By Lisa Reiner, Managing Director, Europe & Asia Pacific, Beanstalk
It’s that time of the year again – Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), the largest licensing show in Europe, has been and gone. It is the premier event for the European licensing industry, bringing together licensors, licensees, retailers, and promoters to see the latest trends while seeking new partnerships and connecting with industry leaders.
With 3,000 brands exhibiting at the show, Brand Licensing Europe is the perfect place to gain insight and inspiration; the trends on view on the London show floor are a microcosm of what’s happening across the licensing industry. Licensing is one of the most dynamic and consumer-reflective marketing vehicles, and the observations at this year’s show are an indicator of the direction many brands are headed.
Rebooting heritage brands
Last year at BLE, I wrote about boomerang licensing: companies creating new products designed to appeal to their original fans, who are now older, by playing on nostalgia. Twelve months on, retro is still relevant, although now in the form of redeveloped heritage brands targeting a whole new audience.
For example, the 1960s television series “Thunderbirds” is set to be revived next year, accompanied by a licensing programme including toiletries, publishing, backpacks, and toys. Similarly, the 1970s animated children’s show “The Clangers” has a new series launching, and a live-action film of Jem and the Holograms is in production, based on the original characters from the much-loved 1980s cartoon. In each of these cases, a celebrated heritage brand has been repurposed for a new generation.
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While core characters and stories remain the same, the look and tone have been updated to target today’s young audience. Instead of appealing to nostalgia, these brands are rebooting a tried-and-tested concept, tweaking it to meet the preferences of a new generation of fans.
Sports
This year’s BLE also featured an impressive number of first-time sports brand exhibitors. Major football clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United participated, as did Major League Baseball and more “alternative” sport leagues such as Moto GP and WWE. While sports licensing has traditionally been focused on logo-clad t-shirts and accessories, the area is quickly evolving to a lifestyle position. New Zealand rugby team All Blacks recently launched a line of premium watches in collaboration with fashion house Bulgari, and is expanding into aftershave and other lifestyle categories. Overall, brand extensions enable sports teams to further interact with their fans outside of game day, offering products that extend to new occasions and formats.
In addition, videogame versions of traditional sports have gained momentum in recent years. Digital football game Inazuma Eleven was searching for licensing partners at the BLE show, and the NFL Players Association announced it will feature some of its top players as avatars in Temple Run 2. As the definition of sport expands to include digital phenomena, such as gaming apps and online tournaments, I anticipate we will see even more sport brands exhibiting in years to come.
Asian brands
Asian brands, both new and old, were well-represented at this year’s BLE. Newcomers such as Korea’s Secret Jouju and Japan’s Hatsune Miku stood alongside long-established properties including Sanrio, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon.
Moreover, an increasing number of Western brands seem to be drawing inspiration from Asian imagery and style. American plush toy manufacturer TY has clearly incorporated elements of Japanese anime into their Beanie Boos characters, while the Asian-inspired Power Rangers brand recently announced a partnership with Crayola to produce branded colouring pads and activity sheets. Lastly, who could miss the vibrant colours, patterns and larger-than-life characters on display at the Tokidoki booth – the Japanese-inspired brand born from LA-based designer, Simone Legno.
Implications for marketers
To really gauge the wider significance of the aforementioned trends, we need to look at them in a slightly broader context. Firstly, when rebooting a brand, marketers and brand owners must remember that the original audience is still present. Even if the target demographic has changed, the franchise must remain true to its roots; not only to avoid backlash from long-standing fans, but also to not risk losing the equities that made the brand so successful in the first place.
For sports brands looking to extend into the lifestyle category, it’s important to couple creativity with consideration. Brand owners should conduct careful consumer research in order to understand what market gaps there are to fill in an already over-saturated sector.
Cross-collaborations with Asian brands can be an effective way for Western companies to tap into a wider audience. We have seen multiple examples of this in the fashion sphere already; Gwen Stefani spreading Harajuku style, for instance, and designer Alexander Wang’s stylish reconstruction of the kimono for his Spring/Summer 2015 collection. Allowing other cultures to exert influence on a product is a great way to give it a unique selling point.
Europe is one of the biggest consumer markets in the world, representing 23% of the global GDP. That alone explains BLE’s position as one of the foremost meeting places for licensing industry professionals. I look forward to seeing the results of this year’s show reaching retail destinations across Europe and beyond.