                                            Mattel

“We’re On It”: Transformers, TMNT, Robocop                Direct Line / Born Licensing

Monet Afternoon Tea at Pizza Hut                          Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Pizza Hut, Alfilo

SweeTARTS Unleash your Super Self, WW84        Ferrara Candy Co & Warner Bros.

The Smurfs: EU Beach Clean Up                                                                IMPS / Lafig

tokidoki Snow Holiday at Changi Festival Village     Changi Airport, tokidoki, Pacific Licensing

BEST RETAILER – Corporate / Lifestyle / Fashion / Sports
Presented by Alifish

Company                                                                                                             Property

Cotton On                                                                                             Streets (Unilever)

H&M                                                                                        The Coca-Cola Company

Peter Alexander                                                                                    Streets (Unilever)

Riva Fashion and Armada Group                                              Chupa Chups & Mentos

Spirit Halloween                                                                                                  Dunkin’

Stellar Partners, Inc                                                                                                 Wired

BEST RETAILER – Entertainment / Character
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

Company                                                                                                             Property

Best & Less                                                                       PAC-MAN & Space Invaders

Big W                                                                                                                    Minecraft

Box Lunch                                                                                 Marvel Eat the Universe

Leclerc                                                                                                    Wizarding World

Joué Club                                                                                                      Harry Potter

Peter Alexander                                                                                             Peter Rabbit

Primark                                                                                                        Mickey Mouse

THE PANDEMIC PIVOT
Presented by ViacomCBS

Company                                                                                                            Company

Crayola Wellness Essentials                                                                                Crayola

Mad Engine Million Mask Give Away                                             Mad Engine Global

MaskClub                                                                                                               Trevco

Peanuts At-Home Offerings                                                              Peanuts Worldwide

Peppa Pig: Peppa Loves Doctors & Nurses                                                          Hasbro

Sesame Street: Caring for Each Other                                                Sesame Workshop

Spirit of Children PPE Donations                                                          Spirit Halloween

Trolls World Tour                                                            Universal Brand Development

Licensing Expo Virtual: Leading figures from Warner Bros. Consumer Products take opening keynote of online event

Posted on by

Key figures from Warner Bros. Consumer Products will kick off the first day of Licensing Expo Virtual this year, taking the digital stage for the opening keynote of the free-to-attend online event this August.

Pam Lifford, president of WarnerMedia Global Brands and Experience will be joined by Robert Oberschelp, senior vice president, global franchise management and brand product for Warner Bros, Consumer Products, to deliver the address titled Unlocking the Fan Power of Global Franchises.

Scheduled for August 24th, Lifford and Oberschelp will take the virtual stage at 11am EDT or 8am PDT, presenting attendees with insight into their business strategy, a key contributor to the $292.8 billion licensing industry.

“Licensing is a strategic tool for brands to leverage in order to extend their audience reach and gain market share – we are honored to headline Licensing Expo Virtual and share our deep pool of insights and learnings from across Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ wide assortment of portfolios,” said Lifford.

Lifford is responsible for developing all-new fan-engagement business opportunities at WarnerMedia, in addition to aligning current fan-focused activities, while Oberschelp’s role includes oversight of Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ global licensing program that brings new and existing collections to fans.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products is currently super-sizing its franchises across its portfolio to create multiple consumer touchpoints – from content to commerce – enabling it to meet its fans wherever they are. Attendees will be invited to learn from Lifford and Oberschelp in this fireside conversation that will touch on topics spanning the power of super fandom to leveraging e-commerce channels in 2021 and 2022, as well as when to pull on direct-to-consumer levers, and how to maximize multiple platforms, enhance collaborations and in-store retail.

“We could not be more excited to share that executives from a world-renowned studio with global reach and influence will kick off this year’s event; Lifford and Oberschelp’s address is a must-attend,” said Anna Knight, vice president of Licensing, Informa Markets.

“Between the two executives, attendees will have access to decades of experience in executing licensing campaigns that have shaped the entertainment sector and will walk away with newfound learnings they can apply to foster brand growth and expansion.”

Among pre-registrations for Licensing Expo Virtual this year, are retailers including Alibaba, Amazon, Claire’s, Lidl, Primark, rue21, Superdry, TJX, and Toys’R’Us, as well as licensees Bentex Group, Bioworld International, Boeing Group, Colgate Palmolive, Ferrero, Garmin, Hallmark Cards, HER Accessories, PUMA, Ravensburger, Tastemakers, and TOMY International.

Licensing Week Virtual brings in more than 32,000 unique views and 2,900 digital meetings

Posted on by

The Global Licensing Group is celebrating the success of the first Licensing Week Virtual event, a five-day online event that totalled more than 32,000 unique content views and 2,900 digital meeting and replaced the annual Licensing Expo in Las Vegas this year.

Run in partnership with Licensing International, the online event took place from June 15 to 19, bringing licensing industry professionals together from across the globe at a time when physical networking and deal making was made impossible by the global COVID-19 situation.

The virtual conference and exhibition secured 4,477 attendees globally from the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, among more. Noted attendees included Build-A-Bear, Guess, Primark, Selfridges, Target, and more world-renowned retailers. Furthermore, 2,933 virtual meetings were scheduled throughout the five-day period and on average, attendees spent 23 hours + on the event platform.

The virtual event showcased the timely need for developing new and nurturing existing industry connections, as well as future-looking and educational sessions for the licensing industry, which generated $292.8 billion in global sales of license goods and services in 2019, according to the Licensing International 6 th Annual Global Licensing Survey.

