TOTAL LICENSING
Opinion
Recession-proof?
In today’s cash-
strapped market,
you might think
Don’t bet on it
that owning a
How can you best support your brands necessary now than ever.
brand people
during a recession? One year ago that For example, licensors all like to
already know
thought could not have been further believe that licensees do a good
from my mind. At that time I wrote job with our brands; that’s why we
would make about the values and DNA that un- choose them after all. But do we do
things easier.
derpin a property and the dangers of enough to help them? Well, we ob-
ditching quality control for short-term viously don’t ask them to present a
gain. We were on something of a high: brand to retailers without back-up;
But, says Caroline
the danger then was that the licensing statistics, history, slides and fore-
Mickler, however
industry might take advantage of its casts are (or should be) part of
success by slapping labels on product the package we supply to licensees
well established ill-suited to the brand concerned but a pitching to Toys ‘R Us , HMV, John
your brand may
good bet for short-term profit. Lewis or Sainsbury’s.
Times have changed since then, to say However, retailers today have to be
be, complacency
the least. Quality still matters but the hard-nosed about what they offer
is never an
danger today is not so much that low- space to. So if you really believe in
option.
quality product will hit the market and your brand and its chances of retail
undermine a brand but that high-qual- success in product form - be that
ity product will be ignored whatever product a high-end jukebox or a
the brand. mass-market lunchbox - you might
You could argue that some sarily. However, depending on
brands are better placed than
In 1928 a new character was
your brand and the product in
others to cope with change. question, there may be a case
Longevity helps, as Maisy launched on the market - just in for offering a retailer an exclu-
Mouse, Kipper and a number
of other long-running pre-
time for the Great Depression.
sive. That way you get the shelf
space and the retailer has a
school hits demonstrate.
Lost without trace? Not at all.
stake on the product’s success.
A continuing TV presence Handled sensitively, the deal
(Teletubbies, SpongeBob et
That character was Mickey
will make up for the limitations
al) doesn’t hurt either. But
Mouse!
of committing a licensed prod-
are even these brands really uct to one retailer.
recession-proof? Being creative also means find-
It may be comforting for
consider supporting licensees in a
ing ways to be relevant. The
owners of established brands to be-
more obvious way: by making your-
Beatles, a brand I represent on behalf
lieve that, with wallets less open than
self available at a presentation. That
of Apple Corps, may not seem an ob-
before, retailers will tend to go with
way you emphasise your faith in the
vious Valentine’s Day brand, but put All
what they know. However, there are
brand and licensee in the most direct
You Need is Love on a coaster or mug
many competing brands out there
way possible. If you can underline your
- as licensee Half Moon Bay has - and
whose licensors are unlikely to take
commitment by offering your support
you have a charming seasonal gesture
it easy just because they don’t have
during question and answer sessions,
that is also true to the brand.
to explain who or what those famous
so much the better.
It’s clearly not going to be an easy year.
brands represent. They know that
It may also be necessary to meet re-
But at the same time I intend to take
there are fewer retail outlets and less
tailers halfway. We have already seen
heart from examples of brands that
disposable income available. They are
the post-Christmas sales. A surpris-
have made it through much tougher
taking nothing for granted. And, even
ing number of properties popular
periods. For instance in 1928 a new
though I am the agent for The Beatles
last year were crowding the shelves
character was launched on the market
- one of the most famous names on
a month after the festive season and
- just in time for the Great Depres-
the planet - neither am I. New strat-
marked down as a consequence. Time
sion. Lost without trace? Not at all.
egies and creative thinking are more
for a drastic response? Not neces-
That character was Mickey Mouse.
134
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144