Celebrating its 30th year in business, global brand licensing agency Beanstalk continues to grow its clients’ licensing programmes, and has announced a series of recent new partnerships and clients in addition to new corporate initiatives in sustainability, diversity and charitable programmes.
Diageo’s Irish Stout brand, Guinness, has grown its presence in the aisles of UK supermarkets by expanding its partnership with The Flava People. The Irish beer brand launched two new sauces, the Guinness Smoky BBQ Sauce and Guinness Smoky Tomato Ketchup, bringing a twist to Britain’s much loved classic table sauces. This follows the Guinness cooking paste, a blend of Guinness beer, honey and soy, which launched in 2021.
Beanstalk also debuted a pair of cookbooks for two of its well-loved brands; Baileys partnered with HarperCollins to publish The Baileys Cookbook, featuring a collection of over 60 delectable delights, from sophisticated cocktails and desserts, to sensational hot chocolates and puddings. The recipes showcase the versatility and deliciousness of Baileys, inviting consumers to enjoy “the ultimate adult indulgent treat” at any time. Additionally, Guinness joined forces with publisher Insight Editions to bring the taste of Guinness to home kitchens with The Official Guinness Cookbook. Providing recipes for everything from savoury braised short ribs, to traditional Irish soda bread and decadent cheesecake brownies, this comprehensive book boasts over 70 recipes for dishes that feature or pair with the stouts, ales, and lagers of the Guinness breweries, including classic Guinness Draught, crisp Extra Stout, and citrusy Baltimore Blonde.
Chocolatier Godiva, together with Beanstalk, continues to expand its licensing portfolio in the U.S. and Canada with Godiva-inspired products developed in conjunction with new licensing partners, Boardwalk Frozen Treats for ice cream pints; Jimmy’s Gourmet Bakery for frozen cookie dough; Le Vian for special edition Chocolate Diamond jewelry at Kay Jewelers; and Cookies United for gingerbread house and cookie decorating kits. The four new partners join Godiva’s extensive North America licensing portfolio, including General Mills, The Cheesecake Factory and Jessica Pastries, which debuted as part of Godiva’s Holiday 2021 collection.
TGI Fridays, the iconic American bar and grill, expanded its exclusive strategic partnership with the UK’s leading frozen food retailer, Iceland, through a range of new sides, mains and sweet treats, created solely with the forthcoming BBQ season in mind. The mouthwatering dishes include Beef Short Ribs with Maple BBQ, Cheese & Jalapeño Hot Dogs and Chocolate Cookie Pie.
Long-standing client U.S. Army partnered with Manly Bands for U.S. Army branded rings; Ice Shaker, a “Shark Tank” success, for shaker bottles and stainless-steel drinkware; and Diamond Supply Company for skate apparel and accessories.
For The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Beanstalk has developed partnerships across home décor, fashion accessories, gifting and educational gaming categories. Inspired by the artworks and stories within its robust collection, The Met has worked closely with selected partners who exhibit the highest level of creative development, from home textiles to accessories to social expressions. The new licensing partnerships include Lingo for educational card games, Pura for home fragrance, Caspari for paper goods and social expressions, and Scalamandré for textiles, wallpaper and trim.
In the digital media space, Tinderbox continues to develop the licensing programme for Call of Duty. Call of Duty partnered with Middle Eastern manufacturer and distributor of licensed products, Trucare, expanding the brand’s licensing program into the MENA region, which has quickly proven to be a valuable emerging market for the global gaming industry. The partnership will see Call of Duty grow its consumer product reach into these new territories across categories including apparel, accessories, housewares, and gifting.
Keeping the momentum going, Beanstalk has also added to its diverse client portfolio of global brands. Earlier this year, Skullcandy joined the agency’s client roster to unleash the power of expression; the client partnership will extend the lifestyle audio brand across consumer electronics, sporting and outdoor goods, apparel and accessories, and experiential spaces. Beanstalk also signed Cath Kidston, extending the joyful British brand into new categories in home, fashion and gifting, globally. Most recently, Beanstalk announced its partnership with Audi, the German automotive manufacturer of premium vehicles, to extend the automotive brand into new lifestyle, technology and mobility categories.
“Throughout our 30 years, Beanstalk has strategically developed licensing programmes for some of the most globally recognised brands. These new partnerships and clients demonstrate how we continue to harness the power of licensing to successfully extend brands into new categories around the globe,” says Allison Ames, President and CEO of Beanstalk. “After a two-year hiatus, Licensing Expo 2022 provides the perfect opportunity to reconnect with our industry colleagues and forge new partnerships across industries, categories and territories.”
Complementary to Beanstalk’s robust client activity, the agency has premiered several corporate initiatives. In keeping with Beanstalk’s “best practices” model, it has established a global, cross-functional Sustainability Team. The key objectives of Beanstalk’s sustainability initiatives are to align clients’ sustainability goals with licensees’ efforts and capabilities and to share information across clients, licensees and industries.
Additionally, Beanstalk’s Antiracism, Allyship and Action programme continues to make diversity, racial justice and advocacy for marginalised groups a priority through education, client service and monetary donations.
Most recently, Beanstalk unveiled Licensing Labs by Beanstalk, an initiative to raise funds for charity while providing a service to the licensing community. Through the Licensing Labs by Beanstalk promotion, the agency will work with three winners to help them identify areas of opportunity for brand extension. In turn, the winners will be asked to donate to UNICEF to aid in Ukraine relief efforts. For more information on Licensing Labs by Beanstalk, visit https://www.beanstalk.com/licensing-labs-by-beanstalk.