“This business is built from connections and the fact that the number of meetings coordinated during the event virtually mirrors the number set up in-person at our live events showcases the industry’s immense need for connections and learning, ” said Anna Knight, global licensing group vice president, Informa Markets.

“The most critical part of setting up a virtual event such as this was keeping our community needs at top-of-mind—also realising that not every single element of a live trade show can transfer over to a digital event beat-for-beat. We’re pleased with the results of Licensing Week Virtual and will continue to complement live events with digital offerings to continue to reach the broad and agile licensing community.”

According to the event’s analysis, most attendees engaged with seven pieces of content and averaged 23 hours and 23 minutes on the event platform, underscoring the need for industry education and network-building at this time. Each day of the event featured content mirroring the experiences and content commonly found at Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe and was organised into the following categories: Brands & Lifestyle, Character & Entertainment, Art & Design, and Emerging Categories.

Among the industry trends highlighted throughout the week, it was notably consumer brands such as Kraft Heinz that indicated a net sale growth of 3.3 per cent during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the role nostalgia plays in inspiring millennials and younger consumers to look to familiar brands during these uncertain times.

It was highlighted that brands that can showcase humility and values with conviction, and stand for causes such as human rights, sustainability, and support through strategic licensing partnerships can expect to see increased interest from a new set of conscious consumers.

In Character and Entertainment, video streaming is projected to reach $27.1 billion USD in 2020 and as the number of streaming subscription services significantly expands with movie studios launching their own services, coupled with traditional movie theatres unable to show films, more streaming properties have opened the door to vast licensing potential as a wider category of viewers are consuming more content than ever, due to stay-at-home orders, and are thus establishing deep-rooted connections with new properties.

Companies such as Universal Studios, with its early video-on-demand release of its “Trolls World Tour” animated movie, are releasing licensed products more closely aligned with the entertainment property itself and are able to promote product hand-in-hand with early digital launches.

The retail and licensee communities turned to e-commerce to slow the loss of revenue caused by COVID-19. With companies now focusing product rollout efforts through an e-commerce channel, the need for companies to be highly visible digitally and make online shopping a viable alternative to in-store shopping is a scalable and viable strategy, as the pandemic forced non-digitally native and hesitant consumers to understand the e-commerce landscape, from mobile kerbside orders to delivery groceries. Due to the shift, direct-to-consumer opportunities will be a larger segment even as retailers begin to open.

Across the Art & Design sector, “label-slapping” is becoming a method of the past that is now being replaced by a deeper and profound brand collaborations with arts and designers. As consumers seek a greater connection to art through social media and online, licensing affords artists the opportunity to extend their brand to a wider audience through products that fall outside of their traditional product domain.

Product categories that have seen growth and are crucial to the art and design licensing community include home décor, footwear, and accessories. These categories have grown in part to the COVID-19 shutdown as consumers spruce up their home and work-from-home stations. During Licensing Week Virtual, merchandisers across the spectrum reported strong sales in those categories during the early part of 2020.

Of the emerging categories highlighted once again it is the rise in video game play that has led consumers to a growth in interest toward eSports and video game influencers. Fandom has gone beyond the basics of playing singularly and now extends into an entire video game ecosystem. Companies that have creatively leveraged the massive fanbase in the gaming sector have shown promise in such partnerships. For instance, Epic Games’ “Fortnite” partnerships with brand owners for in-game digital concerts and licensed character releases have extended the brand’s popularly into other audience non-gaming audiences.

Finally, the Pitch the Brands contest, in partnership with InventHelp, gave inventors the chance to present their product directly in front of a live executive panel from today’s leading brands.

The 2020 winner of the contest was the Gentle Soother developed by husband and wife team Adam and Misti Fyffe that aims to help parents get the rest they need. The Fyffes were among the ten chosen contestants in the submission-based contest. The grand prize included a one-on-one consultation package, worth more than $1,500.

Licensing Expo 2020 moved to August amid Coronavirus pandemic

Posted on by

Licensing Expo, which was originally scheduled to be staged in May 2020, will now be held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center on August 11-13, a move that has been forced owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision was made and detailed at the end of last, as a result of consultation with exhibitors and other stakeholders to determine the best outcome for all. Licensing Expo has stated its belief that this new date ‘is in the best interests of our customers and partners.’

All exhibition bookings and visitor pre-registrations will be transferred automatically to the new dates and there will be further communications to these groups over the coming days and weeks.

Anna Knight, VP Licensing, Informa Markets, said: “We have been closely following developments since COVID–19 began spreading, and we have consistently been mindful of its potential impact on global events like ours.

“With the help, cooperation and partnership we have with MGM Resorts we have obtained favourable dates to reschedule the event and we hope this will serve as an opportunity for the industry to regather in August.

“The Licensing Expo team will be contacting exhibitors and partners to discuss the rescheduled dates, answer any queries, and ensure they can deliver the same event experience as originally planned. However, an event of this scale requires careful planning and organisation, so we collectively ask for understanding in advance for any disruption this change may cause.

“I’d like to thank all of our customers for their patience over the past few weeks as we have navigated these unprecedented circumstances and hope to see as many people as possible in Las Vegas.”

Maura Regan, President, Licensing International, added: “Licensing International fully supports the decision to reschedule Licensing Expo. This new date allows our members and the industry some much needed time to regroup and deal with these challenging circumstances, and above all to protect the health of our community and those around us.”

For further questions, please contact your account manager if you are an exhibitor or sponsor or cs@licensingexpo.com for all other queries.