We gathered together a group of brand-licensing experts to discuss their ideas about how the licensing sector can become more integral to the marketing mix.
The clamour for nostalgia in advertising has been a welcome boost for the brand licensing industry. This year is the 50th anniversary Paddington Bear, for example, and the marmalade-loving Peruvian is in great demand.
Nicholas Durbridge, chairman of The Copyrights Group, which holds the characters worldwide licensing rights, says he has even received interest in Paddington from the Red Arrows.
Brand Licensing where a brand owner grants permission for a company or individual to use its name to create or sell a product is big business. An annual industry report by License! magazine estimates the industry is worth £86bn a year in global retail sales.
There is a raft of specialist industries that manage the relationship between brand-owner and retailer, which can see characters and celebrities spun off into myriad formats, from books to branded gyms. They want brand licensing to be an integral part of mainstream marketing, but often find themselves sidelined by clients as a secondary consideration.
Louise Drabwell, managing director of PR agency Rare Communications, which specialises in youth and entertainment brands and licensing, claims that a ˜big education process is needed. The challenge is to raise the perception of licensing. Maybe people have refrained from shouting about it because people just don’t understand it. It has been a bit underground.
