TOTAL LICENSING
Opinion
A Question of Quality
The quality of
At a time of economic gloom, I don’t jewelry or, in the case of a brand
want to further undermine what was I work with - The Beatles - juke-
licensed goods
already a weakened festive spirit but boxes. And they get what they pay
should be the
I have a concern to share with you. It for - and more.
same as that of
is this: was all the licensed products But this thinking should apply at
weighing down the shelves in the run- all levels. Unfortunately the sheer
unlicensed goods up to Christmas ofof thethe samesame �ualityuality number of potential product lines,
- and usually it is.
and standard as non-licensed prod- especially those that are low cost
uct? and high volume, offers an occa-
This is a concern because, sadly, it sional temptation for ‘label-slapping’
So should we
is sometimes assumed that, when with the justification that the name
really worry
there is the name of a popular tele- is enough. For example, I recently
vision, film, book or design brand on bought a box of tissues decorated
about the a product, not only is there no need with a famous brand name. I was
occasional
to promise anything further, there’s no horrified when the tissues inside
need to offer it. were plain white and unbranded.
branded offering
That is not to say that standards have Surely that tiny touch wasn’t too
that doesn’t
declined, exactly. We’ve come a long much to ask? And even if you can’t
come up to
way from the days when the image of a brand the content (I realise that
popular children’s character might be garden seeds are a bit small for that
scratch? rushed to market on a flimsy, �uick- type of thing) why not add value in
on it but contains sub-standard goods
fading t-shirt. Today our approach to other ways with exciting packaging, in-
if he or she can’t expect to do better
licensing is on a completely different serts and add-ons to support the core
in a High Street store?
Caroline Mickler
level. Preschool toy ranges like In the product?
Our customers are no longer like
thinks we should
Night Garden and Thomas and Friends The reasoning behind this may seen
little children, amazed that their fa-
- and now more
for example, are representative of a obvious. It’s about respecting the cus-
vourite person off the TV adorns an
generally high stan- tomer. However,
everyday product. Come to think of
than ever. dard of licensed it’s also, in a way,
it, little children aren’t like that either.
goods that don’t about fearing the
And there is a real danger that if a few
take the value-add customer. That’s
customers feel they are being taken
of a famous name because in an
for granted many more might avoid
as the sole �uality economic down-
licensed product altogether - and then
indicator. turn a modest
we would all suffer.
However, product disappointment
And that’s the point. Quality should be
licenses now num- at retail will be-
a given in this market. It usually is. But
ber not in the doz- come a major
it takes only a few sub-standard offer-
ens but possibly reason for con-
ings to shake consumer confidence at
the hundreds. Ap- sumers to save
a time when we can’t afford to let that
parel and toys may their money
happen.
well remain the next time - and
It’s not good enough to say “it’s only a
lead licenses for to tell others to
box of tissues”. Sloppy production val-
many brands, but follow suit.
ues damage both a brand and branding
the other licenses And it’s not just
generally at all levels. Once a product
could include any- about choos-
has been taken out of its box, it should
thing from garden ing between li-
be clear not only that it has been care-
seed packets to censed goods,
fully and thoughtfully branded, but that
USBs. Again I must either. There’s
it is a good product in its own right.
emphasise that also piracy. Pi-
To put it another way, for the good of
role of �uality in racy is not just a
us all, ask yourself a �uestion. Can you
the production of branded goods has way of ripping off a name brand; it’s
differentiate your product from some-
grown enormously over the years. At also another form of label-slapping.
thing that could be put together using
the high end of branding this has long Which begs an obvious �uestion. Why
a cheap printer and something that
been understood. People pay a lot for should a consumer not buy a pirated
comes off a barrow? If not, why are
limited edition branded furniture or product that has a famous brand name
you bothering?
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